Letter to My 13 Year Old Self

"I am fortunate to be what I consider a happy, well-rounded and incredibly proud Queer man. It took me 75 years to get this way. Had I known the three things that I tell my younger self in this letter, I might have gotten here faster. To all 13 year olds … It gets better. I promise."

Cotton, organic cotton, recycled polyester thread
Approx. 80” x 89”

Bill Stearman is a Queer quilt maker, storyteller, and social activist living and working in Picton, Ontario. He considers himself a ‘quiltivist’. With his work, he pushes limits, challenges tradition, and explores alternate materials and techniques.  Frequently, his quilts address topics not generally associated with quilts; depression, death, abuse, Queer issues, social justice, etc.
His goal with his work is to challenge viewers to think, to react, and to have conversations. 
His hope is that folks will see his work as true and honest; something that matters; something that will make a difference.  Since a life-saving liver transplant in 2021, he’s become obsessed with the notion that he's been gifted extra years of life, solely to be an agent of positive change; to make a difference.  He is motivated to create work that changes the way folks view the world, and thus to change the world.