News and Spotlights
As we celebrate Black History Month, important to both art and history, are the African-American quilts and the Black women who stitched them. The tradition of African-American quilts is centuries old. Prior to emancipation, most African American women were slaves, thus their quilts were primarily made for the plantation owner’s family, but research has shown that Black women also used scraps of cloth from discarded clothes, fabric, and feed sacks to make personal quilts as well. In honor of Black History Month, we present some interesting facts and stories about African American quilt makers.
QUILTS OF COLOR
The Legacy of Black Quilt Makers in East Texas: Laverne Brackens
Read more about Laverne Brackens
LAVERNE BRACKENS
National Endowment of the Arts honors Laverne Brackens.
DID QUILTS HOLD CODE TO THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD?
Two historians say African American slaves may have used a quilt code to navigate the Underground Railroad, but others say differently.
BLACK ART IN AMERICA - QUILTING
Harriet Powers was once a slave in rural Georgia, but her intricate quilts make her a celebrated artist today.
Read more about Harriet Powers
AFRICAN AMERICANS ENRICHED QUILT HISTORY
Quiltmaking among African-Americans has a richly textured history. In a new book called "Black Threads: An African American Quilting Sourcebook."
Reference Books:
- Hicks, Kyra E. (2002). Black Threads: An African American Quilting Sourcebook, MacFarland & Co.
- Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond Dobard (1998). Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad