PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Historically, many African Americans have made quilts in an effort to preserve and preserve their history.
“I know that historically quilts were used to preserve our history and also to tell stories about our communities and what was happening at the time,” said Gwendolyn Aqui-Brooks. Aqui-Brooks has been making quilts for 40 years.
She said she taught herself to mix and weave colored threads to create art and tell a story.
She said it can take a lot of research before starting a new quilt.
“And then after you do the research, you start planning how the quilt is going to be attached,” Aqui-Brooks said. “I like to make quilts on current issues. I also like to make quilts that are about things like grandmothers, grandchildren, family themes,” he continued.
Aqui-Brooks is one of the artists featured in an exhibition at the James Museum of Western Art and Wildlife in St. Petersburg.
wfts
Fifty colorful and intricate pictorial quilts, created by the Women of Color Quilters Network, highlight the stories, history and legacy of African Americans in the West since the early 16th century.the century to the present day.
“Take a look at people and events that aren’t necessarily as well known in our history.
And it really emphasizes the contributions and achievements of black people as they settled in America,” said Emily Kapes of the James Museum.
“This Gwendolyn quilt features Elizabeth Thorn Scott Flood and she was 19is-teacher of the century in California. The first thing I noticed was the vibrancy of the colors, patterns, and textures he used. And it’s also an amazing story; he couldn’t enroll his son in the public schools, so he opened his own school,” Kapes said as she described the Aqui-Brook quilt, which is on display.
“Her school was unique because it didn’t just have African-American students, it had Native American students as well as Asian students,” Aqui-Brooks said.
The last day to see the exhibition is Sunday. For more information about the exhibition, CLICK HERE.
