Threaded at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art presents a selection of quilts and contemporary artworks created by Black women working in textiles. This show is spun from seven newly-conserved quilts from Gee’s Bend, Alabama in the Spelman College permanent collection, and one from Clark Atlanta University’s collection. Threaded places Gee’s Bend quilts and prints in conversation with contemporary artworks made from materials and techniques that expand beyond the category of “quilt.” This exhibition features tapestries made of cotton, kente cloth, silk, wool, sateen, corduroy, chiffon, pima cloth, polyester, lace, velvet, and hand-dyed fabrics - adorned with cowrie shells, beads, broaches, and floating on wall paper. The works are united by materials, and a legacy of women using fabrics from around the house to keep loved ones warm, and to bear witness to our stories.
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Helen McBride Richter, …aint studdin’ you…, 2022, Cotton cloth, cotton batting, cotton threads, hand-dyed, thickened dye painted, improvisationally cut and machine-pieced by artist. Machine-quilting assistance by Maxine Moore, Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Raymond Cox.
