The Lynch Quilt Project with LaShawnda Crowe Storm

Are you familiar with The Lynch Quilt Project? This community quilt project is lead by artist LaShawnda Crowe Storm of Indianapolis, IN. (Her 2004 quilt in the photo here is title "Her Name Was Laura Nelson.")

The Lynch Quilts Project is a community-based effort meant to explore the history of lynching and consequences of racial violence. You don't have to be in Indianapolis to participate - visit TheLynchQuiltProject.com website to learn how you can take part. Specifically - LaShawnda tells me they are looking for volunteers to finish the last 100 blocks (out of 440!) for one of the pieces for the Quilt IV segment.

You can read the December 2011 Indianapolis Recorder article about the project by clicking here.

Lynchings as a theme in quiltmaking is not new. Click here to see April Shipp's "Strange Fruit Quilt" or Gwen Magee's Southern Heritage; Southern Shame quilt.

Black Moses Barbie video

Guess I was influenced by the lynching quilts .... here is a thought-provoking video part of Pierre Bennu's "larger series of paintings and films deconstructing and re-envisioning images of people of color in commercial & pop culture." And, if you are looking for a connection between Barbie and quilts .

Kwanzaa Harambee Fabric from Kweli

It's that time of year! Innovative holiday fabrics from Kweli - this print is Kwanzaa Harambee and is available on Spoonflower.com. Enjoy!

Meet Lori Greene Mosaic Artist

WOW - was visiting other blogs and came across Lori Greene, a mosaic artist in St. Paul's, MN. Lori is also a 2010 Bush Artist Fellow. Here is one of her pieces. Do take a moment to visit her blog at http://greenemosaic.blogspot.com. Enjoy!

StorybookQuilts.org creates a new Coffee Tree Quilt

What a wonderful surprise I recently received! The quilers at StorybookQuilts.org take children's books with quilting themes and make actual quilts to share during story time at local schools. Students get to read the actual book and see the quilt. Here is the quilt inspired by Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria. Take a moment to visit the site and two dozen plus story quilts there! Enjoy!

From July 21 to September 18, 2011, the quilt "Douglass' Kansas Color Light Artillery Battery (Union) Soldiers" quilt will be on display at the Spencer Museum of Art. This quilt is a collaboration between Sistah Kansas quilter Marla Jackson and ninth-graders from Michel Loomis' English class at Central Junior High in Lawrence, Kansas. According to the museum's press release, the First Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry, depicted in the quilt, was the first black regiment to service with American Indian and white troops. Way to go kids! Enjoy!

Laverne Brackens, Texas Quilter is an Award Recipient!

Congratulations to Laverne Bracken of Fairfield, Texas for receiving one of nine 2011 National Endowments for the Arts National Heritage Fellowships for her quilting. You can see more of Mrs. Bracken's quilt at the Quilts and Stories by Sherry Ann blog. You can click here to read about seven other African American quilters who have been Fellowship recipients in the past. Enjoy!

AAQOC Quilts at the Lakeview Library in Oakland, CA

This is the last week that 29 small quilts from the African American Quilt Guild of Oakland are on exhibit at the Lakeview Library, 550 El Embarcadero, in Oakland, California. This is the 8th year the guild has participated in displays at this library. The exhibit is open to the public from Aug 3 - 31, 2011. Enjoy!

“African American Quilters of Los Angeles: A Tradition of Pride” - opens Sept 7, 2011

If you are going to be in the Los Angeles area, “Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity,” an exhibition at the California State University, Dominguez Hills University Art Gallery opens Sept. 7. This exhibit will explore the art of making kente, its symbolism in the cultures of Africa, and its expression of identity in African American communities.

Concurrently, at the University Art Gallery will be the exhibit “African American Quilters of Los Angeles: A Tradition of Pride” curated by African American Quilters of Los Angeles (AAQLA) vice president Estelle Hamilton and the University Art Gallery, and will feature 30 quilts, including those by Ree Adams, Anne Bastiste, Olga Chachere, Linda Country, Linda Gardner, Ernestine Hadley, Estelle Hamilton, Lou Holland Jones, Debra Knox, Sharon Mathews, Judith Nash, Emma Quinn, Elvis Smith, Toni Terrell-Randolph, and Audrey Williams. An anniversary shout-out to AAQLA, which is celebrating 25 glorious, stitching years in 2011! Both exhibits run through October 18, 2011.

Read more: The Downey Patriot - African cloth on exhibit at university. Enjoy!

Chris Clark, Alabama Quilter 1958 - 2011

My prayers are to the family of Chris Clark, a popular Alabama quilter and folk artist, who passed away Tuesday from diabetes. I first became acquainted with Chris' distinctive painted quilts when I was researching Black Threads: An African American Quilting Sourcebook. I was able to speak with him on the phone and hear him share how he first got started quilting. He also let me know one of his quilts was used for a musical CD cover, Laser's Edge American Sampler (1999). I was able to see one of Chris' quilts in person at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. WOW - what he could do with a nine-patch block and paint! You can see more of his quilts at:

• Chris Clark Art website
• Visionary Art website

According to the Birmingham News, Chris is survived by his wife Deborah Clark; his daughter, Tameika Clark; his mother, Kathleen Clark; and father, Ocie Clark Sr. You can leave a note to his family on Chris' memorial page on Legacy.com. (The photo of Chris here is from the Birmingham News article. Blessings.

Vlisco African Prints - Fashion Catalog July 2011

Just saw the new Vlisco ad campaign on their website. There is video of the runway show! And, if you click here, a copy of the catalog with fashion photos like the two here. Can you see a quilt made from these fabrics!? Enjoy!

Mixed Greens: Saving the Earth One Quilt At A Time - book now available!

Congratulations to Gwen Maxwell-William and the Pacific Northwest African American Quilters guild for publishing "Mixed Greens: Saving the Earth One Quilt At A Time," a catalog featuring environmental and recycle themed quilts. The 64-page, full-color catalog is available from Blurb.

The quilts are on exhibit at the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum in La Conner, Washington from June 29 to October 2, 2011. The exhibit is curated by Deborah Boone – quilter/fiber artist and member of the Pacific Northwest African American Quilters. Enjoy!

Baltimore Book Festival - Join Kyra Hicks and Maria Murnane

If you are going to be in the Baltimore, Maryland area September 23 - 25, do stop by the Baltimore Book Festival! On Saturday, I will join Maria Murnane, the award-winning author of Perfect on Paper, a novel for anyone who has ever run into an ex looking like crap, to give a fun workshop on how to get published. Together we will explain the difference between traditional and self-publishing and provide a clear, step-by-step guide to each. We'll cover the pros and cons of both routes to help you weigh them against your goals as an author! Terry McMillian and Tavis Smiley will be at the Festival, too! Enjoy!

Smithsonian 14k Bible Quilt Bracelet from QVC

You know you're an extraordinary quilter when your quilt design inspires so many more than 100 years AFTER you stitched the quilt! A friend sent me a link to this Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt inspired 14K gold bracelet from the Smithsonian Collection and available on QVC. This one is available from QVC for $273. This Bible Quilt bracelet is 8 inches. Remember the other Powers' quilt products?

• Bible Quilt Upholstery Fabric from 20 years ago, which I'm still looking to unravel who manufactured.
  
• Bible Quilt watercolor painting by artist E. L. Swanson
• Powers' Pictorial Quilt pattern book
• Bible Quilt bedspread and pillow shams from the Smithsonian - years ago
• Or the rather racy novella "A Lesson in Espionage" by CL Scholey!
  

What do you think about it or the other items inspired by Mrs. Powers' quilts? Enjoy!

A Lesson in Espionage by CL Scholey - a hot novella involving Harriet Powers

On my Kindle reading list is the novella by racy writer and grandmother CL Scholey. For just $3.99 you can read "A Lesson in Espionage." Here's the promo about this eBook (highlights are mine):

"Espionage and daring intrigue in the nineteenth century? Vonnie, a woman of African-American descent, is a reclusive historian searching for her passion. A missing quilt made by Harriet Powers. Her dreams have been haunted mysteriously by the woman since her first visit to the Smithsonian when she was but a child of six. Vonnie is certain there is something of desperate importance Harriet needs her to discover. The only thing Demarco Axel needs to discover is how Vonnie became tangled up in a CIA clandestine investigation. After he kidnaps her to gain the truth, they embark on a perilous mission to unravel the secrets centered around the mysterious missing quilt..."

WOW - who would have thought Harriet Powers and her quilts would also affect literature in this way!? Have you read this story yet? Enjoy!

Update: I did read this novella - and it's really good! Fasted-paced. I could not believe the CIA is on the trail of Harriet Powers' lost Lord's Supper Quilt! Worth a read.

Google's new What Do You Love? - Try Quilting

Google has soft launched a new search engine called What Do You Love? It's a one-stop place to find image results, videos, books, mapping, alerts, trends in online discussions, and more! Here is a quick screenshot of African American Quilting in the new What Do You Love? search engine. Try it yourself - put in your own name, or your guild's name or Underground Railroad quilts, or Obama Quilts, or ..... What do you think of the new search engine? Enjoy!

Kickstarter - One Quilter's Project Awaits Funding

Have you visited the fundraising website Kickstarter? At the moment, sistah quilter Marion Coleman is trying to raise funds to travel to Lithuania this fall as part of the Kaunas Textile Biennial '11 and to attend the European Textile Network conference. Have a look at her project today and view her video. If you decide to make a donation, you won't be charged unless the total amount she is seeking is pledged by a certain date. Marion's six part narrative quilt series will be on exhibit in Lithuania. Best wishes Marion! Enjoy!

Sue Rock Originals Everyone!

If you haven't heard of the fantastic work Sue Rock is doing, you should check out the 5 min video here! Sue Rock Originals Everyone is the only domestic violence non-profit committed to textile support to those suffering from domestic violence. The 501(c)3 non-profit engages volunteers to sew, knit, or crochet new garments for domestic violence survivors.

According to Ms. Rock, who received a Woman of Valor Award for Excellence in Service by New York State Senator John L. Sampson in May 2011, "for seven years we have had the encouragement of the Brooklyn District Attorney's office in supporting the lives of women."



You can donate directly to this charity or purchase garments at the Sue Rock Originals Everyone store in Crown Heights Brooklyn (1069 Bergen Street, NY, NY 11216). Visit Sue's blog http://suerockoriginals.blogspot.com/ or the Sue Rock Etsy store for vintage knitting and crochet patterns. Enjoy!

Marian Wright Edelman - 1966 Visit to Quilters

Marian Wright-Edelman (standing) is visiting quilters at the Mount Beulah Center, operated by the Delta Ministry of National Council of Churches in Mississippi, according to a June 1966 Ebony magazine article. The quilters would send the completed pieces to an African American owned cooperative in Jackson to be sold. Just consider - quilts as a revenue generator way back in 1966! Enjoy!

Ravin J. Hill - Jackson, Mississippi Quilter

I met Ravin J. Hill at the memorial service for quilter Gwen Magee. Gwen had been an artistic mentor to Ravin, a graduate of Tougaloo College (BA) and Florida State University (MS Art Ed). She's a bright, engaging, imaginative quilter. It was a delight to meet her - and especially as we spirited away to the parking lot to see two quilts she had in her car, including a pink and green memorial story quilt she made to honor a best friend.

In 2008, Ravin had a solo quilt exhibit at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center featuring 11 of her quilts. The show was titled "Grandma's Hands: Celebrating the Quiltcode of the Underground Railroad". In the photo here is an image of the 18-page full-color exhibit catalog and one of her quilts. The show was dedicated to her grandmother, Lueberta Hawkins (1907-1997), who taught her to quilt.

Earlier Ravin titled her senior thesis on "Quilt of Life." I hope she continues to exhibit and write about quilting. Ravin is today engaged in art therapy. Do wish Ravin continued success in her quilting! Enjoy!

January 1987 Alabama Tourism Ad - Quilters

The January 1987 issue of Ebony magazine featured this state of Alabama tourism ad - "Follow the Achievements of Black Alabamians." The ad features noted Freedom Quilting Bee members
Addie Nicholson and Estelle Witherspoon. Have you noticed other African American quilters in advertising? Enjoy?

Pieced Together; Moscow Meets Harlem June 14 - 27, 2011

If you are in the New York area, visit the exhibit "Pieced Together; Moscow Meets Harlem" at the National Arts Club in Manhattan, June 14-27, 2011. Marina Kovalyou, president of the Russian American Foundation, and quilter Laura Gadson co-curated the show. Nearly two dozen works by artists such as Michael Cummings, Gadson, N. Fedotovsky, Ife Felix, Dindga McCannon, Paula Wynters, Lidia Semenova, and L. Stepenova are included. (Photo by Mariela Lombard for the NY Daily News.) Enjoy!

Bold Expressions - San Diego Exhibit, New Catalog!

On exhibit from May 26 through Sept. 11 at the Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park in San Diego, California is “Bold Expressions: African American Quilts from the Collection of Corrine Riley.” Riley has collected quilts for more than 35 years. This exhibit features more than 50 quilts made throughout the American south between 1910 and the 1970s, including those in the American folk art tradition and African-American quilts with improvisation and modern takes on traditional quilting patterns. The majority of quilts were created in Alabama and Texas; other quilters represented are from Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Indiana and Illinois. This show is curator by Christine Knoke, the Museum’s director of exhibitions.

There is a 96 page catalog that includes 50 color photos. The catalog is available via the museum's online store for $18.95.Admission to this show ranges from $3 to $7.

On June 11, 2011, the award winning Black Storytellers of San Diego, Inc. will host a program titled "Quilt Me A Story" from 7pm - 8:30pm. Tickets are on sale at the museum website. Enjoy!

Spring Cleaning of the Ole Fabric Stash

I did it. I finally cleared out my fabric stash - all eight clear bins of fabric lovingly collected over the decade plus! The calicos from when I first learned to quilt... the dozens and dozens of brown fabrics for the people I sew... the yards of fabrics featuring African American images (yes, Black Santa Claus!).... and more. I realized that I didn't need EIGHT bins of fabrics. So, the other week I had a clear-out. I had a ball recalling when or where I was when I purchased different prints, including the horribly expensive Art Deco print I got from Liberty's in London one summer. I laughed asking myself why I purchased four YARDS of the Michael Jordon "Space Jam" cotton print. I finally admitted to myself there are some fabrics I'll never really sew with. Slowly I put aside those prints that I'm not really going to use or need to keep any longer.

I have only three bins of fabric left... the-really-will-sew-with this fabric... the must keep ethnic prints.... and any other piece that simply made me happy. (I donated all the other fabric as well as the 40 spools of thread I'll not use either!) I feel lighter now. Have you ever had such a fabric experience?

"The Evolution of Diane Williams" - Mississippi Quilt Exhbit

For those within the Jackson, Mississippi area, do stop by and see the exhibit "The Evolution of Diane Williams: Walking the Path" at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center. This show includes 30 quilts by Williams and ends on May 14, 2011.

Diane Williams is an award-winning Mississippi storyteller. She incorporates her narratives into her art quilts. You can read about Diane at her website MississippiStoryteller.com or by viewing one of her videos on YouTube. Enjoy!

Susan Scott Hester's My Voice on Cloth Master's thesis

Congratulations to Susan Scott Hester for her University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill master's thesis titled "My Voice on Cloth: Story Quilters of the South Carolina Lowcountry."

Her 140 page thesis examines the "genealogy of African American Quilt Scholarship" and the pictorial quilts, individual and artistic experiences of African American art quilters from a particular area in South Carolina. Specifically she focuses on ten quilters: Cookie Washington, Catherine Lamkin, Winifred Sanders, Peggie Hartwell, Dr. Marlene O-Bryant-Seabrook, Lenora Brown, Arianne King-Comer, Dorothy Montgomery, Zelda Grant, and Vermelle "Bunny" Rodrigues.

You can download a copy of the thesis from the University of North Carolina Library - or by clicking here. Congratulations Susan! Enjoy!

Gwendolyn Magee (1943 – 2011) - Sister Quilter and Friend

It is with profound personal sadness that I share this news. Our Sister Quilter Gwendolyn Magee passed away after an illness. For those who had the privilege to see Gwen’s magnificent art quilts, hear her infectious laughter, or read her art commentaries, you’ll know what a great loss we’ll experience.Gwen, from Jackson, Mississippi, was an award winning quilt artist:

· 2011 – Mississippi Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts http://www.arts.state.ms.us/special-projects/governors-awards.php

· 2007 – Ford Fellow, United States Artists http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/user/gwenmagee

· 2006 – “Honored Artist,” Mississippi State Committee, National Museum of Women in the Arts.

· 2003 – Visual Arts of the Year – Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters

Gwen also inspired many textile artists and quilters nationally through her online outreach efforts. She was among the first to create a website dedicated to quilting and textiles by minorities worldwide. She owned and operated from 1999 - 2007 QuiltEthnic.com (http://quiltethnic.com), a leading textile history website. Additionally, she hosted the informative, creative, and instructional blog Textile Arts Resource Guide (http:creativityjourney.blogspot.com).

Gwen’s marvelous, emotional creativity was shared through her art and story quilts. Photographer and folklorist Roland Freeman was among the first to document Gwen’s quilts in the landmark book, Communion of the Spirits (1997). Her quilts were also included in such exhibitions as: Spirits of the Cloth: Contemporary Quilts by African American Artists (1999), Threads of Faith (2004), Honored Women Artists of Mississippi: A Retrospective (2007), Sou’s Journey: Inside the Creative Process (2009), Tradition/Innovations: American Masterpieces of Southern Craft & Traditional Art (2008), and more.

Gwen’s work was also documented in the solo traveling exhibition and catalog Journey of the Spirit: The Art of Gwendolyn A. Magee (2004 – 2007). You can see her artwork on Black Artists in America (http://blackartinamerica.com/profile/GwenMagee) or her own website (http://gwenmagee.com/). Here is a link to a article about Gwen from the Jackson Free Press newspaper: click here.

Gwen is survived by her loving husband, Magee (that’s all I ever heard her call him!), her two daughters, a son-in-law, two grandsons, and a host of other family and friends.

A memorial service for is set for 5 p.m. May 6 at the Mississippi Museum of Art: 380 South Lamar Street, Jackson, MS 39201. Tel: 601-960-1515.

May we celebrate Gwen's life and extraordinary creativity - and ask for blessings for her family.

Conversation with Aminah Robinson and Faith Ringgold - Columbus Museum

Many thanks to the Ancestral Blessings blog for posting this conversation between two master artists (and quilters) - Aminah Robinson and Faith Ringgold speaking at the Columbus Museum of Art. The video is on YouTube. In the first five moments, they speak about exhibiting in "Stitching Memories: African American Story Quilts." This was the exhibit that I saw in 1991 that told me to be a quilter! This video is 40 mins long - so get a warm or cool drink and .... ENJOY!

Well Seasoned Sisters Cookbook by Sisters in Stitches Joined By the Cloth

Just published! The Sisters In Stitches Joined By The Cloth, the only African American quilting guild in New England, has just published a cookbook titled Well Seasoned Sisters Cookbook. Guild members offer family recipes and beautiful quilts in this book. There are over 100 recipes and 30 color photos. The book is available to order on Lulu.com - just click here. Enjoy!

PS 31 Kids Explore African Arts and Quilting

Read a wonderful article from the Staten Island Advance about art and music teacher Emily Ellison and her year-long curriculum to teach various aspects of African arts and crafts to PS31 third, forth, and fifth graders. They have learned about African masks, weaving, embroidery and quilting. The class visited the Sandy Ground Historical Society Museum to see African American quilts there. They are now making a class quilt with each student stitching their own block. According to the article, teacher Ellison challenged the students to consider:

"What kind of design represents you the best? What if someone found our quilt 500 years from now? What will your design say about you?

What a wonderful classroom experience! Are there similar programs in your community? Enjoy!