the quilts are the things to see

At the Spencer museum on the KU campus there are two exhibitions featuring quilts that will be up until September 17th.  If quilting is your thing, you may want to skip over and take a look. 

And Still We Rise:  Race, Culture, and Visual Conversations is an exhibit of story quilts made by artists in the Women of Color Quilters Network.  No photos were allowed in the gallery that housed those quilts so I can't show you anything from that one. 

Narratives of the Soul is a collection of African American story quilts drawn from the Spencer's own collection, as well as the Kansas City and Lawrence region.  The one that spoke to me the most from this exhibit is Faith Ringgold's Flag Story Quilt below. 

Here are a few more.  Unfortunately I did not capture the creators of all these works. 

The intricate piecing of the fabrics in the face and hair are what drew me to this one. 

A Kiss From the Ancestors, by NedRa Bonds is below. 

After we were done on campus we walked up to the Campanile - a World War II memorial.  All these years in Lawrence, and it was the first time I had done that.  

Big trees, Potter Lake, and old garage door graffiti rounded out the tour.  But the quilts are the things to see.  Story Quilts are a medium I don't know much about.  Very different, and yet similar to more traditional quilts.  Definitely worth a good look. 

Comments

[Janet G]

Love the black and dark yellow quilt!! Spencer museum is a very nice museum. Did you know that they have a collection of C A Seward prints there? Next time you go check them out.

[Vicki in Michigan]

Thank you for taking us along. Very worthwhile viewing!

It's a good thing to be a tourist in one's own town. There are very often things we know about but don't visit.......

[Angela Hiller]

You might like: spirit cloth by Jude hill...

[Olivia]

Georgeous quilts, just exquisite!!! Love the idea of story quilts. TFS All the beautiful pictures!!! I hope someone repairs that old garage door. It's beautiful too!