Fact Sheet: “We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists”
Exhibition
“We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists”
Feb. 21–June 22
Where
Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 17th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Description
The artists featured in “We Gather at the Edge” honor the Black story quilt tradition with work that envisions a more just and connected world. In 2023, the Smithsonian American Art Museum acquired 35 quilts from the collection of Carolyn Mazloomi, 33 of which are featured in the exhibition. Mazloomi, who holds a doctorate in aerospace engineering, is a prolific artist, curator and scholar. In 1981, she founded the African American Quilt Guild of Los Angeles, and then, in 1985, she founded the Women of Color Quilters Network, fulfilling the desire of isolated makers to connect and continue Black textile traditions. The exhibition highlights this recent acquisition and celebrates her legacy as the founder of the Women of Color Quilters Network. The exhibition is curated by Aleia Brown, the David Julian and Virginia Suther Whichard Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at East Carolina University, and organized by Mary Savig, acting curator-in-charge at the Renwick Gallery.
Free Public Programs
•Art in the A.M., for children ages up to 5 years and their caregivers, includes a hands-on patchwork quilt craft activity Tuesday, April 15, at 9 a.m.; registration required
•Open house with gallery talks by the curators and artists Sylvia Hernandez, Beverly Smith, Chawne Kimber, Peggie Hartwell and Helen Murrell Friday, April 25, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
•Gallery talk with Brown Wednesday, June 4, at noon
Credit
“We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists” is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Support is provided by The Porter Family Charitable Foundation, in memory of Amelie “Lee” Wallace Porter. Major support is provided by Nedra and Peter Agnew and The James Renwick Alliance for Craft with additional support from Chris G. Harris, The Share Fun and Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell.
About the Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is the flagship museum in the United States for American art and craft. It is home to one of the most significant collections of American art in the world. The museum’s main building, located at Eighth and G streets N.W., is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The museum’s Renwick Gallery, a branch museum dedicated to contemporary craft, is located on Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street N.W. and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Check online for current hours and admission information. Admission is free. Follow the museum on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. Smithsonian information: (202) 633-1000. Museum information (recorded): (202) 633-7970. Website: americanart.si.edu.
