Floored by historic beauty

On November 8, the “Resurfacing: Mennonite Floor Patterns” exhibit launched at the Conrad Grebel University College Gallery in Waterloo, Ontario. Guests engaged with Margruite Krahn (pictured), the Neubergthal, Manitoba, artist whose natural, hand-cut stencils showcase historic Mennonite floor patterns. Margruite’s passion for this art form began unexpectedly while renovating her historic “house barn” home, where she uncovered a hand-painted floor beneath layers of carpet and linoleum. For Margruite, this is not just an artistic endeavour but also a social and cultural investigation into an overlooked aspect of historical Mennonite culture: women’s creativity and statements of beauty in a rigidly structured world.