QUILT INDEX RECORD
45-46-15
Where are the records for this quilt housed?
Quilts and Human Rights Project at Michigan State University Museum; Arizona Quilt Documentation Project
Who documented this quilt?
Quilts and Human Rights; Migrant Quilt Project; Arizona Historical Society - Arizona History Museum
Documentation Project Number:
Arizona Quilt Documentation Project #MAZ170011
If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number here.
TS 2020.1.5
Essay:
Two things struck me emotionally working on our migrant quilt. One was a pair of female size 4 jeans. So small. The other was writing ‘baby boy_________’ on a strip of denim. Numbers are not names! So sad that ‘baby boy’ is just a number and wasn’t able to be named. Carol Hood
I found myself seeking solitude while working on our migrant quilt. We met as a group in a large room but drifted to separate tables, recording each name on cloth in silence. When working at home alone I played no music, listened to no radio. I felt these sounds deserved my attention. In the past I’ve been part of special quilts for specific people. The migrant quilt; however, was unique. A time for silent reflection. Sandra Klapp
My heart goes out to the families of the ‘Unknown’ people. They will never know what happened to their loved ones. Phyllis Sager
Picked from the desert, I’m gazing at the tiny pieces of Jeans. These are what’s left of real lives. They had hopes and dreams of better and safer futures. Virginia Wenzel
This is a:
Finished quilt
Quilt's title:
Migrant Quilt: Tucson Sector 2004-2005
Subject of the quilt:
Migrant deaths in the Arizona deserts
How wide is the quilt?
45"
How long is the quilt?
89"
Shape of edge:
Straight
Describe the edge:
bottom edge has applied crocheted lace trim
What color is the quilt?
Blue; Brown; Red
Overall color scheme:
Multicolor
Describe the quilt's layout:
Nontraditional or art
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Fabric styles used in the quilt top:
Novelty
Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:
Day of the Dead Calavera print
Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:
Machine Piecing
Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:
Machine Applique
Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:
Embroidery
Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:
Crochet trim on bottom edge.
Describe embellishment materials or techniques:
crochet trim, pieces of embroidery
What kind of filling is used in the quilt?
No filling
How are the layers held together?
Tied or tufted
Thread type used for the quilting:
cotton
Color of thread used in the quilting:
blue
Materials used to make the back:
Cotton
Describe the back:
Solid/plain
What color is the back of the quilt?
Blue
Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:
1
Width of pieces on the back:
45" x 89"
Type of inscription:
Date; Multiple Names; Place
Method used to make the inscription:
Ink
Location of inscription:
multiple locations
What is inscribed on the quilt?
Multiple names and word "unknown" to indicate unidentified migrants.
Quilt's condition:
Excellent/like new
When was the quilt started?
2015
When was the quilt finished?
2016
Time period:
2000-2025
Why was the quilt made?
Art or personal expression; Memorial; Mourning; Therapy
Quilt is presently used as:
Exhibit
Describe present uses of the quilt:
Eventually will enter the collection of the Arizona Historical Society
Where the quilt was made, city:
Prescott
Where the quilt was made, county:
Yavapai
Where the quilt was made, state:
Arizona (AZ)
Where the quilt was made, country:
United States
Where did the maker get their materials?
Old clothes; Purchased new
Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:
Clothing--blue jeans, embroidered cloths and other items--were salvaged from migrant lay up sites in the Sonoran Desert.
Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:
March/April 2017: Amado Unitarian Universalist Church, Amado AZ
June/July 2017: Sky Island Unitarian Universalist Church, Sierra Vista AZ
August 25-September 22, 2017: Tempe History Museum, Tempe AZ
November 2017: Dia de los Muertos exhibit Arizona History Museum, Tucson AZ
February 2018: Pimeria Alta Museum Nogales, AZ
May 1-July 15 2018: New England Quilt Museum Lowell, MA
August 6-September 4, 2018: Loutit District Library Grand Haven, MI
September 15-October 14, 2018: Urban Edge Gallery Waukegan Arts Council, Waukegan, IL
Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:
migrantquiltproject.org
https://www.facebook.com/migrantquiltproject/
Local Library Hosts Migrant Quilt Project, by Krystle Wagner. Grand Haven Tribune, August 13, 2018. https://www.grandhaventribune.com/Local/2018/08/13/Library-hosts-Migrant-Quilt-Project.html?ci=content&lp=2&p=1
"With Paint and Patchwork, Artists Offer a New Perspective on Immigration," by Donna Bryson. Christian Science Monitor, July 17, 2018. https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Arts/2018/0717/Immigration-debate-appears-in-the-art-world
"The Migrant Quilt, by Valarie Lee James. Kosmos Journal, Summer 2018. https://www.kosmosjournal.org/kj_article/the-migrant-quilt/
"Migrant Quilt Project brings border tragedies to the surface, stitch by stitch," by Mark Pratt, AP. Los Angeles Times, May 7, 2018. (and picked up by other papers) http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-migrant-quilt-project-20180507-story.html
"The Migrant Quilt Project: Stitching Compassion and Change," by Mary Fons. Quiltfolk, issue 6, pp. 98-111. www.quiltfolk.com
Video feature about the Migrant Quilt Project's exhibition at the Pimeria Alta Historical Museum in Nogales, Arizona. February 11 &12, 2018. https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/quilts-honor-migrants-who-died-while-crossing-the-border
"Quilts honoring migrants come to Nogales museum," by Kendal Blust. Nogales International, January 30, 2018. http://migrantquiltproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Nogales-exhibit.html
"The Migrant Quilt Project Remembers Lives Lost Along the U.S.-Mexico Border," by Katherine Davis-Young. Atlas Obscura, November 27, 2017. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/migrant-quilt-project-border-tucson-arizona-mexico
Video about the Migrant Quilt Project by Al Jazeera! http://share.ajplus.net/shared/36014
"How Arizona Artists Are Using Quilts in the Border Debate," by Lynn Trimble. Phoenix New Times, September 21, 2017. https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/arizona-migrant-quilt-project-9705139
"Migrant Quilt Project raises awareness of migrant deaths through tangible message," by Angela Martinez. Daily Wildcat, April 22, 2017. www.wildcat.arizona.edu/article/2017/04/migrant-quilt-project-raises-awareness-of-migrant-deaths-through-tangible-message
"Migrant memorials: Quilts honor migrants who died in the Arizona desert," by Kendal Blust. Arizona Daily Star, January 5, 2017. http://tucson.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/migrant-memorials-quilts-honor-migrants-who-died-in-the-arizona/article_4d863933-be96-56ea-9f86-972068698253.html
"Quilt project remembers border crossers," by Ellen Sussman. Special to the Green Valley News, March 15, 2017. http://www.gvnews.com/news/quilt-project-remembers-border-crossers/article_d9a8aaec-0999-11e7-bf14-2b7a2df9c509.html
Quilt top made by:
Hood, Carol; Klapp, Sandra; Sager, Phyllis; Wenzel, Virginia
Quilted by:
Hood, Carol; Klapp, Sandra; Sager, Phyllis; Wenzel, Virginia
Name of the group that made the quilt:
They are members of Heritage Quilt Study Group -- at Sharlot Hall Museum, but this is not an official project of the group
Gender:
Female
Quilt owner's name:
Arizona Historical Society - Arizona History Museum
Person filling out this form is:
Author/researcher
Source of the information on this quilt:
Curator of the Migrant Quilt Project
How was this quilt acquired?
Gift
Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:
Donated to the collection by the Migrant Quilt Project.
Ownership of this quilt is:
Public Museum, Library, or Institution
Quilt owner's city:
Tucson
Quilt owner's county:
Pima
Quilt owner's state:
Arizona (AZ)
Quilt owner's country:
United States
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
Copyright holder:
Contact:
Arizona Historical Society - Arizona History Museum
949 E. 2nd Street, Tucson, AZ 85719
Registrar Jace Dostal jdostal@azhs.gov
When was the form filled out?
2016
Who helped you fill out the form?
Carol Hood, Sandra Klapp, Phyllis Sager, Virginia Wenzel
Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:
Quilt was made by volunteers for the Migrant Quilt Project.
Who photographed this quilt?
Wilson Graham Photography
Details
Cite this Quilt
Hood, Carol; Klapp, Sandra; Sager, Phyllis; Wenzel, Virgini. Migrant Quilt: Tucson Sector 2004-2005. 2016. From Quilts and Human Rights Project at Michigan State University Museum, Quilts and Human Rights; Migrant Quilt Project; Arizona Historical Society - Arizona History Museum. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=45-46-15. Accessed: 11/01/24