Celebrate the life and work of Harriet Powers to mark the unique opportunity in which her Bible quilt and Pictorial quilt are on display together for the first time in the exhibition “Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories.” Hear from artists, historians, and curators as they discuss and reflect on the art and achievements of Harriet Powers.
Speakers:
Bisa Butler, artist
Kyra Hicks, author, quilter, and quilt historian
Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, NEA Bess Lomax Hawes National Heritage Fellow, United States Artists Fellow
Dr. Tiya Miles, professor of History, Radcliffe Alumnae Professor, Harvard University
Jennifer Swope, David and Roberta Logie Associate Curator, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
December 7, 2021
Artworks discussed in depth include:
Harriet Powers, Pictorial Quilt, 1895–98. Cotton plain weave, pieced, appliqued, embroidered, and quilted. Bequest of Maxim Karolik. https://collections.mfa.org/objects/116166; Harriet Powers, Bible Quilt, 1885-1886. Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_556462
Michael C. Thorpe, Untitled (Quilt: Black Man), 2020. Printed cotton plain weave and batting; machine quilted. Anonymous gift in honor of Makeeba McCreary and Jennifer Swope. © Michael C. Thorpe https://collections.mfa.org/objects/692606
Carolyn Mazloomi, Strange Fruit II, 2020. Cotton, silkscreened; machine quilted. The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection and Gallery Instructor 50th Anniversary Fund to support The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection. © Carolyn L. Mazloomi https://collections.mfa.org/objects/693068
Bisa Butler, To God, and Truth, 2019. Printed cotton; pieced, appliqued, and quilted. John H. and Ernestine A. Payne Fund, The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection, and Arthur Mason Knapp Fund. © Bisa Butler and Claire Oliver Gallery. https://collections.mfa.org/objects/685493
Carla Hemlock, Quilt: Survivors, 2011-2013. Cotton plain weave and glass beads; pieced, appliquéd, beaded, and quilted. The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection. Reproduced with permission. https://collections.mfa.org/objects/683843