African-American Folk Quilts at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts

Sunday, 13 May 2007 14:29

Montgomery, AL – For a limited time, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is displaying a portion of its permanent collection of quilts, representative of a group of African-American quilters working mainly in Alabama.  Men’s discarded pants, neckties, and even unique African dyed fabric are featured in a beautiful collection revealing glorious banners of Southern history and culture to people of all ages.  The extraordinary quilts, on display through May 20, 2007, are part of the Museum’s permanent collection recently acquired through a partial purchase and generous donation from Kempf Hogan of Birmingham, Michigan.  The collection, consisting of 48 objects dating from 1945 to 2001, was assembled by Hogan over a period of 17 years.  He worked closely with Dr. Robert Cargo of Tuscaloosa, AL in acquiring nearly all of the quilts. 

For the first time since acquiring the collection, two quilts by Tuscaloosa artist Yvonne Wells will be on display: Dove Descending and Me Masked I. Wells describes herself as a storyteller first and a folk quilter second. She classifies her range of images as religious and sociopolitical, among other things.

The quilt collection contains various patterns and themes found throughout the history of quilt making. Such popular geometric patterns as stars, pig pens, housetops, log cabins and tombstones are frequently represented in the collection.  Those quilts featuring themes employ such imagery as blue birds, doves, mules, flags and portraits.  The narrative quilts illustrate stories related to baseball, the Bible, the Civil Rights Movement, Elvis, and the University of Alabama.

The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is the oldest fine arts museum in Alabama.  Noted for its outstanding survey collection of American paintings and sculpture, the Museum also boasts an impressive collection of Old Master prints, Southern regional art, and decorative arts.  The Museum’s permanent collection is complemented by an exciting array of traveling exhibitions and stimulating educational programs that examine the diverse facets of the world of fine art.  Visit Web: www.mmfa.org