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AH 329 Black Subjects in White Art History: Fall 2020

Story Telling and the Art of Quilting: An African-American Tradition

Inspired by two exceptional African-American artists known for their beautiful story quilt designs, Harriet Powers and Faith Ringgold, I created an art expression in the form of a square quilt. I used basic household items that Harriet Powers, a former slave, would have had at her disposal to create my design. These were scraps of cotton fabric,[1] scissors, and needle and thread.[2] I, also, incorporated modern mediums, such as a paintbrush and paint. Contemporary artists, Faith Ringgold, is well-known for the use of mixed media in her narrative quilts.[1]

The sharing of memories through quilt work is a practice that was seen early in African-American artwork like that of Harriet Powers.[4] Black design style was unique and differed from conventional Euro-American designs, though. Black people preferred less ornate designs and created items that could be used in everyday life.[5] These practices and traditions can be traced back to West Africa.[6]

In creating the square quilt, I took into consideration African Aesthetic and traditional methods. Therefore, I selected bold colors and various mismatched patterns for my design. I, also, cut and placed appliqués on the textile canvas in an asymmetrical fashion. Black artists liked designs that were visually balanced yet opposite sides of the canvas did not mirror each other.[7] The backdrop for my design is the American flag. Here, I allowed one of the red horizontal lines to deviate and disrupted the, traditionally, all red stripes banner with a bold black line. These decisions were intentional and in keeping with African artists’ traditions, as Black people believed that irregular lines warded of bad spirits.[8] As a final touch to my square quilt, I took a paintbrush, black paint, and carefully painted a verse from the American classic, patriotic song, This land is Your Land. This idea came from the contemporary artist, Ringgold, who is known for having narrative text in her work.[9] The traditional materials and methods and the specific motifs and written words come together to convey a sociopolitical message. This, again, is a modern practice taken from Ringgold’s works of art.[10]

The most difficult part of the art piece was constructing the square quilt. Again, I followed customary African-American methods using the running stitch technique.[11] This procedure involved poking the needle through the fabric and pulling the thread all the way through and coming to the front with the needle and, again, pulling it through. I repeated this step over and over until each pattern was secured to the canvas. This method was tiresome, as it took many hours to complete. I imagined what it would have been like for Harriet Powers to work on her designs after a long day’s work. Though laborious, I thought quilting had to be rewarding for Powers because she could escape her harsh reality, at least, while she was engrossed in her artwork. I, also, believed that her creations must have brought her much satisfaction, knowing that she would be able to gift her family something beautiful and special.