Dr. Kheli Willetts to lecture on Black Women and the Crafts Tradition

Dr. Kheli Willetts is to lecture on "African American Women and the Crafts Tradition" on April 14, 2010 at the Oneida Community Mansion House in Onedia, New York. Dr. Willetts is the Executive Director of the Community Folk Art Center in Syracuse. The lecture is open to the public for free and part of the "Feminine Expression in Crafts" series at the museum. Enjoy!

Art of African American Quilt Making - Detroit

Mark your calendar - "The Art of African American Quilt Making" is the topic of a two hour event on Monday, April 12, 2010 from 10am to noon at the Downtown Campus of Wayne County Community College District's School of Continuing Education. This free event is open to the public. Call 313-496-2704 for more information. Enjoy!

Myrah Brown Green and her quilt - Wow!

Sistah and author Myrah Brown Green and one of her creations! WOW!

President Obama Greets Family of Ambassador of Ghana

Thanks to the Huffington Post for posting this photo by Samantha Appleton of President Obama speaking with family members of Ambassador Daniel Ohene Agyekum of Ghana, during a credentialing ceremony in the Oval Office, Feb. 24, 2010. I LOVE the fabric in these dresses! Do you remember how folks in Ghana celebrated in fabrics when the President and Mrs. Obama visited in July 2009 - click here. Best wishes to Ambassador Agyekum.

Ohh! Sneak Peak - Journey of Hope Quilt Book!

So exciting! You can now see a sneak peak at some of the pages in the soon-to-be released Journey of Hope: Quilts Inspired by President Barack Obama. Congratulations to the 90 artists with quilts featured in the book. Have a look at the Look Inside feature - Enjoy!

"Recollection: The Past is Present" at the Cameron Art Museum

The exhibit "Recollection: The Past is Present" is now at the Cameron Art Museum through June 20, 2010 in Wilmington, North Carolina. The exhibit features the works of Amalia Amaki, Lillian Blades and Beverly Buchanan, as well as quilts on loan from Mississippi Cultural Crossroads, an arts agency in Port Gibson, Mississippi. Photo: Memory Quilt (Memories of Hystercine Rankin), c.1994. Enjoy!

The Quilt That Wouldn't Quit by Cynthia Gibson - children's picture book

Today I saw this 30-page illustrated children's book titled "The Quilt That Wouldn't Quit" by Cynthia Gibson and illustrated by Oklahoma graphic artist Kiamichi Goodbear. According to one source: "This is a story of courage, prayer, and the faith of one young girl who stopped the tribal wars of her country Kenya, Africa with her amazing quilt." This paperback book, published in 2009, is $12.95. Enjoy.

Quilt books on Amazon Kindle

For those with an Amazon Kindle, the electronic reader, you can get loads of quilt-related books. This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces is also available. Here are a few convenient links to other Kindle quilting books that may interest you:

• Quilts and Quilting books
  
• Textiles and Costume books
  
• Sewing books

If you have an iPhone or an iTouch you can download the Kindle app. And, if you'd like to read books from your computer, you can even download the Kindle for computer version! Enjoy.

Harriet Tubman's Shawl from Queen Victoria Donated

The beige silk and linen shawl Queen Victoria gave to Harriet Tubman was recently donated by famed collector and expert on the Underground Railroad Charles L. Blockson to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In a Washington Post article Blockson shared that he was willed the the shawl and other Tubman items from Mariline Wilkins, a great grand-niece of Mrs. Tubman. Blockson is quoted in the article, "My ancestors escaped with Harriet Tubman...I was shocked... Then I prayed and put them in a vault. Then I put them under my bed and her spirit was with me." Enjoy!

Disney's Tiana Cotton Fabric available

Thanks to KevinB for letting me know that fabric inspired by Disney's Princess and the Frog movie is now available. eQuilter has three different prints from $7.95 per yard.

UPDATE: Thanks to another reader who emailed me that Hancock Fabrics has a sale on one of the Princess and the Frog prints - $3.99 per yard. Enjoy!

Willa Brigham on Quilts

The quilts of Cary, NC quilter Willa Brigham are on display at the Scrap Exchange's Green Gallery at 548 Foster St. in Durham through March 16, 2010. The title of the exhibit is "I Used to Be Something Else." Mrs. Brigham is a member of the rockin' African American Quilt Circle. She is also a storyteller and of the regional Emmy Award-winning show "Smart Start Kids" on WRAL. I wish I could see her quilts featuring recycled fabrics! You can tell just how warm Mrs. Brigham must be by this 2 min. You Tube Video. You can tell the fabrics speak to her! Enjoy.

Quilts and Their Stories - Detroit exhibit

More than 100 quilts from the Great Lakes African American Quilter's Network (GLAAQN) are on display until March 21, 2010 at the Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center, located at 311 E. Grand River Ave. in downtown Detroit's Harmonie Park-Paradise Valley. Mark you calendar as there will be a closing reception and panel discussion held March 21 from 2-4 p.m. Marian Coakley is the Guild President. Enjoy!

BrownGirlQuilts Stitching a Village

I was recently on the BrownGirlQuilts blog. This sistah quilter is stitching a quilt illustrating her grandmother's village in Liberia. Click here to see the progress, read about her grandmother, and leave an encouraging word. Enjoy!

African Canadian Quilts on exhibit in Toronto

Stitching Community: African Canadian Quilts From Southern Ontario in Toronto is on exhibit until September 6, 2010 at the Royal Ontario Museum. According to the museum's website:

"This exhibition uses quilts made from 1848 to 1976 to explore the role of African Canadian women in reinforcing community ties in new and unfamiliar settings. It addresses the notion of developing social and familial ties through quilts while mainly focusing on the African Canadian community in North Buxton, a community whose foundation owes much to the freed slaves who settled in Canada, the land of freedom.

The exhibition is comprised of artifacts loaned from the Buxton Museum and items from the Ontario Black History Society (OBHS), including quilts, photographs, tools of the trade, and a variety of black cloth dolls." Enjoy!

Guided by the Ancestors - 2009 catalog

I recently received in the mail a copy of Tina Williams Brewer's Guided by the Ancestors. This is a 62 page full-color catalog featuring forty quilts by Mrs. Brewer. You might recall that she received a 2009 Lifetime achievement Artist award from the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. The catalog includes an introduction by Laura Domencic, the Center's director and an essay titled "The Extraordinary Journey" by Samuel W. Black, curator of African American Collections at the Heinz History Center. It is a pleasure to see an entire book of Mrs. Brewer's quilts! You can order your copy for $30 total ($25 book + $5 s/h) by contacting Jen Carter, Shop Manager, 412-361-0873 or sending an email to shop@pittsburgharts.org. Enjoy!

African-American Women Quilters: A Hidden Gem - Indianapolis

Visit African-American Women Quilters: A Hidden Gem at the Indianapolis Art Center from now until April 13, 2010. Ruby Ballard-Harris (photo) is the exhibit curator and art instructor at the Center. Quilts featured in the show are by: Linda Gray (her quilt "Family Likened a Tree" is in photo), Beverly Jones, Aileen King, Rubbie M. Johnson and Mrs. Ballard-Harris. Click here to see the Channel 13 news interview with Mrs. Ballard-Harris. If you see the show, please drop a note and let us know about the quilts! Enjoy!