Narrative quilting describes the use of blanket weaving and quilting to portray a message or tell a story. It was a means of sending messages and recording history for women that were unable to participate in politics throughout time.
Narrative quilting describes the use of blanket weaving and quilting to portray a message or tell a story. It was a means of sending messages and recording history for women that were unable to participate in politics throughout time.
Quilting came to America from Europe with the colonists, where there was a long-standing history of quilting. Quilting did not gain great momentum until after the Revolutionary War when women with lots of time and money began to use quilting as an art form. [1] These quilts were not meant for typical use but instead were status symbols. Class differences contribute to much of the diversity in quilting styles. Quilts were meant to be sentimental and symbolic. From 1920-1930 there was a new-found desire to make quilts, generating the boom in narrative quilts found in exhibitions today. [2]
Abolitionist quilting was a way that women, particularly those within the Quaker church, were able to express political views without having the right to vote or a means to be politically involved. These women were opposed to slavery, and began to get more involved in the 1830s. Organized fundraising fairs and selling abolitionist quilts was one popular way for women to support the anti-slavery cause. Lydia Maria Child created one notable quilt called the eight-pointed star crib quilt. This quilt had a poem written by Elizabeth Margaret Chandler in the center as a reminder to think of the child of a slave mother who was "torn from her." Abolitionist quilts are rare but some are preserved in museums today. [3]
A legend describes quilts being hung on clotheslines outside of safe houses along the Underground Railroad in the 1830s. Embedded within the quilts was a code describing where to go next. [4] The myth explains the symbols used, such as the Bow Tie, the Bear Paw, or the Log Cabin designs. The bow-tie design was meant to say that those passing should dress in a disguise to appear higher status. The bear paw symbolized following the animal trails up to the mountains for food and water. And the log cabin meant to seek shelter here this is a safe place to stay. The Drunkard's Path was meant to say zig-zag as you come along this path, in case you are being stalked by hounds. And the Double Wedding Ring pattern is suggested to mean it is now safe to remove your chains and shackles. Although this concept is debated among historians, many people associate this quilting myth with narrative quilting due to the theorized content and story these quilts held. [5]
Harriet Powers, an African-American farm woman of Clarke County, Georgia, has become famous for her quilts of the 1880s. One of her most well-known, and one of her only remaining preserved quilts, was known as the Bible Quilt. It was created around 1885-1886, contained 11 different panels, and was made from a pattern that had not been seen before. The quilt had been stitched both by hand and by machine, and contained a border, as well as designs and intersecting lines outlining the panels. Each of the eleven panels of the quilt displayed a scene from the Bible, hence the name of the quilt. One panel contained a depiction of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The second, Eve and one of her sons in that same Paradise. The third depicted Satan and the seven stars. Panel number four showed the death of Abel as caused by his brother Cain. The fifth panel of the quilt shows Cain going to the land of Nod in order to find a wife. The sixth panel displayed Jacob's dream. The last five panels detailed scenes from the New Testament, depicting the life of Jesus Christ: his baptism, crucifixion, the Last Supper, and the Holy family, as well as Judas Iscariot and the 30 pieces of silver. [6]
Powers displayed the Bible Quilt at the Athens Cotton Fair of 1886. At the fair, the quilt caught the attention of one Jennie Smith, who quickly developed a strong liking of the quilt, and desired to buy it. However, at the time, the quilt was not for sale. Four years after the fair, Powers fell into a difficult financial situation, and offered to sell the quilt to Smith. However, Smith was also in hard times financially and couldn't afford it. Later, after recovering financially, Smith offered once again to buy the quilt, and eventually Powers agreed. The Bible Quilt was sold for US$5(equivalent to about $170 in 2023). [6]
In the 1970s as quilting began to a popular resurgence quilt-making served as public acknowledgement of rites of passage. Presentation quilts were meant to celebrate a given event such as an engagement, or a family moving away. Album quilts similarly were meant to remember an event. Album quilts received their name because the quilting blocks looked like pages combined into a quilt. Each block designed by friends and family and sewn together to make one quilt. Friendship and gratitude could also be expressed through such album quilts. Freedom quilts were a colonial artifact given to young men on their 21st birthday to celebrate coming of age. These quilts were designed with bright patriotic colors and were often stored in their hope chest until the day of marriage. Tradition also showed women typically were to make 12 quilts prior to engagement and the 13th would be made by friends and family as a sign that the wedding was soon to occur. The 13th quilt was called the bride quilt and often had whimsical designs and well wishes from friends. Each of these quilts designated for a certain time in a person's life shared a message and held specific memories. [7]
Faith Ringgold is a prominent artist today creating paintings, quilts, children's books, and sculptures. She describes her work on her American People Series as "intended to make...a statement about the civil rights movement and what was happening to black people at that time, and to make it super-real.” Ringgold began quilting so that her stories would be heard. At the time no one would publish the autobiography that she had been working on. Faith Ringgold began work with her mother, Willi Posey, on a project entitled the Slave Rape Series, which they quilted in the African-American traditional style in order to tell the stories of women captured and sold into slavery. Faith Ringgold is still famous for her story quilts and is a main contributor to narrative quilting. [8]
Weaving clothing and blankets was common among many of the American Indian tribes, especially the Navajo. Patterns would be woven into blankets and rugs, oftentimes with some form of significance. [9] However, as more European and American settlers began moving west, efforts were made to "civilize" the Indians. Quilting was thus adopted into the American Indian way of life, initially through school systems and sewing circles. However, quilting quickly became another expression of the culture of the American Indians. One of the most important quilt patterns that was seen throughout the American Indian communities was the Star Quilt. It had both common, utilitarian purposes, as well as ceremonial purposes. They also became very important to the economy of the reservation. [10]
The Star Quilt pattern in quilting is an eight-pointed star. It has had many names throughout history, including the Morning Star, the Star of Bethlehem, the Lone Star, the Star of the East, the Mathematical Star, and more. This pattern was widely adopted and used throughout Indian communities, and became a symbol of their cultural identity. However, the Star pattern isn't exclusively used by Native quilters, it is also widely used throughout the non-Native quilting community. [10]
The Star Quilt pattern is similar in color and design to the geometric paintings that could be found on nineteenth century hide robes. One such design of robes was called the War Bonnet design and involved diamonds spreading outward in increasingly larger circles. Although not identical, this War Bonnet design is similar to the Star Quilt pattern, and could be one of the reasons the quilt pattern became so popular. Modern day American Indian quilters have found ways to incorporate more of their culture into the Star Quilts. One way that they do this is by adding symbols, such as an eagle, to the center part of the star. By adding these significant details to the quilt, a record is being made of the culture. The quilt changes from just a simple pattern with some significance, to an emblem of tradition and culture. Images from popular culture can also be added to the center of the star, however that does not add to the cultural significance of the quilt. [10]
In the modern day Star Quilts are used in both traditional cultural ceremonies as well as Christian churches. One example of a use for the Star Quilt is at funerals. The coffin is generally covered by at least one Star Quilt. The quilt is, on occasion, put in the coffin and buried with the deceased. Another use of the Star Quilts in the modern day is in trade. Star Quilts can be traded for necessities such as food and diapers. A more traditional cultural use for the Star Quilt is in ceremonies. The quilts are needed for baptisms, bonnet ceremonies, and healing ceremonies, also known as Yuwipi where the medicine man is wrapped in the Star Quilt. [10]
Quilting is the process of joining a minimum of three layers of fabric together either through stitching manually using a needle and thread, or mechanically with a sewing machine or specialised longarm quilting system. An array of stitches is passed through all layers of the fabric to create a three-dimensional padded surface. The three layers are typically referred to as the top fabric or quilt top, batting or insulating material, and the backing.
A quilt is a multi-layered textile, traditionally composed of two or more layers of fabric or fiber. Commonly three layers are used with a filler material. These layers traditionally include a woven cloth top, a layer of batting or wadding, and a woven back combined using the techniques of quilting. This is the process of sewing on the face of the fabric, and not just the edges, to combine the three layers together to reinforce the material. Stitching patterns can be a decorative element. A single piece of fabric can be used for the top of a quilt, but in many cases the top is created from smaller fabric pieces joined, or patchwork. The pattern and color of these pieces creates the design. Quilts may contain valuable historical information about their creators, "visualizing particular segments of history in tangible, textured ways".
Hoodoo is an ethnoreligion that, in a broader context, functions as a set of spiritual observances, traditions, and beliefs—including magical and other ritual practices—developed by enslaved African Americans in the Southern United States from various traditional African spiritualities and elements of indigenous American botanical knowledge. Practitioners of Hoodoo are called rootworkers, conjure doctors, conjure men or conjure women, and root doctors. Regional synonyms for Hoodoo include rootwork and conjure. As an autonomous spiritual system it has often been syncretized with beliefs from Islam brought over by enslaved West African Muslims, and Spiritualism. Scholars define Hoodoo as a folk religion.
African-American art is a broad term describing visual art created by African Americans. The range of art they have created, and are continuing to create, over more than two centuries is as varied as the artists themselves. Some have drawn on cultural traditions in Africa, and other parts of the world where the Black diaspora is found, for inspiration. Others have found inspiration in traditional African-American plastic art forms, including basket weaving, pottery, quilting, woodcarving and painting, all of which are sometimes classified as "handicrafts" or "folk art".
Faith Ringgold was an American painter, author, mixed media sculptor, performance artist, and intersectional activist, perhaps best known for her narrative quilts.
"Everyday Use" is a short story by Alice Walker. It was first published in the April 1973 issue of Harper's Magazine and is part of Walker's short story collection In Love and Trouble.
The history of quilting, the stitching together of layers of padding and fabric, may date back as far as 3400 BCE. For much of its history, quilting was primarily a practical technique to provide physical protection and insulation. However, decorative elements were often also present, and many quilts are now primarily art pieces.
Quilts of the Underground Railroad describes a controversial belief that quilts were used to communicate information to African slaves about how to escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad. It has been disputed by a number of historians.
Harriet Powers was an American folk artist and quilter born into slavery in rural northeast Georgia. Powers used traditional appliqué techniques to make quilts that expressed local legends, Bible stories, and astronomical events. Powers married young and had a large family. After the American Civil War and emancipation, she and her husband became landowners by the 1880s, but lost their land due to financial problems.
Cuesta Benberry was an American historian and scholar. Considered to be one of the pioneers of research on quiltmaking in America, she was the pioneer of research on African-American quiltmaking. Her involvement in quilt research spans from founding and participating in various quilt groups to writing articles in renowned quilt magazines and journals. As a quilt scholar, Benberry acquired a collection of important quilts dating from the late 19th century up to the 21st century, as well as an extensive collection of paper documents supplementing quilting exhibitions, books, articles and her personal research.
The Hat and Fragrance Textile Gallery is an exhibit space at Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont which houses quilts, hatboxes, and various other textiles. The name "Hat and Fragrance" refers both to Electra Havemeyer Webb's collection of hatboxes and to the fragrant, herbal sachets used to preserve textiles. In 1954, Shelburne Museum was the first museum to exhibit quilts as works of art; prior to this exhibition quilts were only shown as accessories in historic houses.
Kyra E. Hicks is an American author, quilter and quilt historian. She writes about African-American quilt history and encouraging quilt documentation. She has created story quilts, such as Black Barbie, which is in the permanent collection of the Fenimore Art Museum in New York City.
Dindga McCannon is an African-American artist, fiber artist, muralist, teacher, author, and illustrator. She co-founded the collective Where We At, Black Women Artists in 1971.
Wini "Akissi" McQueen is an American quilter based in Macon, Georgia. Her artistic production consists of hand-dyed accessories and narrative quilts. Her techniques for her well-known quilts include an image transferring process. In her work, she tackles issues of race, class, society, and women. Her quilts have featured in many museum exhibitions, including the Museum of African American Folk Art, the Taft Museum, the Bernice Steinbam Gallery, and the William College Art Museum. In 2020, her quilts were featured in a retrospective dedicated to her textile art at the Museum of Arts & Sciences in Macon, GA.
Tar Beach, written and illustrated by Faith Ringgold, is a children's picture book published by Crown Publishers, Inc., 1991. Tar Beach, Ringgold's first book, was a Caldecott Honor Book for 1992.
Cecelia Tapplette Pedescleaux, also known as Cely, is an African-American quilter of traditional and art quilts, inspired by historians, other African-American quilters, and quilt designs used during the Underground Railroad to communicate messages to slaves seeking freedom. Her quilts have been shown in China, France, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, and in other locations in the United States. A solo show of 75 of her quilts were shown at the Le Musée de Free People of Color in New Orleans (2013–2014).
Yvonne Wells is an African-American folk artist and quilter from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She is best known for her self-taught style and her story quilts depicting scenes from the Bible and the Civil Rights Movement. Her work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and at the International Quilt Museum.
Who's Afraid of Aunt Jemima? is an acrylic on canvas narrative quilt made by American artist Faith Ringgold in 1983. Named for the Edward Albee play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the character Aunt Jemima, the work is Ringgold's first story quilt and marks the early stages of the artist's shift from oil painting to quilting.
The French Collection is a series of twelve quilt paintings by American artist Faith Ringgold completed between 1991 and 1997. Divided into two parts composed of eight and four quilts each, the series utilizes Ringgold's distinct style of story quilts to tell the fictional story of a young African American woman in the 1920s, Willia Marie Simone, who leaves Harlem for Paris to live as an artist and model. The stories, illustrated in acrylic paint and written in ink surrounding the paintings, narrate Willia Marie's journey as she befriends famous artists, performers, writers, and activists, runs a café and works as a painter, and develops a distinct Black feminist intellectual worldview based on her experiences and identity. Willia Marie's interactions with notable modernist artists and their oeuvres are an archetypical example of Ringgold's responses to the predominantly white male artistic canon, wherein she often directly invoked, embraced, and challenged the central figures of modernist art.
The American Collection is a series of eleven quilt paintings by American artist Faith Ringgold, completed in 1997, with an additional unfinished quilt that the artist sketched but did not complete. The series serves as a continuation of the narrative the artist began in her earlier series of quilt paintings The French Collection (1991-1997). While the quilts in The French Collection included detailed narratives written in text along the edges of each quilt, The American Collection quilts do not include stories in text and are meant to be understood as paintings by Marlena Simone, the daughter of the fictional central character from the earlier series.