August 2022

THE FABRIC OF LIFE

I can remember when I was four-years-old standing in my family home and looking over to see my grandmother, aunt, and great-grandmother making a quilt. As their hands work, they tell me the stories of the fabrics being used. Where they came from. How they connected my family over the years and what values and beliefs they hoped to pass along.

 So, when O.V. Brantley from the Atlanta Quilt Festival (AQF) submitted a proposal to CREATE: A Partner Program with SFI, for a traveling exhibit that celebrated the life of Congressman John Lewis and his personal connection to art and quilts, my response was an easy “YES, we would love to partner with you on this project.”

 The result is The Good Trouble Quilts Exhibit – Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Congressman John Lewis, which opened on August 5th at the Southwest Arts Center.  Over 25 quilts are on display crafted by members of the Atlanta Quilt Festival, encompassing all levels of experience, from new quilters to master quiltmakers who have been designing and making quilts for decades.

What I discovered on my visit to the festival took my breath away, as hundreds of John Lewis admirer’s and quilt fanatics poured into the gallery space to see the life of Congressman Lewis captured and celebrated in a way that only the art of quilt making can provide. For instance, Michelle Curney Willis’ quilt entitled “He Preached to the Chickens” has four chickens standing in a brown and gold field under the canopy of a cumulus clouded sky with the words: “John Lewis. He preached to the chickens, but his messages were heard by the world. GET IN TROUBLE. GOOD TROUBLE. NECESSARY TROUBLE.”

 Then there was Rosalind Newell’s “Register and Vote” that has black letter stitching on light-blue, baby blanket fabric, with silhouetted hand cut-outs surrounding loose cotton balls: “Hands that pick cotton … now can pick our public officials. Register and Vote!”

 Each of the pieces captures the message of Congressman Lewis as well as some of the history that contributed to the brave leader he would become.

 What this reminded me is how the art of quilt making can not only capture the history of families and our communities but how it also delivers the message and promise of the people we want to become. Just as I treasure the quilts that unite my family over generations, quilt making can be used to unite the people of South Fulton and through our one shared story, a story that John Lewis shared with us all.