Nova Scotia Tartan masks

On 6 April 2020, the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit was launched to assist Canadians during COVID-19. Instead of taking it, Sherrie Kearney made pleated masks from her fabric stock. Her Nova Scotia tartan mask was a symbol of solidarity after the deadliest rampage in Canadian history on 19 April 2020, when a gunman set 16 fires, shot and killed 22 victims over 13 hours. By mid-June she sold over 8300 masks, raising $10,000 for victims of the shootings and local charities. The design was modified in November for the new Canada Health rules.

Sherrie Kearney for Maritime Tartan Company, Canada

April and November 2020

Designed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Made in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Cotton, polyester lining

Royal Ontario Museum
2021.31.1 (pleated mask)

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