African American history has been documented in story quilts for many years. I recommend a wonderful new book on story quilts that documents a powerful exhibit touring many museums. Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi’s latest book is now available for sale on Amazon and in some bookstores. If you have a chance to see the exhibit, I urge you to attend. The content is very powerful and the quality of the artistic expression is too wonderful to describe in words.
I have a piece in this collection, I am humbly grateful to say. See my earlier post here about the exhibit when it was in Orlando.
You may recognize names of some of the other artists, but some may be new to you. The exhibit is touring under the auspices of the Cincinnati Museum Center. To see images from the exhibit, go here. For information about where it will be touring, or to explore having it come to a museum or gallery in your area, contact SLIMA [AT] CINCYMUSEUM [DOT] ORG. There’s also a link on the website.
BOOK TITLE: And Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations
Author: Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi
FROM THE BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Contemporary quilt artists trace the path of black history in the United States with 97 original works exploring important events, places, people, and ideas over 400 years. Arranged in chronological order, quilt themes include the first enslaved people brought over by Dutch traders in 1619, the brave souls marching for civil rights, the ascendant influence of African American culture on the American cultural landscape, and the election of the first African American president. Other quilts commemorate and celebrate cultural milestones and memories, such as the first African American teacher, the Buffalo Soldier, the first black man to play Othello on Broadway, Muhammed Ali, and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The 69 artists who contributed works for this curated collection provide narrative explaining the important stories and histories behind the quilts.