Quilt Ojar is represented by islets from different parts of Northern Russia and the prairies of the Turtle Island: Yakutia, Murmansk, Kamchatka, Yamal, Sakhalin, Tomsk, and Iowa. Each islet tells about a unique People who over millennia have developed various technologies of comfortable life in the North. The islets provide an opportunity of a brief introduction into the ancient cultures and worldviews. They describe sustainable methods of working with traditional natural and other materials, which contemporary Indigenous artists actively use in the 21st century. These works introduce the philosophy of life of a man of the North, and understanding of the universe.

In creating the islets, we used a wide variety of local materials: salmon skin, reindeer fur, eco-leather, felt, beads, reed stalks, dough, birch bark, etc. Each artist decided on the story to share and the technique to use for their island.

The idea for this project belongs to Mary Youngbear, a Meskwaki artist. During 2020-2021, the Indigenous artists were gathering online and discussed the methods of creating islets, formed a concept of the project, and co-created the final quilt. The Ojar Quilt was assembled at the ARCTICenter and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Northern Iowa with support from the Museum of the University of Northern Iowa in close consultation with the participating artists. Jenna Jansen, museum student assistant, helped photograph the islets and put them into a virtual quilt. The work on assembling the quilt was carried out by Dr. Marybeth Stalp, Professor of Sociology at the University of Northern Iowa. The quilt was finalized at the Department of Anthropology at the University of Victoria.