QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-6641

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Quilts and Human Rights; The Black Diaspora Quilt History Project

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

16.0091

If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:

2016:55.1

Object label:

Elaine Barnard
Amandla!
Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | Cotton and polyester fabric; applique, freestyle machine embroidered, hand quilted and tied

I grew up in South Africa under apartheid. We were never allowed to see any image of Mandela. The very first time I saw him, and I believe the rest of South Africa, was when he walked out of Victor Verster prison, raising his fist above his head. That fist was what I wanted to portray in my quilt - freedom! Amandla!

In this quilt I used the colors of our national flag to symbolize our rainbow nation after the release of Mandela. I also used the words Mandela quoted from Marianne Williamson in his inaugural address in 1994: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frighten us."

Quilt's title:

Amandla!

When was the form filled out?

12/6/2016

Quilt top made by:

Barnard, Elaine

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

Museum employee

Where the quilt was made, country:

South Africa

Time period:

2000-2025

When was the quilt finished?

2014

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

30"

How long is the quilt?

30"

What color is the quilt?

Black; White

Type of inscription:

Message

What is inscribed on the quilt?

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us...'

Describe the method used to inscribe the quilt:

Machine stitched

Describe the quilt's layout:

Pictorial

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton or polyester blend

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Applique

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

Embellishments used:

Beads attached

How is the binding made?

Edges turned in/ no separate binding

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

No filling

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:

Elaine, inspired and overwhelmed by the sight of Nelson Mandela leaving Victor Verster prison on 11 February 1990, shares her motivation for creating Amandla! (2013-2014): "I grew up in South Africa under apartheid. We were never allowed to see any image of Mandela. The very first time I saw him" was when he walked out of Victor Verster prison, raising his fist above his head. That fist was what I wanted to portray in my quilt "freedom! Amandla!" She explains her choice of colours: "I used the colours of our national flag to symbolize our rainbow nation after the release of Mandela." The words quoted by Mandela in his inaugural address in 1994, circling the centre of the image, convey the sense of hope, possibility and powerful potential of this new era in South African politics: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us..." Williamson, M., (1992).

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Original to maker

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

"Conscience of the Human Spirit: The Life of Nelson Mandela", The International Quilt Conference Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa, July 2014. "Conscience of the Human Spirit: The Life of Nelson Mandela", The Kentucky Museum at Wester Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, September 8, 2015 - January 31, 2016 "Conscience of the Human Spirit: The Life of Nelson Mandela", National Afro American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, OH, April 7 - October 7, 2016.

Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:

"Conscience of the Human Spirit: The Life of Nelson Mandela," exhibit catalog, Marsha MacDowell and Carolyn Mazloomi, Michigan State University Museum, 2014, page 31.

Quilt owner's name:

Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's city:

East Lansing

Quilt owner's county:

Ingham

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Purchase

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Who photographed this quilt?

Pearl Yee Wong

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum