I opened the book to flip through the pages for a first look. When I came to the image for Jesus Wept, I stopped. And I just cried.
The quilt made by Michelle Flamer of Philadelphia, PA, reproduces the 16th Street Baptist Church stained glass window after it was bombed in 1963, killing four little girls. The window was intact, save for the face of Jesus.
Quilts also inform and inspire.
I am currently reading a new biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. This uninformed, damaged woman who accepted the status quo understanding of people of color self-invented herself and became a champion for peace, civil rights, and forgotten men and women.
Gabriele Di Tota of Melbourne, FL, used Eleanor Roosevelt's Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the background to her portrait. The former First Lady chaired the United Nations commission that created this document.
Quilts celebrate iconic leaders. Meryl Ann Butler of Norfolk, VA chose to portray the 14th Dalai Lama, champion for peace and human rights. Butler used an amazing fabric pointillism technique.
Quilts create empathy.
Ryleigh was designated male but identified as a girl. Birgit E. Ruotsala of Green Bay, WS, portrays a joyful Ryleigh embracing her identity. 6% of the population identify as transgender, but they struggle to be "free to be me."
OurStory Quilts: Human Rights Stories in Fabric by Susanne Miller Jones is filled with beautiful and impressive art quilts that champion the struggle for inclusiveness, equality, and fairness. Today hard-won gains are being threatened at home and across the world. The fight to protect and expand human rights is an ongoing process.
The book is divided into sections.
The first addresses the basic needs, common to all people.
The second spotlights basic rights.
The third considers the disenfranchised whose rights have been denied.
The fourth honors iconic leaders in the human rights movements.
The fifth celebrates Human Rights Events that spurred action.
The Sixth tells the personal tales of the artists and the seventh celebrates diversity and similarities.
I was thrilled to see so many of my personal heroes appear among the juried quilts. Each quilt is presented on a full page with a full page essay about its subject. I am always interested in learning more about the artists techniques in creating the quilts.
Like her previous book, HerStory Quilts, OurStory raises awareness of the struggle for inclusive rights and celebrates achievements through thoughtful and inspiring art quilts.
I was given a free book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
OURstory Quilts: Human Rights Stories in Fabric
by Susanne Miller Jones
Schiffer Publications
115 color photos
hardcover $34.99
ISBN 13: 9780764357978
from the publsher
Today’s renewed interest in our basic rights has become part of popular culture and breaking news. From the Mexican border to the #MeToo movement, these images made in fabric are amazing, colorful, and thought provoking. The images offer a new perspective and answer the new demand for attention. These 65 quilts focus on the history of the battles for human, civil, and political rights, and the continuing developments today. They also celebrate the heroes. The heroes who fought for rights, as well as the events that have drawn the attention of news media and the public. Personal stories offer moving reminders and encouragement for future rights successes. The quilts are created by 47 artists from six countries.
About the author
Susanne Miller Jones has been creating art all her life. Fiber art opened many doors and introduced her to fiber artists around the world who have become friends through the magic of social media. Her work is in private collections, has been exhibited in national shows, and has been featured in several books. She is the author of Fly Me to the Moon: An Art Quilt Journey and HERstory Quilts: A Celebration of Strong Women. Jones is a member of Studio Art Quilt Associates and of the Quilt Alliance and serves on the Sacred Threads committee.
