Examining Quilt Legacies

By Marion Coleman

Editor's Note: Last month, with support from ACTA's Traditional Arts Development Program, quilter Marion Coleman attended Unpacking Collections: The Legacy of Cuesta Benberry—A Symposium on Research and Using Quilt History Collections held at Michigan State Univerity Museum.  In the following article, Marion discusses her experience at the symposium and shares some of the quilts she studied.

Quilters from around the country met at Michigan State University Museum in early October to explore the impact of collections on quilting and research during Unpacking Collections:  The Legacy of Cuesta Benberry—A Symposium on Research and Using Quilt History Collections.  The symposium was a visual and educational acknowledgement of the university's receipt of Ms. Benberry's collection of documents and quilts.  For nearly 50 years, Ms. Benberry, a teacher and librarian, made significant contributions to the world of quilting through her lectures, workshops, writing, and research.  After being introduced to quilting by the women of her husband’s family, she developed a lifelong love of quilting and expanded that passion to include collecting quilts, quilt patterns, and other quilt ephemera.

Filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist Lauren Cross opened the symposium with the documentary The Skin Project, which explores skin color in African American personal stories and quilt imagery.  Quilters primarily from the south and east voiced their memories of color identification and discrimination and the impact these memories have on their work.  Quilters of the Blue Triangle Quilt Guild in Houston, Texas, lead the way by discussing skin tones in their quilts.  Some quilters have decided to use black only while others use various shades of brown to represent African Americans in their quilts.  Through the interviews the audience gains a fuller understanding of the quilting circle and the valuable role sewing circles/quilting guilds play in providing support and encouragement in continuing the tradition.  A touching moment came as one quilter remarked “when the world is being mean to you, you can wrap up in the quilt and have pieces of your past.”  The film demonstrates how quilters can help a community preserve itself and replace what may have been deleted.

One of many highlights of the symposium included an African American and African Quilt Collections Behind the Scenes Tour.  I am honored to have one of my quilts included in the collection and it was exciting to see other works by fellow quilters.  My tour group and I were able to tour other collections including works by Native Americans, textiles from Africa, fashions, hats, shoes and masks.  It was informative to see how materials are cataloged and carefully preserved.

Dynamic speakers rounded out the event by exploring a range of topics about collections.  Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, founder of Women of Color Quilters Network, showcased works from members of the Network that were created from the organization’s inception, in 1985, to 2009.  Dr. Mazloomi is a nationally acclaimed artist, curator, and author who promotes and preserves quilt making among African American women and men.  As a member of the Network, I have had numerous opportunities to exhibit my work nationally and internationally. Imagery of quilts within the collection demonstrates the diversity of styles and interests of quilters within the community.

Fellow African American Quilt Guild of Oakland member and UC-Davis Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Patricia A. Turner, informed us about the legacy of Cuesta Benberry.  She points out that Ms. Benberry was methodical in her research and actively sought venues for her publications.  One of her best known works, Always There: The African American Presence in American Quilts, was published when she was 69.  I personally found this encouraging for my own writing aspirations.  In this groundbreaking work, Ms. Benberry countered previously help perceptions about the style of African American quilts.  Of course, Dr. Turner is also a well-respected quilt scholar whose recent work, Crafted Lives: Stores and Studies of African American Quilters, documents the lives and work of California quilters and others across the country.  My personal story is included in this collection.  Like so many of us, she wants to know the quilters and the narratives behind the quilts they make.

No presentation about the legacy of African American quilts would be complete without acknowledging the work of former slave Harriet Powers (1837-1910) who made two Bible Quilts.  One is included in the Smithsonian's collection.  Quilter and author Kyra Hicks excited us with her investigative research into the life and quilts of Harriet Powers.  Her research challenged us to explore the work of other quilters in our history whose stories have yet to be told.

There is much more to keeping the quilting tradition alive than just the quilts themselves.   Merikay Waldvogel, who has been a board member of the America Quilt Study Group and the Alliance of American Quilts, pointed this out as she documented her journey into collecting and maintaining all things related to quilts.  These materials are invaluable to quilt researchers now and in the future.  In 1992, Ms. Waldvogel, a friend and protégé of Cuesta Benberry, acquired over 100 boxes of quilt ephemera that belonged to Mildred Dickerson, a collector from Alabama.  These materials continue to be a source of research and inspiration to her and others.  She reminds to keep the paper as well as the quilts to have a complete story of the tradition.

The symposium stimulated my thinking and served as a gateway to begin exploring quilt collections, documents, and other avenues of research about the African American quilt and the people who make them.  Men and women now and in the past used fiber and thread to present their experiences and explore the world around them.  Now the challenge is to venture into my own past and see what I can find.

Additional information Cuesta Benberry Quilt Collection can be found at http://museum.msu.edu/glqc/collections_sample_benberry.html.

Additional information about Marion Coleman can be found at http://www.marioncoleman.com and http://marioncoleman.blogspot.com.

The author thanks Michigan State University Museum and Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi for the use of the images of quilts in their collections.