The From Africa to Appalachia Foundation and the African American Heritage Alliance are presenting the African American Quilt Conference of Appalachia on April 10-11. This event is being held at Rose Center in Morristown, Tn. and will highlight the cultural significance of quilting and quilt preservation in the African American tradition. Rooted in central Appalachia, this conference will be an opportunity for an active cultural exchange between national quilting experts, historians, artists, and community members to discuss and share ideas about the medium of quilting. The conference is free and open to the public.
One component of the conference is a month-long exhibit in the Edith Davis Gallery at Rose Center that will feature quilts by the guest panelists and local African American quilters. Exhibit curators are Sammie Nicely and Bob Spirko. Hands-on workshops will be held on Friday and Saturday afternoons. Instructors for the workshops are Marquetta Johnson and Aisha Lumumba of Atlanta, and Aundra McCoy of Memphis. Friday evening a keynote address will be given by Dr. Carolyn L. Mazloomi of Ohio; her topic is “In the Spirit of the Cloth: African American Quilt History.” Saturday morning will open with a showing of a film about the Gees Bend quilters. After the film, Dr. Mazloomi will facilitate a panel discussion with Ms.Johnson, Ms. Lumumba, and Ms. McCoy. The subject is “Through the Eye of a Needle: Quilting our History.” Following lunch the workshops will continue and a guided dialog with local quilt makers will be held.
Registrations for the conference, workshops and lunch are required. Lunch will be available for $10; all other components of the conference are free. Visit www.aahaonline.net to register and for more information about the workshops. Organizers would like to thank the Live to Give Foundation, East Tennessee Foundation Arts Fund, the Community Economic Development Network of East Tennessee, and the Morristown Area Chamber of Commerce for helping to sponsor the event.
Schedule of Events
Friday, April 10
? 12:30 p.m. - Registration
? 1-5 p.m. - Workshops
? 5-6 p.m. - Dinner on your own
? 6 p.m. - Dr. Carolyn L. Mazloomi, “In the Spirit of the Cloth: African American Quilt History”
? 7 p.m. - Exhibit Opening Reception
Saturday, April 11
? 9 a.m. - Women of Gee’s Bend film screening
? 10-11:30 a.m. - Panel Discussion: “Through the Eye of a Needle: Quilting our History”
Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, Marquetta Johnson, Aisha Lumumba, and Aundra McCoy
? noon-1 p.m. - Lunch
? 1-5 p.m. - Workshops
? 1 p.m. - “Black/White/Color: A Quilt Dialogue on Family Stories”