by: Karl Reichert, Textile Center Executive Director
As We Are the Story enters its last months in the Twin Cities, Textile Center and Women of Color Quilters Network (WCQN) are pleased to announce the release of We Are the Story: A Visual Response to Racism by Carolyn L. Mazloomi on May 19, 2021 by Paper Moon Publishing.
Designed by WCQN member Carolyn Crump, the book presents statements from artists who made We Are the Story a reality in the months that followed George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
“These artists created such meaningful work on short notice,” says Curator Carolyn L. Mazloomi. “Art can speak things that can’t always be said with words, and these quilters made art about an extremely challenging subject, racism, that otherwise might not have had a voice.”
This book catalogues the 122 quilts that were part of two juried groups and four solo exhibitions presented in Minneapolis since September 2020, and its release coincides with the seventh and final quilt exhibition Racism: In the Face of Hate We Resist at Textile Center. This juried show, featuring 63 quilts, opened on March 26 and runs through June 12, 2021. All the exhibitions are available for viewing virtually online at textilecentermn.org/wearethestory.
“Why use quilts to tell the story of issues of race in America?” Carolyn asks in the introduction to the book. “Because quilting is one of America’s most powerful art forms, with its widespread appeal and its association with comfort, warmth, and healing. Quilts and quiltmaking are especially important to African American culture because the art form was historically one of the few mediums accessible to marginalized groups to tell their own story, to provide warmth for their families, and to empower them with a voice.”
Carolyn adds: “The quilts as a visual media pose an alternative and non-threatening approach to topics of social issues, about people and events that are embedded in the American memory as sensitive cultural parameters of race, class, and gender. The artwork prompts a dialogue between the artist/interpreter and the viewer, challenging existing notions and posing questions that serve to move the discussion of racial reconciliation forward into the next generation of problem-solvers.”
To honor the release of this book, Textile Center and WCQN will present a free Zoom event titled We Are the Story: A Visual Response to Racism from 4 to 5:30 pm (CDT) Thursday, May 20, 2021, hosted by Curator Carolyn L. Mazloomi. To register for this free Zoom event, click here.
This 254-page, soft-cover book is being released by Paper Moon Publishing in collaboration with Textile Center and WCQN. Pre-orders for the book are now being accepted through Textile Center’s online Shop and will be available in Textile Center’s in-person Shop beginning May 19. The retail price is $40 (plus applicable tax).
Textile Center has also launched a fundraising campaign to support the design and production costs for the book. Donations can be made online at https://www.givemn.org/organization/Textilecenter.
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