Curated by Eliza Fernand of
queer quilting collective
The queer quilting collective is a quilting studio run by Eliza Fernand in Rogers Park, Chicago. For three years, it has been welcoming new and experienced sewers to quilt in community.
Fernand chose the title of this exhibition from a passage in Rebecca Makkai’s novel The Great Believers, “You two are on the planet at the same time. You’re in the same place now. That’s a miracle.” Fernand believes that, “acknowledging everyday miracles is a potent act in our present time, fraught with power structures that seek to erase and oppress us. The practice of gathering to craft in unison builds connections and resilience as we show up at the same place, at the same time. Every one of these quilts is a miracle.”
See the Exhibition
On the Same Planet at the Same Time is on display at The Beautiful Cat from Friday, February 6 – Monday, April 6, 2026. As a window gallery, the works are viewable 24/7 at the northeast corner of Granville and Winthrop. It is located just a half block east of the Granville Red Line stop and a block west of the 147 express bus at 1070 W Granville, Chicago, IL 60660.
Opening Reception
Join us across the street at Pete’s Pizza on Friday, February 13th from 6-9pm as we celebrate one year of exhibitions at The Beautiful Cat. We’ll have a music, food, a guided gallery tour, and a Q&A with curator and teacher Eliza Fernand. We’ll also be making free iron on patches that you can take home!
Learn more about the reception
Pete’s Pizza is located just a half block east of the Granville Red Line stop and a block west of the 147 express bus at 1100 W Granville, Chicago, IL 60660.
Meet the Artists
Beni Batiste
Artist
Beni Batiste (she/they) grew up in constant motion, shaped by the resourcefulness and magic of their Creole and Prussian lineage. They moved
to Chicago nearly a decade ago to attend comedy film school, and it has been the longest home they’ve ever known. Beni has spent over half their life as a grassroots organizer and advocate, and can often be found in the water, at the movies, or at home with their cat, Nelson.
Tiffany M. Favers du Shine
Artist
Tiffany M. Favers du Shine is a proud Black queer woman, born and raised in Ohio. She is currently based in Chicago where she lives with her spouse and
two cats. In her professional life, she is a social worker specializing in work with older adults and families and is a DEI consultant. In her personal life, she is a lover of music and dancing, fancy cocktails, books, an amateur baker, an aspiring spiritual healer and most recently, a novice quilter.
Diego Rancel + Mariel Rancel
Artists, Siblings, Best Friends
Diego Rancel (He/him) and Mariel Rancel (She/her) are siblings from Chicago’s southwest suburbs who love thrifting, visiting aquariums, and foraging. Mariel acted as project manager and quilting assistant and Diego acted as master seamster. The queer quilting collective gave us a space to make our vision come to life and for our artistic collaboration to flourish. Special thanks to our mom who helped iron some squares after sewing and took us to the mundillo museum in Moca.
Philip Smith
Artist
Philip Smith is a longtime sewer, originally learning from his mother, Denise, in the basement of his childhood home — she’d also been taught by her mother, Marlene, in the basement of her childhood home. He started working with queer quilting two years ago when he was looking to create outside of the traditional methods he’d felt stuck working in.