And Still We Rise: Race, Culture, and Visual Conversations

"As an artist, I strongly believe art has the capacity to touch the spirit, engage, educate, and heal in ways that words alone cannot." Carolyn L. Mazloomi

The origin and use of quilts has always been about warmth and protection. Quilts have also always been about art and expression. Quilts have been created to express political affiliation, to raise funds for causes, and to communicate the ideals and goals of various groups and social causes.
(For an overview see: http://worldquilts.quiltstudy.org/americanstory/engagement/awareness-activism)

And Still We Rise consists of 97 quilts by 69 artists that express the totality of the African American experience. In her opening essay Carolyn Mazloomi explains the genesis of the quilt exhibition: using the accessible and visual medium of quilting, artists explore 400 years of history, from 1619 when the first kidnapped and enslaved Africans landed on American soil to Trayvon Martin's murder.

Each quilt merits a full page and a detail illustration accompanied by the artist's statement. Unlike many "coffee table quilt books" this is not a book to flip through lightly. The quilts incorporate diverse techniques that merit study. The subject matter and story behind the quilts are thoughtful and passionately presented. The diversity of the subject matter is extraordinary, and very personal to the quilt artist.

The quilts are presented in historical order beginning with 20 and Odd  concerning the 1619 arrival of the first enslaved Africans in America. The Dutch ship The White Lion battled a Spanish ship and captured "20 and odd" enslaved Africans. The White Lion landed at Jamestown, Virginia and traded the Africans for food and supplies.  The quilt by Carolyn Crump shows the ship hull made of African bodies.

The quilt subjects include the expected: Crispus Attucks who died in the Boston Massacre; enslaved first American poetess Phillis Wheatley; Nat Turner rebellion organizer; the Amistad case; Harriet Tubman; and John Brown. Other subjects appear that are not covered in typical American textbooks: Griot Lucy Terry Prince; Levi Coffin who established the Underground Railroad; political activist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper; political activist Ida B. Wells; the first black U.S. Naval ship captain Robert Smalls; Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks; and the first African-American Brigadier General in the U.S. Army Benjamin O. Davis Sr. Iconic African American achievements in music, athletics, and the arts appear.

The artists address the dark side of the African American experience. Ironic by Sandra Hankins portrays the three men murdered in Mississippi in 1964 whose story was central to One Mississippi, Two Mississippi  by Carol V. R. George which I reviewed at the beginning of the month. The Scottsboro Boys: The Arrest by Patricia Montgomery commemorates the nine Negro young men who were wrongfully arrested and condemned to death. Other quilts present The Freedom Riders, Martin Luther King, the bombing of the Birmingham 16th Street Baptist Church, and the signing of the 1968 Civil Rights Act.

There are quilts to celebrate achievements and firsts: the first all African-American flight crew; the election of President Barack Obama; the appointment of Condolezza Rice; Brigadier General Hazel Q. Johnson-Brown; and astronaut Mae C. Jemison.

Reading the book, confronted by the quilts, brings a roller coaster ride of emotions. One is educated, one remembers, one mourns, and one hopes. Arriving at the 2012 Trayvon Could be My Son by Dorothy Burge brings a heavy awareness of current turmoil and the inequalities of our society and justice system.

The last quilt Visionaries of Our Freedom: Quadricentnnial: The First Four Hundred Years of African Presence in America by Sherry E. Whetstone-McCall is a crazy quilt collage in the shape of the continent of Africa. The artist states, "Let that anniversary be marked by the telling of stories that recognize and celebrate the perseverance and triumph of the African-American people. Let the stories inspire the world to take courageous steps for freedom today and for generations to come."

I received a free book from Schiffer in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

And Still We Rise: Race, Culture, and Visual Conversations
Carolyn L. Mazloomi
Schiffer Publishing
$34.99 hard cover
ISBN: 9870764349287

Landscape Impacting Art: Art Quilts of the Midwest

On the historical timeline Art Quilts are relative newcomers. One could argue that the Crazy Quilt fad of the 19th c. produced quilts for show, not use, but the term as we employ it today refers to art studio quilts to be shown in exhibitions and collected by museums. They are designed with no functional use in mind. They are fabric based, usually several layers somehow tied together, but also can incorporate found materials, embellishments, and can be three-dimensional and asymmetrical. They are always the viewpoint of an artist, a statement, something encountered and experienced.

It may surprise some to know how important the Midwest is to the development of quilting and art quilts. Not to those of us from the Midwest! Consider:

• The American Quilt Study Group based in Lincoln, NB
• The American Quilt Society and the AQS museum in Paducah, KY
• Quilts National/Diary Barn Arts Center
• Nancy Crow, Ohio quilt artist and the Quilt Surface Design Symposium

And this just begins the list. In 2013 the Grand Rapids Art Prize went to quilt artist Ann Loveless for her Sleeping Bear Dune Lakeshore quilt. The American Quilt Society show at Grand Rapids has brought art quilts to West Michigan, as well as the traveling Mancusco Brothers World Quilt and Textile festival when it came to Lansing, MI. We Michiganders are very aware of the impact of environment on art quilts!

Art Quilts of the Midwest by Linzee Kull McCray looks at twenty quilt artists from the Midwest to explore how environment impacts their work. Our environment influences us in many ways, from childhood memories and nostalgia to our values and customs. The Midwest is primarily rural, endures seasonal extremes, was settled by pioneers and immigrants used to thrift and the necessity of hard labor. It also incorporates diverse ecosystems, from the Great Lakes with its beaches and great inland seas, its deep woods, to the vast open prairies and big skies.

McCray interviewed each quilt artist about influences and techniques behind their work. Each artist has a close up and page sized broad view of a quilt and a broad view of a second quilt. Artists included are:

• Marilyn Ampe of St. Paul MN
• Gail Baar of Buffalo Grove, IL
• Sally Bowker of Cornucopia, WS
• Peggy Brown of Nashville, IN
• Shelly Burge of Lincoln, NE
• Shin-hee Chin of McPherson, KS
• Sandra Palmer Ciolino of Cincinnati, OH
• Jacquie Gering of Chicago, IL
• Kate Gorman of Westerville, OH
• Donna June Katz of Chicago, IL
• Beth Markel of Rochester Hills, MI
• Diane Nunez of Southfield, MI
• Pat Owoc of St. Louis, MO
• B J Parady of Batavia, IL
• Bonnie Peterson of Houghton, MI
• Luanne Rimel of St. Louis, MO
• Barbara Schneider of Woodstock, IL
• Susan Shie of Wooster, OH
• Martha Warshaw of Cincinnati, OH
• Erick Wolfmeyer  of Iowa City, IO

As a quilter I don't view this as merely a coffee table book, but as a source of inspiration, a reminder that one's art is only limited by one's imagination. I want to try some of these techniques! No, there are not how-to instructions, you cannot recreate these works of art. Yet it is by studying the Masters that artists learn, and the same holds true for quilters.

I received the ebook through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Art Quilts of the Midwest
by Linzee Kull McCray
University of Iowa Press
ISBN: 9781609383237
$24.95
104 pages, 60 color photographs, 8x9 inches
Publication Date: March 15, 2015

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The Quilts May Be Small, the Love is Big

I enjoy making small quilts, especially for presents or to donate to fundraisers.

This quilt was based on a couple's wedding invitation art. I used hand applique and embroidery, hand quilting, beading, and applied daisy trim.

A Christmas gift for a church secretary, machine applique, hand embroidery.

 Dad took a photo that I turned into an art quilt. It was donated to a fundraiser. Hand appliqued, machine quilted.

 I found the cat, dog and heart patterns free online. The Love Your Neighbor was all mine and cut without a template. Donated to a fundraiser.

 I bought this pattern from Heartstring Treasures and made several versions of this cute quilt. Machine applique, hand quilted, sequins. Donated to a fundraiser.

Two hand appliqued and quilter blocks, both original designs, donated to a fund raiser. I think I want that daisy one back!

Sometimes I just get an idea and try it. Hand appliqued and machine quilted. Kept it!

When my brother-in-law married his high school sweetheart I designed this quilt. I researched Japanese symbols to bless their marriage.

A collection of vintage embroidery transfers inspired Country Gardens. Given to a relative.

A Baltimore Album design by Jeanna Kimball, hand appliqued, was given to a church organist. Made early on, I still had a LOT to learn abour fabric.

A hand printed greeting card inspired this hand appliqued and hand quilted pansy. I used permanent fine line marker to add dots for shadowing.

Another small quilt with Jeanna Kimball patterns, this time using feedsacks for the borders. Hand appliqued and quilted. Donated to a fund raiser.

I made our Game Master son this dragon quilt, inspired by the great fabric in the border. I found an image and turned it into a fusible applique and used thread for details. Turns out a Dragon was the symbol of the college gamer's club!

A cute yo-yo flowers with button centers was from a magazine pattern. Donated.

Next time I will share some MORE small quilts!