Quilting Arts

“My art doesn’t just represent

who I am. It is who I am. I

feel stronger knowing that a

piece of me is out in the world,

making a difference.”

—Mary Jane Sneyd

Artists from around the world
contributed to the exhibit juried
by then SAQA president Lisa Ellis
and nationally known quilter and
teacher Cyndi Zacheis Souder. The
entire collection includes 65 quilts
by 47 artists.
The stories behind the quilts
are varied and poignant, but many
of them are similar: “because I/
we am/are , I/we am/are
less valuable than so
I/we can’t .” (fi ll in
the blanks any way you choose).
Although the stories are often
the seeds of political issues, these
are not partisan pieces. They are
powerful, empowering art that
touches hearts and often moves
viewers to tears.
The exhibit premiered in
November 2018 at International
Quilt Festival, Houston, and the
entire collection is scheduled to
be displayed at the National Quilt
Museum in Paducah, Kentucky, in
the summer of 2020.
One of the great joys of
curating exhibits is getting to
know the artists and fi nding out
the ‘how and why’ behind their
work. The reasons they create are
as varied as their techniques and
materials.
Mary Jane Sneyd, a cancer
epidemiologist from Dunedin,
New Zealand, explains why she
participated. “Textile art can be
much more than just a quilt. It
can be an expression of protest,
the visualization of a struggle,
a representation of love. My art
doesn’t just represent who I am.
It is who I am. I feel stronger
knowing that a piece of me is out
in the world, making a difference.”

Mary’s quilt “Colorblind” is

a recreation of a photo taken at

her seventh birthday party in

Tennessee. Her parents raised

their children to see beyond skin

tones. The girls in the picture are

her little sister hugging her best

friend. Poignantly posted above

the girls are signs indicative of the

prohibitions in 1957 and 2017.

Innocence and acceptance are

counterbalanced with prejudice

and rejection.

“President Jimmy Carter”

Margaret Williams • Tucker, Georgia

“Tom’s Bridge” • Polly Davis

Warrenton, Virginia

Many participants expressed

how empowering it was to create

a piece that might have gone

unmade without this challenge.

Some even felt it permitted them

to tell a story that had festered

over time. Tanya Brown, an artist

and author from Sunnyvale,

California, said, “One of the

beauties of being an artist is that

you can have a conversation with

thousands of people over months,

years, and decades. You can tell