Afrofuturism & Quilts Exhibit

 

Afrofuturism and Quilts exhibit poster.

 

Exhibition
Invited Artists: April Shipp, Dr. Elka Stevens, Janda Lipker & Rebecca Lipker, Carole Lyles Shaw, Dr. Diana Baird N'Diaye, Chiquita Whitfield, & Dr. Liv Furman.
Reception April 19th, 2024
In this exhibition quiltmakers and quilt scholars explore embodied and theoretical connections between Afrofuturism and quilt making. Each piece in the exhibition explores aspects of included quiltmakers' identities and experiences, as well as their beliefs, hopes, and imaginings of a liberated Afrofuture.

 

Nyota Uhura
Quilt Maker: April Shipp
My depicting Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura is a celebration of both artistry and cultural significance. Through intricate layers of fabric, I aim to capture the iconic portrayal of Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, a character who broke barriers and inspired generations of African Americans.
Nichelle Nichols' embodiment of Uhura in Star Trek represents a pivotal moment in television history, as she portrayed one of the first black female characters in a prominent role on a major television series. The character of Uhura, with her intelligence, professionalism, and grace, served as a beacon of representation and empowerment for countless viewers.
It is particularly noteworthy that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. himself encouraged Nichols to continue her role on Star Trek, recognizing the importance of her presence on screen. He famously expressed that he and his children admired the character of Uhura, highlighting the significance of representation in media and the impact it can have on shaping perceptions and aspirations.
Through my fabric collage, I pay homage to both Nichelle Nichols' portrayal of Lieutenant Nyota Uhura and the cultural significance of Star Trek as a groundbreaking series. It is my hope that this artwork not only honors the legacy of this trailblazer but also serves as a reminder of the importance of diversity, inclusion, and representation in both art and society.

 

Harriet Tubman Jedi Warrior
Quilt Maker: April Shipp
My sculpture merges historical valor with mythic heroism, depicting Harriet Tubman as a Jedi warrior. It symbolizes Tubman's unwavering courage and relentless pursuit of freedom, echoing the Jedi's commitment to justice and liberation. Through this fusion, I aim to inspire viewers to recognize Tubman's indomitable spirit and to envision her as a timeless symbol of resilience and empowerment. Just as the Jedi wielded their lightsabers against tyranny, Tubman wielded her determination and ingenuity against the chains of slavery. This sculpture invites us to reimagine Tubman's legacy within the realm of myth and legend, amplifying her significance as a guiding light for generations to come.

 

Harriet Tubman Jedi Warrior - back

 

Wakanda Forever: Black Panther!
Quilt Maker: Chiquita Whitfield. Quilting done by: Pjay of Red Pearl Quilting.
The Black Panther Movie inspired my quilt. The Super Hero movie is a fictional depiction of what a futuristic African culture would be. The movie sparked an unrelenting pride amongst the Black Community and increased their interest in STEAM.
I express my Pride by making this quilt. For the top, I trimmed a Marvel Comics panel with 100% cotton African and Black Panther fabrics. I adorned the characters eyes with Swarovski Crystals to illuminate their vision in this Afro-Futuristic Culture. On the backing I created my version of a helix matrix made with Black Panther fabrics. I designed and machine pieced my quilt.

 

Ms. Sunshine
Quilt Makers: Janda and Rebecca Linker
Ms. Sunshine measures 61.25 “ x 89.5”. She is intelligent, capable, beautiful, strong, and fierce. She is content and happy in who she is, and she inspires others to love themselves for all the beauty and flaws that make them unique. But while knowing and loving oneself can warm others, it can burn others up as they realize their approval of her is not needed or required.

 

Mr. Somebody
Quilt Makers: Janda and Rebecca Linker
Mr. Somebody measures 60“ x 88.5”. He is intelligent, capable, handsome, strong, and fierce. He will not be bound by antiquated black men stereotypes. He values knowledge, freedom of expression, and community. With his confident stare, make no mistake, he works hard but knows how to relax and have a good time. Comfortable in is skin and his abilities, he is Somebody!

 

Lilith's Dawn
Quilt Maker: Carole Lyles Shaw
This quilt is inspired by the novel, Dawn by Octavia Butler. It is the first in a planned series of portrait quilts based on Ms. Butler’s AfroFuturist novels.
This work is a Spirit Portrait of Lilith, the central character of the novel. A spirit portrait is a textile collage based in the techniques of quiltmaking while drawing on the design elements typically found in painted portraiture. A spirit portrait represents the essence of an individual within their personal and historical context. I consciously employ different design aesthetics, including vintage, hiphop or Afrofuturism that is in keeping with the time period (era) of the portrait's subject. In this case, the graphic elements and color scheme in this work are inspired by descriptions in the novel. I make each portrait unique by incorporating new and repurposed fabrics and embellishments to create these one-of-a-kind works.

 

Dogon Triptych
Quilt Maker: Dr. Diana Baird N.Diaye
My art explorations are informed by my experiences of travel in spaces both in time and space. I journey through alternative timelines and geography that spans the world, and through landscapes of past, present, and imagined futures. Whether in the form of jewelry, quilts, collage, installation, or prose, I patch, darn, reassemble, embellish, and refashion new things out of experiences and memories. My work connects to concepts of healing and self-healing on the part of individuals, relationships, and society. Sacred stories and poems from Africa and her diasporas, Global traditions of adornment, and family photographs are my inspirations.
The Dogon people of Mali, West Africa are known in other parts of the world for their centuries old traditions of astronomy. They are credited by some with the discovery of the Dog star, Sirius. In college I read the book, Conversations with Ogotemmeli: The book emerged from interviews with the Dogon philosopher, conducted by French anthropologist Marcelle Griaule. Although the book has since been questioned as the sole interpretation of Dogon cosmology, I found Ogotemmêli’s telling deeply affecting. In the interviews, he conveys his interpretation of the Dogon creation story, the origins of human beings, and the interventions of the deities and ancestors through several eras of human life on earth. Stories such as these also find form in Dogon art, music, and ritual. The triptych is my visual interpretation of some of those origin tales.

 

Panel one: The Nommo twins
According to the text, the Nommo, beings of lightning and water, combine the elements of sky and earth. and were the first beings created by Amma, the supreme deity. Their offspring became the first human beings.

 

Panel two: The Miraculous Granary
In this second era of creation, human beings who had previously survived by gathering the bounty of the earth were starving. They had used up the resources of the earth and were suffering. The ancestors took pity on them and sent a miraculous granary along the course of a rainbow, that contained the tiny but nutritious digitalis grain and taught the Dogon to farm.

 

Panel three: The Serpent and the Seers
After many generations. Humankind farmed but forgot many of the values that they had learned from the ancestors. The Nommo retreated again taking the form of a giant serpent but assuring their descendants that there would always be born, seers-people who could hear and interpret the guidance of the ancestors.

 

Dashikimono
Quilt Maker: Dr. Elka Stevens
“Dashikimono” (From the Slave to Fashion Series) features the design, “Angelina Brooks” (2017), by Elka M. Stevens. This garment was inspired by protest and cultural attire of the Civil Rights Movement and black cultural movement in America and beyond as well as traditional Japanese design. This garment blends African, European, Asian, and African American design and culture to create the “Dashikimono” (dashiki + kimono).
Photo Credit: Alex Nichols

 

Race Blocks
Quilt Maker: Dr. Elka Stevens
"Race Blocks" quilt (2022), from the Race Blocks Series, is comprised of 30 squares that were inspired by results from the artist's ancestry reports. As an unconventional approach to portraiture, each square visualizes her 60% African and 40% European heritage in the form of motifs that contain a narrative about the artist individually and collectively.
Photo Credit: Alex Nichols

 

Black Futures
Quilt Maker: Dr. Liv Furman
Black Futures (Quilt) is a narrative quilt exploring my developing conceptualizations of a Black queer liberated future for myself. This future is inspired by Octavia Butler’s Earthseed and Mereba’s song, “Get Free,” which includes the lyric, “I’m not tryna get by…I’m tryna get free.” My liberated queer Afrofuture is also inspired by the Black women and gender nonconforming individuals whose names are written on the black footprints throughout the piece. These individuals include: Fannie Lou Hamer, Assata Shakur, Jamaica Kincaid, N. K. Jemisin, Angela Davis, Janelle Monae, Octavia Butler, Leah Penniman, Audre Lorde, and Toni Morrison. My Black queer liberated future is grounded in ancestral and indigenous wisdom about food sovereignty and communing with the earth. It requires communities of individuals joining hands in unity, resistance, and communal networks of care. This is the future that I desire for myself and envision myself within, living out my wildest dreams.