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Media contacts: Kim Schuette: 614.297.2314 or kschuette@ohiohistory.org
Media contacts: Michael L. Sampson: 937.376.4944 X 117 or msampson@ohiohistory.org
For Immediate Release
Critically Acclaimed Quilt Exhibition Extended at National Afro-American Museum
(WILBERFORCE, Ohio) — The run of Quilting African American Women’s History: Our Challenges, Creativity, and Champions the phenomenal exhibition currently on view at the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center has been extended due to popular demand and will now be on view through Saturday, January 17, 2009. The exhibit was originally slated to close November 8, 2008.
"The public response to the exhibition has far exceeded our expectations," says Edna Diggs, curator of the National Afro-American Museum. "Visitation to the museum has tripled, and due to the overwhelming interest from people of all ages and backgrounds, the quilt exhibition has been extended."
The unique quilt showcase was curated by internationally respected quilt artist, author and historian Dr. Carolyn L. Mazloomi expressly for the National Afro-American Museum, a site of the Ohio Historical Society.
"In Quilting African American Women's History: Our Challenges, Creativity, and Champions, the vitality of quilt making and the resilient, creative spirit of Black women come alive," said Dr. Carolyn L. Mazloomi. "This exhibition is a validating expression of cultural genius."
The exhibition-the largest of its kind-boasts more than 100 contemporary quilts, created by 53 women and four men. Some of America’s best known African American quilters
like Tina Williams Brewer, Adriene Cruz, Michael Cummings, Peggie Hartwell, Viola Burley Leak and Jim Smoote are featured.
Each quilt is accompanied by an artist’s statement that provides a glimpse into the artist’s background and the motivation behind the piece. The diversity of genre and technique represented in the works reflects the complex diversity of African Americans today. Yet, collectively, these quilts combine to share the story of African American women, their
profound contributions to American society, and their crucial role in the survival of their people from enslavement to the present.
Sponsors of the exhibition are the Ohio Arts Council, the AK Steel Foundation and AEP Ohio. The media sponsors are WHIO-TV 7 and WROU-FM in Dayton.
Quilting African American Women's History will begin its national tour in February as it travels to the Mulvane Art Museum of Washburn University and the Brown Foundation of the National Park Service, both located in Topeka, Kansas. The Kansas exhibitions will open on February 16th and be on view through March 30, 2009.
The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center is located at 1350 Brush Row Road in Wilberforce, Ohio, ˝ mile west of State Route 42 North, adjacent to Central State University. Museum hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Closed on Sunday and Monday. Admission to the museum is $4 for adults, $1.50 for children ages 6-10 and college students with I.D. Admission is free to Ohio Historical Society members and children ages 5 and under. Call (937) 376-4944 x 113 for more information.
A full-color catalogue and poster accompanies the exhibition. For more information about the exhibition and other National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center events, call 937.376.4944 x 117 or 1-800.752.2603.
The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center is one of 58 sites administered by the Ohio Historical Society, a nonprofit organization that serves as the state’s partner in preserving and interpreting Ohio’s history, archeology and natural history. For more information about the Ohio Historical Society and its programs, call 614.297.2300/800.686.6124 or visit www.ohiohistory.org
Note: Images from the exhibition are available for editorial use. Please call 937-376-4944 x 117 or email msampson@ohiohistory.org
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