Join Dr. Sharbreon Plummer and Dr. Jess Bailey as they discuss the role of history and story telling in our lives as quilters. Why do quilters have an affinity for the past? And why is it so important to learn the diverse legacies of quilt history? What tools do we have as quilters and as historians of visual and material culture to stand in relationship with the historical depth of quilt work? Learn about Dr. Plummer and Dr. Bailey’s favorite historical quilts and how we can re-think the larger stories we have been told through the power of quilt history.

September 6th, 2023

Jenn Steverson’s work centers African Diaspora communities, and she looks to textiles to tell her things that were not preserved in written archives. She moves between material culture and written records to gain a fuller, richer picture of Black communities. These techniques are valuable because she is often forced to read against the grain of primary sources that are tainted by prejudice and dismissive of African Diaspora cultural practices.

In this lecture Jenn will speak about her artistic foundation which is African American craft traditions. She will review archival research techniques that she uses when working on a quilt or quilt inspired textile installation. She will focus in particular on cross referencing and the importance of citation when an artist is inspired by a specific artist, creative community, or region.

September 27th, 2023

In 1942 Missouri Pettway, newly suffering the loss of her husband, pieced together a quilt out of his old, worn work clothes. Nearly six decades later her daughter Arlonzia Pettway, approaching eighty at the time and a seasoned quiltmaker herself, readily recalled this cover made by her grieving mother within the small African American farming community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. Centering this quilt made in mourning and the memory of its making, I ask with reverence: How might a closely crafted material object–a pieced together quilt–serve the work of grieving a loved one as well as illuminate the perseverance and creativity of the quilters in this rural Black Belt community?

October 18th, 2023

Ya a’ tey, (Hello) Susan Hudson yii niish yii (I am Susan Hudson) Kee Yaà áanii nish lii’ (I am born of the Towering House People Clan) Deshchii’ Nii ii’ ee baa’ shish chiin’ (I am born for the Apache People Clan) Taabaa ii’ ee’ daa’ shi chei (My maternal Grandfather is from the Water Edge People Clan) Naaki’ Din na ii’ ee daa’ shi Naah lii’ (My paternal Grandfather is from the Apache People Clan) I live in Tooh Haltsooi (Sheep Springs, NM) on the Navajo Reservation. To ensure that our Ancestor’s stories are never forgotten, I have made a mark on the Native Quilting world, and to open the doors for those that will come after me. To show that it has taken generations of Native quilters to help me become the artist that I am. The honoring of our ancestors, those that lived, cried, shed blood, and died so we are able to be here and to tell their stories.

November 8th, 2023

What does it mean to queer quilt history and how might we begin to engage with queer patchwork traditions? How have quilts been used as records of identity in the past? Drawing on local quilt archives, broader queer history, and their own relationship with the craft, quilter Grace Rother and artist Sunny A Smith pull a thread of connection between the current climate of queer resilience and the handwork of the past. Join them in digging through the quilting legacies on record to find seeds of queerness and marvel at the power in creating something both soft and sturdy to tell your story.

November 29th, 2023

In our culminating lecture and discussion, Dr. Sharbreon Plummer and Dr. Jess Bailey explore how quilt makers can work in relationship with the past and offer advice for starting your own journey of quilt research. What do we want to do with the past, old stories, and deep historical legacies as quilters? How do we begin traditions if we don’t come from a quilting family and how do we continue them amongst blood and chosen kin? We will highlight examples of thoughtful research and collaboration from our own journeys and explore tools and tips for researchers of all levels. Reflecting and gathering together wisdom from our group of speakers across The People’s Quilting Bee, we will also have a quilt show and tell. Bring yourself and the quilt you have worked on while attending the lecture series.

December 20th, 2023