African American Quilt Exhibition

A little textile inspiration from my YouTube ‘Meet the Artist’ Collection. Today it features the stunning African American Quilt Exhibition from the Robert Cargo Collection of the International Quilt Museum Nebraska.

African-American quilts are a significant segment of quilt history. In this video Carolyn Ducey, Curator of Collections, shares these stunning quilts and explains the stories behind the artworks.

African American Quilt Exhibition
African American Quilt Exhibition

African-American quilts come in every imaginable style: traditional patterns and original patterns, bold colours and subdued colours, as well as pieced quilts and story quilts. Like all American quilts, they vary from region to region, from era to era, and from person to person. 

For twenty years, Dr. Robert Cargo, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, championed self-taught artists, especially African-American quilt makers from his home state. In 2000, the International Quilt Museum acquired a portion of his collection, which spans the twentieth century and represents locales all over Alabama, including urban areas such as Birmingham, rural areas like Greene County, and now-famous communities such as Gee’s Bend.

Filmed at the Festival of Quilts 2022.

Quilt from the Robert Cargo Collection
Quilt from the Robert Cargo Collection

Watch this space! – join the mailing list and be first to see some wonderful artist interviews.

Micheal Cummings – Meet the Artist

A little textile inspiration from my YouTube ‘Meet the Artist’ Collection. Today it features the work of artist Micheal Cummings.

Micheal is considered America’s leading African American male quilter, with an ever-expanding influence on the current generation of quilt artists.  Each piece is created from appliquéd pieces of old and new cloth before being embellished with buttons, beads and stitch.

Catch up with Micheal and his stunning artwork at the Festival of Quilts 2022.

Micheal’s Artwork: https://www.michaelcummings.com/

Patchwork quilt by Micheal Cummings featuring musicians
Artwork by Micheal Cummings

He began experimenting with collage construction in 1973 and soon moved on to fabric collage compositions, using appliqué techniques. He devotes his time to research in African American culture and quilt making, translating this history into narratives within quilts.  

Artwork by Micheal Cummings
Artwork by Micheal

Watch this space! – join the mailing list and be first to see some wonderful artist interviews.