Waterloo Region – Schneider Haus National Historic Site is pleased to announce the opening of UN/COVERINGS, Mennonite & Muslim Women’s Heads and Heartson October 8, 2021.

This multimedia, fashion-based installation, co-curated by Dr. Laura Morlock, lecturer at Ryerson’s School of Fashion, and Dr. Cristina Moreno-Almeida, Post Doctoral Fellow at King’s College London, invites visitors to challenge their own biases and stereotypes around religious headcoverings.

“At Schneider Haus we are working with the community to expand the stories that we are telling,” explained Antoinette Duplessis, historic sites supervisor. “In the past, we focused on one year in the Haus' history. But the house has been standing for over 200 years and we know that many people, from many different backgrounds, have been a part of the house's history. We're excited to bring UN/COVERINGS, to our community, to explore where Mennonite nuance meets Muslim diversity.”

“Mennonite and Muslim women represent so much diversity and complexity. Their identities are as creative as the clothes they wear,” said Morlock. “Visitors will challenge themselves to look beyond what they think they know and ask questions like, ‘Why do Muslim headcoverings cause such visceral reactions? Do Mennonite bonnets provoke the same response? And when the vast majority of both North American Mennonite and Muslim women don’t veil at all, why do these headcoverings receive so much (and such different) public attention?’

As Morlock and Moreno-Almeida say, “If you think you know these women, just wait. UN/COVERINGS turns stereotypes on their head.”

The exhibition runs October 8, 2021 to May 15, 2022. Schneider Haus is located at 466 Queen Street S. Kitchener, Ontario. For more information call 519-742-7752 or visit www.schneiderhaus.ca.