Alice Neal, Mary Bright Commemorative Quilt (with Dresden Plate, Monkey Wrench, Wild Goose Chase, Fan, Basket of Flowers, Star of Lemoyne, Nine Patch blocks), 1956; Cotton, buttons, woven hat, appliqué, hand-pieced and quilted, 78 1⁄2 x 62 3⁄4 in.; Bequest of the Eli Leon Living Trust, BAMPFA; Photo by Kevin Candland
A spokesperson says---
"...Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California features works by more than 70 artists spanning 120 years... traces the flow and flourishing of quilts in the context of the Second Great Migration, a mass movement of approximately five million African Americans from the rural South to cities in the North and West between 1940 and 1970 in search of a more equitable life. Many of the hundreds of thousands who migrated to California carried quilts—not only for warmth and protection, but also as emblems of ancestral memory and cultural survival.
The quilts reflect their creators’ artistic and technical brilliance, resourcefulness, and legacy. Employing expert skills and often using found materials, such as tobacco pouches, denim, and work clothes, they disrupted and blurred boundaries between “craft” and “fine art.” Routed West also reveals the artistic legacy of quilting, a living language shared across generations from matriarchs who lived through the Civil War and Emancipation to contemporary artists. These textiles are cherished heirlooms that honor ancestors, pass down technical expertise, and stitch family bonds..."
