Quilt Me Into Memory by Sherrie Theriault

Wanted to share news of a charming new children's picture book by outsider artist Sherrie Theriault titled "Quilt Me Into Memory."  Sherrie has self-published over twenty illustrated books featuring her art. In Quilt Me Into Memory, she writes about a little girl who's family remembers her in a quilt. Sherrie's mother stitched the quilt on the book cover.  Fans of Harriet Powers will smile when you read this story. (I don't want to spoil the story!)

You can read an interview about Sherrie's inspiration for this particular book on the Publish Your Own Quilt Catalog blog.  Enjoy!

Women of Color Quilters Guild in Dayton, OH Stitch Harriet Powers' Lost Lord's Supper Quilt

There are times when I am just speechless and extremely humbled.

As you may know, I've been researching Georgia quilter Harriet Powers for the last few years and wrote a book about how her two known Bible-themed quilts survived more than a century to be housed today at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Smithsonian American History Museum. In the course of my research, a copy of an 1895/86 letter by Mrs. Powers was uncovered in Keokuk, Iowa.  Mrs. Powers wrote that in 1882 she "... composed a quilt of the Lord's Supper from the New Testament." For reasons outlined in the book, I believe in the possibility that a quilt by Mrs. Powers could have been sold to a woman in Keokuk - and that, if true - that quilt may have been sold at an 1959 auction in Keokuk.

Last year I couldn't shake this thought that a quilt by Mrs. Powers might still be somewhere in a family's collection. To help get the feeling out, I designed what I thought Mrs. Powers' lost Lord's Supper quilt might look like. Elyse Whittake-Paek took my funny stick-figure sketches and drew proper quilt blocks. Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi then took the quilt blocks and made the quilt now on the book cover.  

Mrs. Harriet Powers' spirit was indeed in the project!  Recently Dr. Mazloomi shared the photos below of quilts lovingly stitched by members of the Women of Color Quilters Network, Dayton, Ohio chapter. These sistah quilters are Christians and know well the Bible stories in the Lord's Supper Quilt. I LOVE how they took the patterns and made the designs their own!  Don't you agree?  Look at how unique each interpretation is!  Congratulations, ladies!

 

Thelma Patterson stands behind her quilt!

 

This quilt above was made by Verita Robinson!

 

This quilt above was made by Barbara Dammons! 

Happy Mother's Day to the WOCQN - Dayton, Ohio!  Enjoy!

Free Bonus Quilt Block - The Lord's Supper Pattern Book

In celebration of Spring, here is a link to a free, bonus quilt block - The Angel protects Daniel in the Lion's Den. This block is in the design style of Georgia quilter Harriet Powers. One can use this block to make a pillow to go with the quilt I designed in "The Lord's Supper Pattern Book."  Or, I suppose a Sunday School class could also use this block for coloring (smile)!

Don't you think illustrator Elyse Whittaker-Paek did a wonderful job capturing Mrs. Powers' style?  Hope you enjoy the pattern.  Happy Spring!

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.

Quilts Telling Stories - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Feb 16

The Textile and Costume Society of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is hosting a panel discussion titled "Quilts Telling Stories" on February 16, 2011. It is a ticketed event.

There will be an exploration of 19th-century storytelling quilts, from the extraordinary example in the MFA collection by former slave Harriet Powers (the Pictorial Quilt in photo here), to a silk quilt made by Celestine Bacheller of Massachusetts, and quilts sent by northern women to the battlefields of the Civil War.

The panel will include: Lynne Bassett, Textile and costume historian, Kyra E. Hicks, quilter and author of This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces, Pam Parmal, David and Roberta Logie Curator of Textile and Fashion Arts, and Lauren Whitley, curator, David and Roberta Logie Department of Textile and Fashion Arts. Enjoy!

Kyra on Sewing with Nancy!

Check your PBS station - I had the honor of being interviewed on the famed Sewing with Nancy show during the Nancy's Corner segment. Actually, two shows! They will be shown on January 30 and February 6... and repeated July 31 and Aug 7, 2011. (Programs 2425 and 2426). Nancy shares with her viewers my books on Martha Ann Ricks and Harriet Powers.

Nancy Zieman has hosted Sewing With Nancy for the past 26 years. May I just share that Nancy and the staff at the Wisconsin Public TV station are marvelous .... from the make-up artist, film crew, and booking staff. And, Nancy herself is as friendly and as warm as she appears on tv. Enjoy!

New Books in History features "This I Accomplish," the book on Harriet Powers

If you love history, do stop by the website New Books in History. Dr. Marshall Poe of the University of Iowa hosts a weekly podcast featuring a historian talking about a ..... new book in history. Dr. Poe is an expert in Russian history and has even played basketball with President Barack Obama! He and I had a delightful conversation about Harriet Powers and her quilts. I also shared my thoughts that if there is a Harriet Powers' quilt as-yet-unidentified still out there, it is likely in Iowa and from a September 1959 auction of the contents of Port Sunshine, the Keokuk, Iowa home of James and Lorene Curtis Diver. If you are on Facebook, check out New Books in History there. Enjoy!

Hands that Can Do: African-American Quilters of Northeast Georgia

On exhibit at the Lyndon House Arts Center in Athens, GA is an exhibit titled, Hands that Can Do: African-American Quilters of Northeast Georgia, from October 5, 2010 to January 20, 2011. The exhibit is part of the celebration honoring African American quilting legend, Harriet Powers. Admissions to the exhibit is free. Contact (706) 613-3623 for more information.

Harriet Powers Week at the Athens Regional Library is set for October 24 - 28, 2010. Activities include storytelling, crafts and music for young and old!

A symposium on Harriet Powers will be held in conjunction with the exhibit in the Community Room of the Lyndon House Arts Center, Saturday, October 30, 2010 from 9:30 – 3:30 p.m. The panelists, Winnie McQueen, Diane Barret, and me, will discuss topics that include the quilts of Harriet Powers, textile traditions of West Africa, and African American quilters in northeast Georgia. I will also sign my book, This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces. Additionally, there will be an African market of textiles from West Africa. Enjoy!

Watercolor of Powers Pictorial Quilt by Eric L. Swanson, 1991

I just love how folks share with me how the creative stitching of Harriet Powers has attracted them. On Monday I received an email from a quilter. She wrote:

"I read the article about your work on Harriet Powers in Quilters Newsletter and was quite tickled. About 20 years ago (long before I stared quilting), I walked into a Seattle art gallery and saw a watercolor of what looked to be a quilt. I really didn't know much about quilts at the time, though was always drawn to them. The watercolor was very folk art looking, and I decided to take the plunge. The gallery owner told me it was the artist's interpretation of a quilt.... and the title of the work was "Powers"...

WOW! The quilter who owns this painting, which was done on handmade paper, would like to know more about the painter. When she purchased the watercolor, she was told it was by Oregon artist Eric L. Swanson. Can you help us locate this artist? Enjoy!

Your help: Who Manufactured this Harriet Powers fabric?

I swear - quilt history is such an adventure!

Unexpectedly, I received in the mail this upholstery fabric swatch featuring reproduced images of Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt now at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. A dear New Jersey reader of This I Accomplish sent it to me. She wrote in her letter:

"I began making quilts 48 years ago... and I became aware of Harriet Powers' work when I was a teenager. Her quilts have always held a special interest for me.... I am writing to send you copied images of some upholstery fabric that I bought many years ago in Manhattan. I do not know who made the fabric, but it is very sturdy woven tapestry ... I think that I bought the fabric about 20 years ago. It is 54" wide ..."

WOW! She also sent me an 11" x 14" color photocopy of the fabric. She mentioned that she didn't see the fabric listed in This I Accomplish. Well, I never knew it existed! Can you help? Do you know any information about this Powers fabric? Do Tell!

124th Annual American Historical Association Meetings - Quilts will be discussed

On January 1, 1910 - yes, one hundred years ago - Sistah quilter Harriet Powers passed away in Athens, GA. And, she's still on our minds.

At the 124th Annual American Historical Association Meeting to be held January 7 - 10, 2010 in San Diego, CA, there will be a quilt-related panel discussion titled "Ethnicity and Authenticity: Re-Evaluating Iconic Quilts. This panel is chaired by Patricia Crews, University of Nebraska, Lincoln. The commentator for this two hour discussion will be Vincent A. Brown, Harvard University. On the panel will be:

• Janet Catherine Berlo, Professor of Art History and Visual and Cultural Studies at University of Rochester (NY) will present: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and the Invention of an African-Centered Quilt History.
• Janneken Smucker, University of Delaware will present "Outsourcing Authenticity: Factory-Made Quilts and the Question of Ethnicity." This paper will examine the controversy from the late 1980s/early 1990s when institutions such as the American Folk Art Museum and the Smithsonian Institution licensed some of their historic quilts to be reproduced in non-US factories. (You might remember when Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt was reproduced. You can still find copies sometimes on eBay.)
• Marsha MacDowell, Michigan State University Museum in East Lansing, MI will present "Quilts, Primary Sources, and Authenticity." She examines how "Hidden in Plainview", the book by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard about quilts made to signal pathways on the Underground Railroad, went from one person's story to this "truth" now being taught to generations of school children. Specifically, the "paper will examine how voices of authority (i.e. museums, historical societies, holders of Ph.D.s, classroom teachers, academic organizations, government officials, in other words, those individuals and organizations that we have been taught to trust) have played a complicit role in endorsing and perpetuating this story as truth." [I would LOVE to also hear this paper in person as I do not believe there were such map quilts. In all my research about African American quilters and quilting based on articles and documents from the 1800s, I've never come across ONE about such quilts... but that's another blog post!]
  

The conference will include other non-quilt topics:

• "Is Google Good for History" - a panel discussion lead by Shawn Martin, Univ of PA, Daniel J. Cohen, Center for History and New Media, George Mason University, Paul Duguid, UC Berkeley, and Brandon Badger from Google Books.
  
• "Talking about Teaching American Women's History: Ideas, Innovations, Ideologies" - a panel discussion lead by Steven D. Reschly, Truman State University, Lyz Bly, Case Western Reserve University, Leslie J. Lindenauer, Western Connecticut State University, Margaret A. Lowe, Bridgewater State College, Renee M. Sentilles also of Case Western Reserve, and Tracey M. Weis of Millersville University.
  

Sounds like it will be an interesting conference! Enjoy!

Order Form for Autographed Copy - Harriet Powers book

If you would like to order an autographed copy of "This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces," simply click here to download the order form. The book is getting very positive reviews from those who have read it. Thank you for supporting my research in African American quilting! Best, Kyra

Lois Scharz - her first applique quilt - Pictorial Quilt replica

May I share a wonderful story with you? I received this photo in the mail from a Mr. Lamb, a history buff and collector of African American artifacts. His wife's aunt, Lois Scharz, stitched this replica of Harriet Powers' Pictorial Quilt. Mr. Lamb had learned about my new book, This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces, and read it. The year before he asked Mrs. Scharz, a quilter, to sew the replica for him. I was so amazed at the photos that I called and spoke to Mr. Lamb, and, later that evening to Mrs. Scharz, who is a dear.

Believe it or not, this quilt is Mrs. Scharz's first appliqued quilt! You can see her in the photo. She started the quilt in November 2008 and finished it on August 8, 2009! She told me she would love to have met Harriet Powers. Mrs. Scharz lives on a Virginia farm and has invited this city girl to come visit! Enjoy!

New Book! - This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces

Wanted to share with you news of my new book! This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces.

During the last two years, I've had such an adventure challenging what we think we know about Harriet Powers (1837 – 1910) and her two known quilts (The Bible Quilt at the Smithsonian - and the Pictorial Quilt at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston). You know that Mrs. Powers offered to sale her Bible Quilt to Jennie Smith for $10. Miss Smith, though, only had $5. But, did you know that there was ANOTHER woman who also wanted to buy the Bible Quilt?

This I Accomplish highlights nearly a dozen SIGNIFICANT new pieces of information about Mrs. Powers and her quilts.... including the lost 1882 Lord's Supper Quilt! Or, how IOWA plays an important part of Mrs. Powers' story. Yes, IOWA! Did you know that we might not know about Mrs. Powers' Pictorial Quilt at the MFA if the outcome of a 14 year adulterous affair and three year legal battle had gone the other way?!?

Along the way, you'll also read about other nineteenth century Athens, GA black women in Mrs. Powers' community who quilted! You'll read about other needle arts on display at the 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta as well as the great Negro Day at the fair, where more than 30,000 African Americans from across the country came to celebrate the displays in the Negro Building, where the Bible Quilt was on display.

Finally, This I Accomplish illustrates proof that Mrs. Powers was a literate, award-winning quilter, who stitched at least FIVE quilts and stood up for herself as an artist! In the course of the research, in a file no one thought about in decades... was a copy of a letter FROM Mrs. Harriet Powers!! Can you imagine - a letter from an ex-slave who writes about her artwork! If you are an artist or quilter, you MUST read what she writes!

The book is 180 pages, $19.95 and includes about 20 pictures. Bill Gaskins wrote the foreword. ISBN: 978-0-9824769-5-0. There's an extensive annotative bibliography, fun timeline, and more! I hope the clues in the book can help us find the Lord’s Supper Quilt – or one of the other lost Powers quilts! There's also a mystery waiting to be uncovered in Alabama, but you'll have to read the book to find out more about this! This I Accomplish is available on Amazon.com or by special order at your local bookstore. You might also ask your local library to order it. I hope you enjoy This I Accomplish! Best, Kyra E. Hicks

Who Else Would I Talk To .... This I Accomplish Research

During the course of my research for This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces, there were several people I would have loved to have found and talked to... or maybe go back in time to meet!

• The Baltimore, MD branch of Oneita Virginia (Jennie) Smith's family
  
• Bessie Mell Lane, who attended the Lucy Cobb Institute and actually knew Jennie Smith
• W.D. Griffeth - the secretary of the Northeast Georgia Fair. Would love his first person account of the quilts at the fair!
• Julies Cohen, a local merchant and first Jewish elected official in Athens, GA. He sold fabrics - I wonder if he sold any fabrics to the Black women in Athens, including Harriet Powers. Does his extended family have any papers from Cohen dry goods store?
• Madison Davis - the president of the Colored Fair in Athens in 1886. He went on to become an elected representative in the Georgia State Legislature. Did he or his wife know Harriet Powers? Are there any papers or letters of his Fair work surviving?
• Irvine Garland Penn, president of the Colored Building at the Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895. What additional words did he have to say about the textiles and quilts at the Expo?
• I'd love to learn if Anne Brumby, one time Dean of Women at University of Georgia, sister of Admiral Frank Hardeman Brumby and friend of Jennie Smith, kept a diary and recorded any messages about HOW she helped distribute Jennie Smith's affects.
• I would love to have met Harold M. Heckman, University of Georgia accounting professor, who was Jennie Smith's executor. From those I talked to who knew him, he seemed a wonderful man.
• Who purchased the letters and other contents of Lorene Curtis Diver's Keokuk, Iowa home in 1959? Do any extended family members of Samuel Ryan Curtis (1805-1866), uncle of Lorene have any letters from her?
• Many more accounts from those who attended Negro Day at the 1895 Expo.
• What would Athens photographer Charles F. McDannell have to say about the afternoon he photographed Harriet Powers?
  
• Can someone find the Atlanta University Board of Trustee records for about1898? Who REALLY commissioned the Pictorial Quilt from Harriet Powers? Hmmmm!
  

Harriet Powers inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement Hall of Fame

Harriet Powers (1837 - 1910) is one of three women to be inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement Hall of Fame! The 18th annual induction ceremony takes place this Thursday, March 12, 2009 at Wesleyan College in Macon, GA.

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter first suggested the idea of honoring the history and contributions of Georgia women in 1988. Soon what would become the Georgia Women of Achievement, Inc. was formed with the goals of: publicizing the accomplishments of GA women, encouraging research in this area, and providing information on such role models for Georgia young people.

Best wishes on a lovely ceremony - hope there are a few sistah quilters in the audience as the crowd honors Sistah Quilter Harriet Powers. Enjoy!

Harriet Powers Bible Quilt at Air & Space Museum & YouTube

The Harriet Powers Bible Quilt is on display for one last week at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC. The quilt is part of the Treasures of American History exhibition, which has been at the Air & Space since the American History Museum closed for renovations in 2005. The last day for the exhibit is Sunday, April 13. The Treasures exhibit includes 150 iconic symbols of the United States: Abraham Lincoln's Top Hat worn to the Ford's Theater that fateful night, the Ruby Red Shoes Judy Garland worn as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, the manacles worn by actor LaVar Burton in Roots, the lap desk Thomas Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence, a jacket and pair of sun glasses worn by Ray Charles, and so much more! You might not be able to visit the Bible Quilt in person - hope you enjoy seeing the quilt via video - my very first YouTube video! It's less than 3 mins. Enjoy! Update! As of May 5, there are over 500 views of this video - WOW!

15 years ago Smithsonian Reproduced "Bible Quilt"

Who'd a Thought - 15 years ago quilters protested at the doors of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History ... telephoned and hand-delivered petitions signed by thousands of quilters to their Congressional Representatives... and more! Why?

In 1992 the Spiegel catalog (remember Spiegel?) featured handmade copies of historic 19th century quilts from the Smithsonian collection. The Smithsonian had licensed the reproductions to American Pacific Enterprises Inc. to generate needed revenues. The four quilts licensed were the 1851 Bride's Quilt, the 1830 Great Seal of the United States quilt, the 1850 quilt called Sunburst, and the beloved 1886 Bible Quilt stitched by Harriet Powers. The quilts were to be stitched in China.

Many factors contributed to the uproar. Some quilters felt the reproductions would "compromise their provenance and create confusion about their origins." Others argued that the Smithsonian should have contracted American quilters to stitch the reproductions, not folks overseas. Some feared the quality of the Chinese reproductions might be sub-par and, as a result, negatively affect the market for American-made quilts. Many wanted the quilts to be clearly labeled "Made in China." Others wondered why the Smithsonian would have reproductions made in China when the US was running a $12.7 billion trade deficit at the time with China. Some quilters also wondered if museums which collected their works would license their creations without permission in future.

Organizationally, quilters turned up the heat! The National Quilting Association faxed its official position paper to its member chapters requesting action. Smithsonian officials met with quilters to understand their viewpoints. Some concessions were made. One was that the Smithsonian would ensure its name and the copyright year (1992) were printed on each reproduced quilt.

1992 was the second year that I quilted. While I recall the controversy, I can't say I knew the details then. Looking at newspaper articles from the NY Times and the Washington Post from 1992 - 1993, here's a few tidbits:

• Each of the quilts took 50 hours of labor by 3 or 4 workers
• American textiles were used for the applique and Chinese-made cotton for the backing and batting. The quilt was sewn by machine, but quilted by hand.
• Anticipated royalties during the 3 year contract were between $500,000 - $800,000
• American Pacific sold more than 23,000 of the four reproductions by March 1993.

One can occasionally find one of the Harriet Powers' reproduction Bible Quilt on eBay, including the 12 page Smithsonian Collection booklet with photos and descriptions of each of the four quilts and numbered Certificate of Registration card.

It's been 15 years. I wonder what insights and reflections those who remember or were involved with the protests have now. I wonder:

• How many Smithsonian Collection reproduction quilts were finally sold?
• What did it feel like to protest on the steps of the museum in March 1992?
• How really did quilters nationally get the word out about the reproduction concerns? Remember there wasn't instant messaging, blogs, websites, 5 cents a min long distance rates, or email news alerts. What were the protest communication channels?
• What was the final list of agreed upon consessions by the Smithsonian?
• What value did registering the quilts offer? Is there still a registration record?
• Where can one (ok, me!) get a copy of the NQA 1992 position protest paper?
• What's the thoughts of the Smithsonian textile curators today?
• What's the perspective of American Pacific Enterprises today?
• Will the remodeled National Museum of American History include an improved quilt display area?
• Is there an active secondary market for the reproduced Smithsonian quilts?
• Have the actual reproduced quilts lasted? Were they indeed of good quality?
• Did the protest have a lasting impact on museum decisions to reproduce other historical quilts in their permanent collections?
• Have there been any published articles or papers taking a considered look at the 1992 protests and aftermath?

Please do leave a comment with your reflections of the 1992 events. Did you purchase one of the reproduced quilts? Thank you!

Harriet Powers stereoview sold $203.50

eBay! A RARE image of Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt on display at the 1895 Atlanta Cotton Expo recently came up for auction on eBay. Can you image - this is the same Expo that Booker T. Washington spoke at... so he MUST have walked the hallways and seen this quilt. This is also the same Expo where AME Bishop Henry Turner showcased his collection of Liberian artifacts, including a certain quilt handstitched by Martha Ann Ricks.

The stereoview of the Harriet Powers' quilt was taken by the B. W. Kilburn Company - image #10688 Quilt Exhibit, Interior of Negro Building (eBay item #150083578933 - it's the last one in the photo.) The final auction price for the lot... $203.50... worth every penny!