Black Quilters: Historians and Memory Keepers

Published on February 16, 2023 by Beatrice Alvarez

Quilted Education

From Reel South:

In a time when books are banned and discussions around race are curtailed, Karen Hinton Robinson takes on the responsibility of teaching Black history beyond the institution. In this mother-daughter interview, the historian and skilled quilter explains how her craft is used to supplement education by creating quilts that document the important figures of Black history, missing in Texas schools.


A Look at Bisa Butler's Quilter Portraits at Art Institute

From Chicago Tonight:

History, music and photography are all stitched together in a show at the Art Institute of Chicago. We visit the pandemic-delayed exhibition “Bisa Butler: Portraits” to get the story behind these Technicolor textiles.


Quilter Michael A. Cummings

From the QUILTS episode of Craft in America:

Quilter Michael A. Cummings is inspired by jazz. Working in the narrative tradition, Cummings and his sewing machine tell stories of the African American experience across historical, cultural, philosophical and mythical realms. Segment from the QUILTS episode