Members of the Jubilee Quilt Circle, a long-standing program of the Community Artists’ Collective, participated in a year-long residency at the Glassell School of Art. Meeting weekly, the quilters researched many designs in the textiles displayed in the Museum and immersed themselves in classes offered by Glassell to expand their artistic language.
Patterns of Liberation: The Quilt Code of the Underground Railroad is the culminating display of the Circle’s residency and reflects each quilter’s unique interpretation of the patterns sewn into quilts once used as codes during the time of slavery in America. The patterns in each quilt pay homage to the intricate network of people who comprised the Underground Railroad and who deployed these designs as a means of communication, guiding individuals on specific pathways to freedom. Particular sequences, colors, symbols, and thread lengths revealed vital information to aid navigation from one checkpoint to the next, which ultimately led freedom seekers to Canada. Designing quilts in this fashion is an example of the use of ancestral knowledge passed down by generations of quilters, and it highlights a significant thread in the multilayered fabric of American history.
On View August 9 - September 21
Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Friday, September 21 1:00 PM MFAH Event Link