Harriet Powers is considered the mother of the African American story quilt tradition. Born into slavery in 1837, she began making extraordinary quilts in the 1870s. “Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories” marks the first time her Bible quilt and the Pictorial quilt—the only known surviving works by the artist—have been displayed together.
This 5-minute video features the words of historian and author Tiya Miles, in a close examination of Powers’s art as an expression of her faith.
Tiya Miles is a professor of history and Radcliffe Alumnae Professor at Harvard University. Her latest book, "All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake," is a 2021 National Book Awards finalist.