Unpacking Collections: The Legacy of Cuesta Benberry, An African American Quilt Scholar

If you are in the Lansing, MI area between Dec 6, 2009 and September 5, 2010, do stop by and visit the exhibit Unpacking Collections: The Legacy of Cuesta Benberry, An African American Quilt Scholar at the Michigan State University Museum.

According release about the exhibit, "In 1977, she [Cuesta Benberry] gave the Quilter's Hall of Fame her study collection of over 800 quilt blocks, a scrapbook, and a few pieces of ephemera. In 2003 Cuesta gifted the American Folk Art Museum with the non-African American portions of her quilt ephemera collection. In 2007 Cuesta passed away leaving behind a legacy of public scholarship and her collections. In mid 2008, her family gifted the Michigan State University Museum with her collection of African and African American quilts and her quilt history collection and the museum also acquired Cuesta's extensive collection of quilt kits. In 2009, the American Folk Art Museum transferred their Benberry Collections to the MSU Museum so that the bulk of her work could be in one place where it could be more effectively accessed for research and educational uses." The exhibit allows one to interact "with a selection of textiles, rare books, patterns, ephemera, and samples of her personal journals, correspondence, and extensive research files." According to the Lansing City Pulse, the Benberry Collection has 52 quilts. The exhibit will include 16 quilts including a"1987 art quilt by artist Faith Ringgold and "Joseph's Coat of Many Colors," a lively, colorful creation by the women of the Gee's Bend Freedom Quilting Bee." Enjoy.