Thursday, May 31, 2007

James Weegi captures Presidential fabrics


One of the talks at the 39th Annual Liberian Studies Association conference in March 2007 at Indiana University, Bloomington featured photographs from the Inauguration of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf by James Weegi. Mr. Weegi's presentation file is huge and takes a few moments to download. It's well worth the wait! The fashions on Inauguration Day - January 16, 2006 - were fantastic! Mr. Weegi captured photographs of women wearing dresses made from fabrics featuring the new president. I counted at least three different prints - including the print in the photo here. Mr. Weegi - thank you very much for capturing the +50 photos and sharing them across the Atlantic!

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Phyllis Jackson Harris - Texas Quilter


Have you seen Phyllis Jackson Harris' work? Phyllis is a self-taught quilter since 1998, though she's been sewing since age 13! She has exhibited extensively in the greater Houston, Texas area. One of her quilts was a Finalist at the International Quilt Festival 2000. Visit http://www.phyllisjharris.com/ to see her appliqued story quilts! Enjoy!

Monday, May 28, 2007

3 Questions with Deborah Grayson



....................Quilter and dollmaker Deborah Grayson just launched a blog - Urban Wild Flower Dolls. I asked her recently to share a few thoughts on her creations in a 3 Question Interview.

1. Do you see yourself more as a quilter or a dollmaker?

That's like asking me do I consider myself Black or female first LOL. I am both a dollmaker and a quilter simultaneously all of the time and I LOVE IT! Making the dolls influences my quiltmaking and vice versa.

2. You give quilting and dollmaking workshops, what do you enjoy about teaching?

I just love sharing what I know. I enjoy working with other sisters who have a love of quilting and dollmaking. The best way to keep the tradition alive is to document the way that you and Dr. Mazloomi do and to teach.

3. Are you still involved with writing about quilting? Tell us about your blog.

Yes, I am still involved in writing about quilting. I am currently making revisions on an article, Who Can Speak for Others: Race and Place in Debates about Hidden in Plain View, for the Journal of Western Folklore. It's an extended version of a paper I gave two years ago at the American Folklore Society. The essay discusses who has the right to construct and control narratives about quilts and quilting traditions among African Americans, and related to that who is allowed to determine what is authentic and true about the work. There's more to it but that's the gist of it.

My blog, In the Studio with UrbanWildFlowerDolls is what I call my production blog. It is one way I share what I am making in my studio. The blog is also a way for collectors of my dolls and quilts to see what goes on behind the scenes in my work. I am very interested in documenting the process of creativity. There is not a whole lot of written documentation out there about the creative thoughts and processes of African American women artists.

Thank you for the opportunity to let me talk about dolls and quilts! Peace (piece!), Deborah

You can visit Deborah's blog at: www.urbanwildflowerdolls.wordpress.com Enjoy!

Quilt, a poem, by Pittershawn Palmer

Quilt
by Pittershawn Palmer

The needle passes through your soul
Stitching together your thoughts and emotions
Slowly tying off the ends of your experiences
Binding together the things that try to fall apart

What began as a single entity with its own color and vibrancy
Now becomes part of a greater scheme or pattern
The personality of a single patch is meshed
Into an intricate web of many lives and deeds

Sometimes you can forget where you begin
And the other pattern ends
Do the borders change the story that is trying to be told?
Does life change the person that is trying to unfold?

A time capsule of many different intricacies
Spilling over decades of thread and cloth
Engulfed in a sea of pastels, earthtones, plaids and florals
Hoping for a colorfast life that does not bleed over

As your life hangs on a wall for all to see
You recall a time when your world didn’t seem so clustered
A book for all to read
But it doesn’t seem to matter anymore

Now worn, faded and aged
Some of the pieces cannot be recognized
You have almost forgotten some of the details
Yet, the essence of the matter remains

Whether on display or put away
Everyone remembers the time it took to create this life
Caring hands still care for the cloth
Understanding hearts hold the pieces together

Pittershawn was inspired to write this poem after viewing the movie "How to Make an American Quilt." Thank you Pittershawn for sharing! You can check-out her latest short story, The Letters, for only 49 cents on Amazon.com.

Della Wells - Folk Artist



Della Wells - have you heard of her? She's a folk artist from Milwaukee who seriously turned to art at the age of 42, and has since created more than 2,000 pieces. She had her first solo museum exhibit, "Don't Tell Me I Can't Fly: Folktales by Della Wells," at the Charles Allis Art Museum. She is also one of the founding organizers for ABEA - African-American Artists Beginning to Educate Americans about African-American Art. I stumbled across this piece of hers online titled, "Mama Sawyer Got Upset" (photo). In her collages, you can hear the rhythms of quilting. Enjoy!

Something Pertaining to God - catalog


If you can't travel to the Shelburne Museum in Vermont to see the exhibit, Something Pertaining to God: The Patchwork Art of Rosie Lee Tompkins, then get the catalog!

Eli Leon has written the 30-page catalog for the show of Rosie Lee Tompkins quilts and other patchwork creations. The text outlines Mrs. Tompkins life story and motivations for her quilting. Fifteen quilts are shown in full-color. I LOVE that the other creations, such as patchwork quilts, table runners, and even a jumper made out of men's ties are included. (I think its worth getting the catalog - just for the non-quilt images!) Graphic designer Vicky McCafferty did an excellent job of layout and spacing for the catalog.

Tompkins was deeply inspired by God when creating. Many of her pieces include appliqued crosses or Bible references. I wish that Leon had included more details about Tompkins embroidered writings.

To get your own catalog, contact the Shelburne Museum Gift Shop online, by calling (802) 985-3348 x3144 or via e-mail: museum_store@shelburnemuseum.org. ISBN: 978-0-939384-33-4. Retail price: $12.95. Enjoy!

Keisha Roberts - Nearness of You catalog


Were you able to see Nearness of You, the exhibit Keisha Roberts curated in 2006 at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival or the Quilt Fest of New Jersey?

The exhibit was filled with quilted pieces that evoked both personal and familial memories from diverse cultural and religious viewpoints. Quilters included in the show were: Karimah Abdusamad, Lauren A. Austin, Mary Beth Bellah, Tristan Robin Blakeman, Lisa Chipetine, Marion Coleman, Patricia C. Dolan, Michele David, MD, Caryl Bryer Fallert, Marjorie Diggs Freeman, Marguerite Jay Gignoux, Valor H. Mack, Lyric Montgomery Kinard, Ed Johnetta Miller, Winifred Sanders, Selena Sullivan, Candace Thomas, Lori Weiss, Amy Stewart Winsor, Sherri Wood, Sabrina Zarco and several others!
Keisha has generously posted the link to the 69-page, four-color catalog on her website. Enjoy!

Tracey Rico - Our Glory Quilt


On this Memorial Day, thought I'd introduce you to the work of Sistah-Doctor quilter, Tracey Rico. Here is her quilt Our Glory, click here for a detailed description of this story quilt. Dr. Rico is board-certified in Emergency and Pediatric Emergency Medicine. She is a self-taught quilter. According to a 2003 Black Enterprise article, her quilts range from $5,000 - $16,000. You can see more of Dr. Rico's work on her website, www.JadeRico.com. Enjoy!

Quilting Figurine - Annie Lee


This weekend I received a mail order catalog from Gold Coast Africa, which has been around since 1994. For sale was a 5.5"H x 6" W resin collectible called Bastin & Stitchin' by artist Annie Lee. Retail price $55. Enjoy!

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Seven Sewing Sisters - Liberian Flag Story, Quilt


Who stitched the first US flag? I'd bet you'd say Betsy Ross. Who sewed the first Liberian flag? Did you know it was seven African American women? Learn more about these 1847 sistah seamstresses in the just published Amazon Short, The Liberian Flag Story & Love of Liberty Quilt. It's just 49 cents from Amazon.com. And, guess what? There's a easy-to-make pattern for a queen-sized Liberian flag quilt called "Love of Liberty Quilt" included! I hope you enjoy this gem!

Black Authors on Amazon Shorts



Back in August 2005, Amazon.com introduced Amazon Shorts, previously unpublished essays and short stories between 2,000 and 10,000 words. The Shorts sell for 49 cents and are yours to keep forever! You can read the Shorts online, have it emailed to you, or open a PDF file right after payment.

There are nearly 1,500 Amazon Shorts available today – Biography & Memoirs, Business, Children’s Lit, History, Humor, Literature, Mystery, Essays, Romance, Science Fiction, Serials, Sports, Travel, Western, and many more. Like the other Amazon products, you can read and write reviews of the Shorts, too.

With Amazon Shorts you can take a chance on an author new to you; read something new between books by your favorite author; or simply try a new genre while riding the subway. More than twenty Black authors have published more than 50 stories through Amazon Shorts to date. For 49 cents, become acquainted with:

Family Stories
* Down South: A Granddaughters Memories by Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes, Creative Writing professor.

* Country Girl by Jamaican author Lana M. Ho-Shing

* Wisdom by the Water’s Edge by South Carolina Gullah writer Thomas J. Pyatt

History
* The Liberian Flag Story & Love of Liberty Quilt by Kyra E. Hicks. True story of seven black women who stitched the Liberian national flag. Short includes pattern for queen-size flag quilt.

* The Harlem Renaissance Way Down South by Aberjhani. Learn about Savannah, Georgia’s contributions to 1920s Harlem.

Romance
* The Bright Side of Midnight by Teresa McClain-Watson. 35-page romance in the church?

* The Letters by freelance writer Pittershawn Palmer – This 11-page story has 20+ positive reviews!

* Next Stop by novelist Shamontiel L. Vaughn. 17-page short about a “quickie on the El Train.” One of three Amazon Shorts by Shamontiel.

* What I Want for Christmas! By Carol Ann Culbert Johnson

* A is for Adultery by Carol Ann Culbert Johnson (Wonder if this is the start of an alphabetical romance series!)

* Soul’s Desire by Arabesque, Kimani, and Indigo romance writer Altonya Washington

* Target Life - Love In Jo'burg by Angelina N. Sithebe. Humorous short about a 30-something single mom in Johannesburg, South Africa. Angelina is the author of three Amazon Shorts.

Fiction
* In the Dark by Phillip Thomas Duck. This Short explores what happens when a wife learns from her daughter’s baby monitor that her husband is cheating. Five stars and five reviews!

* Struck By Lightning by Kathy J. Marsh. Sonya, a fairly raional woman, is struck by lightning. She gains the power to see an imminent death – but can she stop it? Kathy J. Marsh has two Amazon Shorts for you to enjoy.

* Family Reunion by Teresa McClain-Watson Two feuding sisters, one family reunion

* Adult Swim by Veronica Chambers Two sisters, one family vacation home. Two highly rated reviews!

* If I Didn’t Know Better by mother-turned-writer Vernon Menchan

* Where Present Meets Past: A Scene from the Indigo Lounge by R&B vocalist and children’s book author Kamichi Jackson.

* A Well-Kept Secret by Jamaican novelist Hazelin Williams

Biography
* Fighting Temptation: The Damon Harris Story by award-winning journalist Stacy Brown

Gay & Lesbian
* Coming Home Tomorrow by playwright and poet Charles W. Harvey

Sci Fi & Fantasy
* Paapa’s Modernization by Nigerian teacher and journalist Dulue Mbachu.

* The Summoner by graphic artist and prolific short story writer Gregory Bernard Banks. He has three Amazon Shorts titles.

* The Hybrid by Eugen M. Bacon. She has more than 15 Amazon Shorts to her credit!

Mystery & Crime
* A Dark Place by playwright and DC cop Quintin Peterson

There’s a long tradition of African American short stories. A few favorites include J. California Cooper, Terry McMillian, Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Zora Neale Hurston.

How can you get Amazon Short to publish your story? If you have a book listed on Amazon.com, you meet one of the requirements for the program. The Short remains an Amazon exclusive for six months. It takes about 4 – 6 weeks to get an approval of your story. Then another 4 – 6 weeks to have your Amazon Short go live. John Hart, Content Acquisition Manager for Amazon Shorts, is a delight to work with. Visit www.Amazon.com/Shorts for more details.

Hope you enjoy sampling the stories and essays on Amazon Shorts! Let me know what you think!

Lucille Clifton - Poet - $100,000 prize


Congrats to poet Lucille Clifton for winning the $100,000 US Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, for her lifetime achievements as a US poet. She's the first African American to win the award. Clifton is the author of "Quilting: Poems 1987 - 1990."

Edna Patterson-Petty - Freedom Quilt


Edna Patterson-Petty, sistah quilter, has been commissioned by the Grace Hill Settlement House to create a community quilt illustrating the story of the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing. Mary Meachum was a free black woman known for helping to liberate slaves. Edna also conducted a workshop where local St. Louis young mothers created quilt blocks illustrating their concepts of freedom. Congratulations Edna!

Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Just a month left to visit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art to see the exhibit, Picture Stories: A Celebration of African American Illustrators March 24 - June 17, 2007. The 12 illustrators include: Leo and Diane Dillon, sistah quilter Faith Ringgold, Bryan Collier, Eric Valesquez, James Ransom, Ashley Bryan, Daniel Minter, and Leonard Jenkins. Curated by Sylvia Nissley. The exhibit has been touring since 2005 and will visit St. Joseph, Michigan and Muscatine, Iowa before the end of 2007.

Colorado Quilting Council

Special thanks to the Colorado Quilting Council, Cathi Gerlach (President) and Patty Joy (VP, Programs), for hosting me yesterday for a talk on African American quilting history and a book signing. Over 100 quilters came out for their monthly meeting - this time in Colorado Springs. What a warm, engaging reception!

Friday, May 18, 2007

Rosie Lee Tompkins solo exhibit


Are you going to Vermont? Opening on May 20, 2007 is "Something Pertaining to God: The Patchwork Art of Rosie Lee Tompkins" at the Shelburne Museum. This solo exhibit features 43 quilts from Eli Leon's collection, and other quilted pieces, such as the embroidered, appliued covered chairs (2002). Thirty items have never been exhibited. Rosie Lee Tompkins, her real name was Effie Mae Howard, passed away in 2006 at the age of 70.
Update: Read an extensive Burlington Free Press article on the exhibit. Learn about Mrs. Howards extreme need for privacy. How her love of God influenced her quilting. At the time of her passing, she left over 100 unfinished pieces. Thank you to Eli Leon for letting me know about the article! I MUST get up to Vermont to see this show.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Are gas prices affecting your quilt making?


Yikes! Just saw this photo of the gas prices at one San Francisco gas station, where the station owner was trying to make a statement about high rents and franchise fees. Gas prices are now north of $3 here in the Northern Virginia area. Are gas prices in your area affecting your quiltmaking in any way?

I've read where one online pattern store is positioning itself relative to the high gasoline prices. Do you rethink that impulsive trip to Joanna's Fabric? Do you car pool to the guild meeting? Are you more inclined to buy your sewing supplies online? Or, is your quilting activities just too important to curtail just yet? Do share your comments on the topic!

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Julaine's Gallery - pin cushions


Thanks Sonji for letting us know about Julaine's Gallery. Julaine's blog features wrist pin cushions. Several color combinations are available, each $10 + shipping. You can pay using PayPal. In the mood to make your own spring pin cushion? Visit the following:

Update: My Julaine's pin cushion (photo right) came in the mail. It's GREAT! Fast shipping. The band automatically stays curled around your wrist.

Great Imperative Meme - Geoffrey Philip


Do you remember Poet Geoffrey Philip? He's the one who wrote the poem, Beginner's Quilt about his mother quilting. Geoffrey recently asked in his blog "What has been the great imperative of my life?" He encouraged several bloggers to answer.
What's my great imperative? Well, the most public one is simply to continue to document African American quilters and quilting. Our creative fabric dreams should be remembered in 20 years, in 50 years, in 100 years. I hope the Black Threads blog helps accomplish this. Love, Kyra

Sistas Thrive Art Revolution - Akron, OH


Sistas Thrive Art Revolution: Works of Art by Black Women is on exhibit May 11 - June 16, 2007 at the Summit Art Space in Akron, Ohio.
The exhibit was curated by Ericka Abram. Artists include: Dayne Arnold, Sistah Quilter Debra Calhoun, Magalie Foster, Gladys Haines, Caressa Mathews, Christine Morrow, Shani Richards, photographer Robin Sallie and Charlene Thompson. Artworks include oil paintings, mixed media, metal work, photography and quilts. Enjoy!

Friday, May 11, 2007

CA Pasadena Museum of History - Cargo Collection


African American quilts from the Robert and Helen Cargo Collection will be on display at California's Pasadena Museum of History from May 12 - August 5, 2007. Thirty quilts dated from the 1930s - 1990s will be on display by Sistah (and Brother!) Quilters Dennis Jones, Mary Maxtion, Lureca Outland, Martha Jane Pettway, Sarah Mary Taylor, Yvonne Wells and Lucile Young. Museum activities will include:

Quilting Sistahs Trunk Show & Panel Discussion on Tuesday, May 22, 7:30 pm. See exciting contemporary quilts crafted by a local collective of 12 master African American quilters, the Quilting Sistahs. The artists will show their textile arts and talk about their inspirations and challenges. Tickets range from $15 - $20. RSVP 626-577-1660, ext. 10.
Quilting Workshop for Beginners with master teacher Althea Kennedy (4 sessions) Sunday, June 3, 2:00-4:00 pm. Hands-on beginner's class focusing on machine work and piecing. Fabric kits provided; rotary cutters and mats available for use. Participants must bring basic straight-stitch sewing machine and sewing basics (thread, scissors, pins, etc.). Supply list provided at time of registration. Workshop is $40 - $45. Mark your calendars and Enjoy!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

African Parish House Quilters - 10th Year!


Congratulations to the African Parish House Quilters for 10 years of quilting! Join the guild as they meet this Saturday at the Martin Luther King Branch Library, 1600 E. Long Street Columbus, OH 43203 from 1pm - 4pm. Way to go co-founder Deborah Pinckney and all the members!
UPDATE - Thanks to Mrs. Pickney for sharing with us via email more about the African Parish House Quilters!

The APH Quilters was founded by Barbara Holt Payne and myself, Deborah E. Pinckney in order to continue and promote the art of quilting primarily among African American women, men and youth. This is to support our heritage and pass on a legacy to current and hopefully future generations. The group is an ecumenical outreach program of The Hebron Baptist Church of which my husband, W. Amanze M. Pinckney is the Founder and Pastor.

We give back to our community with two community service projects each year. One is to make baby quilts for at-risk newborns receiving services through our neighborhood settlement house and quilts for the homeless in our community. To date we have made and donated over 500 quilts, and we received An Outstanding Project Award from First Lady Hope Taft, Chair of the Ohio Make A Difference Day initiative for our 2004 "Community Quilting Day" Project, which is making quilts for the homeless in our community.

We enjoy our fellowship with one another and learning new techniques from one another during our monthly meetings. We also support Central Ohio quilting events, such as the Surface Symposium, the NQS show, Sacred Threads, Quilt Shop Hop and more, usually with our attendance or volunteering.

We are non-discriminatory, so anyone is welcome to join. Individuals interested can do so by coming to our meetings and paying annual dues of $15.00. Meetings are usually the third Saturday of the month from 1-4 p.m. at The African Parish House, 189 N. 20th St., Columbus, OH 43203, 614-258-4496. The house is so named because it once served as the parsonage or parish house for the pastors of a neighborhood A.M.E. Church.

Eugene W. R. Campbell, Jr - painter


Thanks to Jerise "Ri" Henson, creator of Riclectic, a blog about Interior Design & Décor for the African-American community, for introducing us to artist Eugene W. R. Campbell's watercolors, collages, and paintings! Campbell has an online store on eBay where you can purchases prints and originals - many are available to buy-it now (no auction). To the right is a print, Show & Tell, that I purchased to give as a gift. There's also a girl themed Show & Tell, too!

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Dindga McCannon - Quilter, Author


Dindga McCannon is BAD. She was born and raised in Harlem. She studied at the Art Students' League and the City University of New York. Her first solo show occurred when she was just 17 years old! She's made jewelry, designed dresses (including her daughter's wedding dress!), taught printmaking, created wearable art coats, painted murals. She co-founded the Black Women's art collective, Where We At (1971 to 1997). Members of the collective included Faith Ringgold, Jerrilyn Crooks, and others. Dindga also illustrated Edgar Nkosi White's children's books, and even wrote and illustrated two books of her own!

Take a moment to get a used copy of PEACHES, Dindga's 1974 young adult novel. Within the 126 pages you'll meet a teenage black girl in Harlem who wants dearly to be an artist. The novel centers on one poignant summer when Peaches, about 14 years old, spends time with her best friend and her cousin getting into trouble, uses her needlearts skills to make abit of change, falls in "love" with Zoom, attends camp, and allows her imagination and sketch pencils to take her away. The novel is fast paced. I laughed aloud at times and was teary at the end (without giving away why). Family and neighbors plays a major part of the story. Heck, it was Grandma who named her Peaches. The novel was written more than 30 years ago, but holds up very well. Dindga's full page and double-page spread illustrations are sprinkled throughout the eight chapters. Highly recommended. I can't wait to start Dindga's other young adult novel about a budding black artist, Wilhemina Jones, Future Star (1980). Go, Dindga!

Rosie Chapman - Fabric Postcards


Have you yet made or received a fabric postcard? Check out today's Detroit News, reporter and sistah crafter Jocelynn Brown introduces us to Rosie Chapman and her collection and instructions for making fabric postcards! (Photo by Todd McInturf). Rosie Chapman is a versatile artist - she quilts and conducts historical reenactments, featuring such historical figures as Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Madame C. J. Walker, and Sojourner Truth. You can commission your OWN fabric postcard from Rosie, according to the Detroit News article, "Chapman custom makes post cards starting at $6 each. For more information, e-mail her at mizrosie@mac.com."

For other links on how to make fabric postcards, visit:

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Brown Sugar Stitchers - Bi-Annual Show


The Brown Sugar Stitchers bi-annual quilt show is today, May 5, 2007, in Decatur, GA at the Wesley Chapel Library from 10am - 5pm. Sistah quilters will display over 100 quilts, such as this story quilt from the 2005 show. If you can't visit the show, visit the website at www.quiltsites.com/brownsugarstitchers.htm. Have a good time!

Willa Fuller, 2007 Wellness Bra



Willa Fuller's entry into the Way to Wellness Foundation annual ArtBra exhibition is at left. Sistah Quilter Fuller's says her piece is a "... a tribute to Black Women who die due to lack of education and limited or no access to health care."

Click on the years to see other creative Art Bra pieces designed to increase education about women's health issues and breast cancer awareness, prevention in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

To see more of Willa Fuller's exciting quilting designs, visit her blog In the Willawags. Enjoy!

Friday, May 04, 2007

Queen Elizabeth Visits VA


Queen Elizabeth II is visiting Virginia - alas, I've not been invited to tea! Her Majesty is here to commemorate the 400 year anniversary of the Jamestown settlement. In public comments, the Queen acknowledges African contributions to the founding of the US when she said:
"And those early years in Jamestown, when three great civilizations came together for the first time, Western European, Native American and African, released a train of events which continues to have a profound social impact, not only in the United States but also in the United Kingdom and Europe."
Did you know that in 2001 Nigerian born, UK artist Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy (self-portrait at left) was commissioned to paint the Queen's portrait (right)? Visit Chinwe's website to purchase prints or read her 52-page biography as a children's book. Enjoy!

Enjoying your Black Threads Blog ...

Hello! The Black Threads Blog has been live for over 6 months - bringing news about African American quilting in the US, the UK, and Canada. I hope you are enjoying the posts!

Did you know you can have new posts automatically emailed to you? There's an email sign up in the right column. It's free.

You can also search for quilting news in two ways: 1) Look at the top of this page. There's a search box. Just type in a word, phrase, or quilter name. If I've had a post about it, the search results will show it! You can also 2) click on "Labels" under the posts. The results will be all the current and past posts on that topic. Believe it or not, I have close to 40 labels now.

Feel free to leave comments on the blog! It helps to know there's folks visiting the blog. Share your thoughts... or let me know if there's topics you'd like explored or news you want to share, like your guild shows, your latest quilt or fabric find. Enjoy! Kyra

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Uncle Tom's Cabin ... and Quilts


The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center and the "Uncle Tom's Cabin & American Culture" project at the University of Virginia will host a two-day conference June 1-2, 2007, at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, CT.

There will be 12 experts presenting including: Patricia Hill (Wesleyan University), "Uncle Tom's Cabin as a Religious Text," Richard Yarborough (University of California, Los Angeles), "African American Responses to Uncle Tom's Cabin," Violet Harris (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), "Uncle Tom's Cabin as a Children's Book," and our own Dr. Patricia Turner (University of California, Davis) speaking about "The Rise and Fall of Eliza Harris: From Novel to Tom Shows to Quilts." Enjoy the conference .... and the book!

Intimate Apparel, the Seamstress Play


Visiting the Richmond, Va area by May 20? Buy a ticket to see Intimate Apparel, a play by Lynn Nottage, at the Barksdale Theatre at Willow Lawn. Intimate Apparel is the story about Esther, a 35-year-old illiterate seamstress, who stitches ladies undergarments for a living. Esther, who with the help of friends, writes letters to George, a man she ends up marrying. George, alas, is no good...
Visit the theatre's blog about the play! Click here to read about the play and see wonderful photos of the lead actors, such as Adanma Onyedike (Esther), Chris Lindsay (George), Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, Jennifer Massey, and Andy Nagraj (owner of the shop where Esther sews). If you can't get to Richmond, you can read the play, too. The play won the American Theatre Critics New Play Award and was short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize in 2004. Have you seen the play in one of its productions? How was it?

Muhjah Shakir, Bioethics Quilt Project


Last month the Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care held a conference around the 35th anniversary of the "Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male" and the 10th anniversary of President Clinton's apology for the study. You many recall that the Tuskegee Study, according the the CDC, involved:
"... 600 black men--399 with syphilis and 201 who did not have the disease. Researchers told the men they were being treated for "bad blood," a local term used to describe several ailments, including syphilis, anemia, and fatigue. In truth, they did not receive the proper treatment needed to cure their illness"
One of the speakers at the conference was Muhjah Shakir (photo from Creighton University). Her topic was "Tools for Transformation: The Bioethics Community Quilt Project." The quilt illustrated the history of the Tuskegee syphilis study. Congratulations to Sistah Shakir, who will graduate with a Ph.d in 2007. Her dissertation is titled "Women's Narrative Towards Transforming the Legacy: The Syphillis Study and the Bioethics Community Quilt Project."
I'd love to read this dissertation and see the quilt - what a great addition to African American quilt history!