Call for Entries - 9th Annual African American Fiber Arts Juried Exhibition

9th year of the African American Fiber Arts Juried Exhibition curated by Torreah "Cookie" Washington will honor the late Maya Angelou and focus on “How Maya Angelou made your artist’s journey more meaningful? What were her words that inspired you to keep keeping? How did she help you to RISE?," according the call for entry information.

You might remember that Ms. Washington curated the fantastic 2012 exhibit Mermaids and Merwomen in Black Folklore: A Fiber Arts Exhibition. See this video of the Mermaids exhibit.

This juried exhibit will be installed as part of the North Charleston Arts Festival and on display at the North Charleston City Hall, April 30 - June 15, 2015. Several pieces will be selected for a traveling exhibit that will tour the lower Southern US states for one year. Quilts, wearable arts and dolls may be submitted for this juries show. Here are a few considerations, but contact Ms. Washington for a complete list.

1.  All works must be made by the entrant but can be quilted by someone else.
2.  Quilts must be at least 30” x 30” and not more than 60” x 60”. Group Quilts assembled or quilted by 3 or more people, such as row robin quilts, block exchange quilts, group hand quilted quilts are open for consideration.
3. Dolls may be no taller than 18 inches.
4. There is a non-refundable entry fee for each entry.

If you want to submit an entry for consideration, contact Ms. Washington at Cookiesews1960@gmail.com   Enjoy!

Join the African American Quilt and Doll Guild Oct 17-18

African American Quilt and Doll Guild - Ohio

Mark your calendar and make plans to attend the African American Quilt and Doll Guild's  Inspirations & Visions fiber art, fashions and doll show on October 17-18, 2014 at the Randallwood Center, Warrensville Heights, Ohio.  Quilter Juanita Yeager is the featured artist. Mary Pinckney will conduct a doll making workshop.  Enjoy!

Gwen Magee’s Quilts on Exhibit at UNCG

Gwen Magee, quilter

Quilts by the late Gwen Magee are on exhibit until November 8 at University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Visit the Gatewood Gallery, Gatewood Studio Arts Building, 527 Highland Ave., to view 18 quilts in “Lift Every Voice and Sing: The Quilts of Gwendolyn Ann Magee.”

Magee graduated from the campus in 1963, when it was called Women's College. According to an article in the New & Record, the idea for the exhibit came during a 50th reunion of Magee's former classmates. One classmate, Dot Moye, an art consultant, helped spearhead the effort to recognize Magee as an important artist on the campus.

Selected quilts from the exhibit will also travel to the High Point Museum in High Port, NC. The exhibit, “Pieces of the Past: The Art of Gwendolyn Magee,” will be on display from December 5, 2014 - February 21, 2015.  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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

African American Quilt Circle Quilts at the Hayti Heritage Center

African American Quilt Circle of Durham, North Carolina presents their bi-annual exhibition, “Reflections” in the Lyda Moore Merrick Gallery at the Hayti Heritage Center, February 4- March 30, 2011. The AAQC, founded in 1998 by four African-American women (Bertie Howard, Jereann King, Candace Thomas and Helen Sanders), has over 60 members today. Enjoy!

Princeton Theological Seminary Students Unveil New Quilt

Congratulations to Princeton Theological Seminary students Anjeanette Allen (M.Div., 2012), Rachel Daley (M.Div., 2011), and Chinor Miguel Lee (M.Div., 2013) for the unveiling of a community quilt project commemorating the breadth and scope of African American religion. The three students were in Yolanda Pierce’s Fall 2010 African American Religious History class.

Ms. Allen, who earlier wrote a paper about the significance of quilting in the African American religious tradition, organized the community quilt project. The quilt is thirty-six-inches by thirty-six-inches and includes sixteen blocks. Cynthelia Cephas, a fourth-generation African American master quilter, taught participants quilting, as none of the three students were quilters. Blocks within the quilt feature events such as the beginning of the African American Pentecostal movement and the March on Washington as well as individuals such as Harriet Tubman and Jarena Lee, the first woman authorized to preach by Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

How terrific is it that students can create quilts as part of their school projects! I'd love to learn more about the individual quilt blocks, how about you!? Congratulations again to Anjeanette, Rachel and Chinor! Enjoy!

Gloucester Community College Black History Art Show includes quilts

Gloucester County College in Sewell, NJ and LINKS, Inc. are hosting an art show featuring quilts, paintings, and photographs of regional and local artists including: Kathleen Lindsey, Michele Lucas, Vusumuzi Maduna, Ruby Peters, Joan Wallace Reeves, Sandra Peterson-Giles, Vincent Wilson, a 12-year-old cartoonist, and Walter Cade III, and Luther Alridge aka Obrafo. The exhibit is at the college center's Dr. Ross Beitzel Art Gallery from January 29 to March 4, 2011.

Kathleen Lindsey, from Clayton, New Jersey, has been quilting for 30 years, according to the Gloucester County Times. She is also the author of the picture book Sweet Potato Pie published by Lee & Low. Enjoy!

"Liberia's Hope" Quilting Initiative at Union College in Schenectady, NY

Opening today is the exhibit "Liberia's Hope" Quilting Initiative at Union College in Schenectady, NY. The display of two dozen quilts made by women in Liberia will be at the Nott Memorial February 3rd – March 11th, 2011. This initiative is coordinated by The Corporation for Economic Opportunity (CEO). There is an opening reception this evening - free to the public. I will be speaking. Can't wait to see the quilts and meet other quilters! Enjoy!

Art of Faith Ringgold at SCAD Museum of Art

"The Art of Faith Ringgold: Story Quilts and Freedom Quests" exhibit is on display at the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah, GA from January 31 to April 15, 2011. For your viewing pleasure will be 60 pieces, including new ones direct from Ringgold's gallery! Enjoy!

Women of Vision at Penn State New Kensington Campus

On exhibit January 10 to February 2, 2011 at Penn State, New Kensington Campus is the exhibit "Visions at 30: Celebration of Life," featuring quilts, drawings, photographs, prints and paintings created by the Women of Vision Inc., a nonprofit women's art collective based in Pittsburgh.

Some of the artist in the exhibit include Laverne Kemp (her "Spiritual Armour" piece is here in the photo), quilter Tina Williams Brewer, artist Delores Dee, photographic artist Joyce Baucum Currin, mixed artist Elizabeth Asche Douglas, photographer Gail Manker, mixed media artist Celeta Hickman, artist and quilter Harriette Meriwether, artist Tenanche Rose Golden, and about a dozen other artist. (Click here to see the photo gallery of the show.) Enjoy!

Black Art Project

If you are interested in Black Art - you should bookmark George-McKinley Martin's blog titled the Black Art Project. He describes himself as an "[a]rt librarian, historian, and collector driven by a passion to raise the visibility of black art history and the work of black artists through documentation, education, and advocacy."

You will find info on the latest exhibits of African American art nationally. Now, I like to document aspects of African American quilting. I'm an infant compared to Mr. Martin, who is amazing! He has assembled an ANNUAL list of Black Art exhibits. And, for the truly serious among us, you've got to see his list of African American Art Books on WorldCat. Enjoy!

Aminah Robinson: Voices That Taught Me How To Sing

The exhibit "Aminah Robinson: Voices That Taught Me How To Sing" is on display at the Toledo Museum of Art through February 28, 2011. According to the Columbus Dispatch,

"...Robinson created "The Ragmund Collection," a 10-volume set of sculptural books that include drawings, poems, stories and books-within-books. The collection was recently acquired by the Toledo Museum of Art... The 10 volumes, not previously shown publicly, cover the artist's career and her many methods of creating works. The recurring themes include her childhood in Poindexter Village, a former neighborhood on the East Side of Columbus, and her experiences examining the African diaspora. In her work, she uses fabric; buttons; everyday objects; and a mixture of mud, pig grease, dyes, sticks and other materials."

You can click here to see the YouTube video, titled The Toe Party, of Aminah Robinson sharing one of her extraordinary books! The museum has also published The Ragmund Collection: Books by Aminah Robinson, $29.95. This book includes pullout pages and other sculptural effects. Essays by Amy Gilman, museum curator of contemporary and modern art, and Barbara Tannenbaum, director of curatorial affairs at the Akron Art Museum are also included. Enjoy!

Strength from All My Roots: Textile Arts Honoring the Legacy of Pauli Murray

Wish I could be in Durham, NC tomorrow for the opening of "Strength From All My Roots: Textile Arts Honoring the Legacy of Pauli Murray" at the St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 403 E. Main Street, Durham from November 19 to 30, 2010.

According to her memorial website, "Pauli Murray was a champion for civil and human rights who grew up in Durham. Her insights and vision continue to resonate powerfully in our times. As a historian, attorney, poet, activist, teacher and Episcopal priest, she worked throughout her life to address injustice, to give voice to the unheard, to educate, and to promote reconciliation between races and economic classes. Her beautifully written memoir, Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family, was published in 1956."

The textile exhibit features narrative quilts by the Heritage Quilters group in Warren County. Some of the quilts are stitched by Carol Beck, Marjorie Diggs Freeman, Barbara Lau, and Mary Rocap of Hillsborough, according to an article in the Herald-Sun by Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan with photos by Christine T. Nguyen. In the photo areThe Rev. Jeanette Stokes (left) and Courtney Reid-Eaton, curator. Enjoy the exhibit!

Carole Harris' textile creations on display

Carole Harris' quilts and textile work are currently on display at the Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital (just outside of Detroit) from November 4 to December 30, 2010 as part of the Healing Arts Program - Artist Avenue Gallery. Enjoy!