Colour with a “U” is a juried exhibition of art quilts created by Canadian SAQA members in response to a challenge to interpret a theme of diversity and inclusion. 

“In Canada, we spell colour with a “u”. We also spell labour, favourite, honour and neighbour with a “u”. That “u” could stand for unique, unforgettable, universal, unity, understanding, utopia. It could include the unusual, unexpected, unbound, unabashed, unaccounted, uncanny. We care about the “u”; it makes us unique. We are about the “you”; it brings us together. What do the Canadian values of diversity and inclusion mean to you? How does your labour in your favourite medium honour your neighbourhood, your community? How do you colour yourself in our Canadian culture?”

The 33 artists in this travelling exhibition have reflected on the theme of diversity and inclusion to give “colourful” representations of our Canadian cultural identity. Each offers an individual perspective on how we as Canadians see ourselves in our social historical and physical landscape. 

This juried exhibition comes to the Lake of the Woods Museum from Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) which is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the art quilt and the artists who create them. Founded in 1989 with 34 members, SAQA has grown into a dynamic community of over 3,700 artists, curators, collectors and art professionals located around the world.