Artist Statement
I've spent most of my adult life in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, working for the Library of Congress as an information specialist. Prior to that I received a Bachelor’s of Fine Art from Howard University (1975). The arts are my true calling. My inspiration comes from several sources, beginning with my grandmother who was a quilter in rural North Carolina. She made quilts to ward off the cold of winter nights in a house warmed by a single pot-bellied stove. Although it was a practical matter for her, her quilts carried our family's history and kept her creative spirit alive in me.
In 1995 I began making collages and art quilts. My work is a mélange of pieced fabrics, found objects, buttons, beads, handmade papers, jewelry, lace, and appliqué. It incorporates materials that have been donated by relatives, friends, and by the community of women and men with whom I have worked. The inclusion of these items in my work has imbued it with a depth that would not otherwise be present.
My work tells a personal story whose themes have universal meaning. These themes include physical and spiritual healing, memorializing loved ones, rites of passage as they relate to women, and the spiritual aspects of love and sensuality. I am also inspired by the poetry, proverbs, and truisms of varied cultures, African-American history and folkways, and the art of India and Africa.
My quilts have been exhibited in numerous venues, most recently at Baltimore City Hall in “Mindfulness: Celebrating Women Quilter/ Fiber Artists,” and “And Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations” currently on national tour. My work has also been exhibited at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, the International Quilt conference, Johannesburg, South Africa, the Dei Center for the Study of Contemporary African Art, Accra Ghana, the James E Lewis Museum of Morgan State University, and is part the permanant collections of the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Museum in Baltimore, and the Benjamin Banneker Museum in Ellicott City, Maryland.
Since 2017 it has been my honor to serve as President of the African American Quilters of Baltimore.
2/28/2020