QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-6663

Who documented this quilt?

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

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

15.0195

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

2015:18.6

Object label:

Kathryn Harmer Fox
A Fistful of Freedom
East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa |  Fabric, thread, handmade paper, used tea bags; fiber embedment using scribble stitch, free motion machine embroidered and quilted

Mandela was an incredible human being who made me proud to be a South African. He was a very rare politician" able to instill pride in the present, belief in the future, and forgiveness for the past. For this quilt I chose reference images that show his kindness, his humanity, and his strength of character. I wanted to show more than just the formal facade of this powerful statesman without ignoring his political message. I chose an image of an older man, one where his life is written in the many creases and furrows of his face. His inelegant hands (those of a boxer), raised in fists, are an expression of hard-won freedom rather than militant aggression. As he was able to unite black and white in hope, I included an image of Mandela's black-skinned hand clasping that of de Klerk's white one and lifting it in triumph. Lastly, I included the obvious symbols of barbed wire and his prison number; I firmly believe that it was during his many, many years of forced confinement that he became one of the greatest men of our time.

Quilt's title:

A Fistful of Freedom

Subject of the quilt:

Nelson Mandela

Who helped you fill out the form?

Kathryn Harmer Fox

When was the form filled out?

6/25/2015

Quilt top made by:

Fox, Kathryn Harmer

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

Museum employee

Where the quilt was made, city:

East London

Where the quilt was made, province:

Eastern Cape

Where the quilt was made, country:

South Africa

Time period:

2000-2025

When was the quilt finished?

April 2014

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression; Commemorative

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

29 3/4"

How long is the quilt?

29 1/2"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Describe the quilt's layout:

Nontraditional or art

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

Various fabrics, sewing threads and wools, used tea bags, hand-made paper.

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

Fabric and fibre embedments using scribble stitch, free motion machine embroidery quilting and wrapped and twisted cord making.

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 52.

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