{"id":201638,"date":"2025-04-24T00:20:15","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T00:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/entertainment\/art\/of-salt-and-spirit-celebrates-the-legacy-of-black-southern-quilters-colossal\/"},"modified":"2025-04-24T00:20:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T00:20:15","slug":"of-salt-and-spirit-celebrates-the-legacy-of-black-southern-quilters-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=201638","title":{"rendered":"‘Of Salt and Spirit’ Celebrates the Legacy of Black Southern Quilters \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"


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You may have heard of the remarkable quilters of Gee\u2019s Bend, but do you know about the Crossroads Quilters<\/a>, like Gustina Atlas? Or Hystercine Rankin? Mary Mayfair Matthews? You\u2019re in luck if you have a chance to visit Of Salt and Spirit: Black Quilters in the American South<\/em> at the Mississippi Museum of Art<\/a>, which shines a light on dozens of incredible Black Southern quilters and takes a celebratory approach to showcasing their myriad styles and techniques.<\/p>\n

MMA is home to one of the South\u2019s largest collections of quilts, from which more than 50 handmade and machine-stitched examples were drawn for this expansive exhibition. Merging research, interpretation, and community engagement, curator Dr. Sharbreon Plummer aimed for \u201ca cohesive, experiential study of American art through a Black feminist lens.\u201d The show parses cultural narratives around the art form, spotlighting the impact of the craft across generations and geography.<\/p>\n

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Emma Russell, \u201cStar Quilt\u201d (1978), cotton blend; hand-pieced, appliqu\u00e9d, and hand-quilted, 81 x 77 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A wide range of contemporary and historic pieces converge in Of Salt and Spirit, <\/em>including figurative and narrative works alongside vibrant geometric compositions. Many of the works were acquired by the museum from Roland L. Freeman (1936-2023), a photographer who documented African-American craftspeople and guilds in his work as a stringer for Time\u202f<\/em>magazine and Magnum Photos.<\/p>\n

Freeman collected more than 100 quilts, made several of his own, and published a couple of books on the subject. \u201cQuilts have the power to create a virtual web of connections\u2014individual, generational, professional, physical, spiritual, cultural, and historical,\u201d he says in his second book, A Communion of the Spirits<\/em> (1996).<\/p>\n

In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum also highlights the large-scale, ongoing AIDS\u00a0Memorial Quilt<\/a> project, which was initiated in 1985 at the height of the epidemic. Paralleling Of Salt and Spirit\u2019<\/em>s focus on creative expression, identity, and strength, the AIDS quilt\u2014which will be on display at MMA for a two-week period beginning May 5\u2014honors quilting for its role in resistance and remembrance.<\/p>\n

Of Salt and Spirit <\/em>continues through May 18 in Jackson. Plan your visit on the museum\u2019s website<\/a>. You may also enjoy a look back at Souls Grown Deep Like the Rivers<\/a>, <\/em>a monumental survey recognizing the artistic traditions of Black artists.<\/p>\n

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Mary Mayfair Matthews, \u201cFolk Scenes Quilt\u201d (1992), rayon, cotton polyester blend, lace, lam\u00e9, and buttons; hand-pieced and appliqu\u00e9d, 86 1\/4 x 74 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Annie Dennis (designed by Roland L. Freeman), \u201cVoodoo Quilt\u201d (1987), fabric; hand-pieced, appliqu\u00e9d, hand-embroidered, and hand-quilted, 83 1\/2 x 64 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Detail of \u201cVoodoo Quilt\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Gustina Atlas, \u201cVariation on Dresden Plate Quilt\u201d (1998), cotton; machine- pieced and hand-quilted, 81 1\/2 x 80 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Clancy McGrew, quilted and appliqu\u00e9d by Jeraline Nicholas, \u201cStorytime at the Library\u201d (2004), fabric; machine-pieced, appliqu\u00e9d, embroidered, and hand-quilted, 41 3\/4 x 83 1\/8 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Mabel Williams, \u201cImprovisational Strip Quilt\u201d (1968), cotton, polyester, wool, twill; hand-pieced and hand- quilted with appliqu\u00e9d and embroidered backing, 85 x 65 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Clancy McGrew, quilted by Tammy McGrew, \u201cClancy\u2019s Beauty Salon\u201d (2004), fabric; machine-pieced, appliqu\u00e9d, and hand-quilted, 67 5\/8 x 49 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Roland Freeman, \u201cMaya Angelou, Author, Educator, and Quilter (top left and bottom right); Dolly McPherson, Maya Angelou, and Beverly Guy-Sheftall (top right and bottom left), Winston-Salem, North Carolina, November 1992\u201d (1992), Chromogenic print with quilted mat (1996) by Anita Knox, 36 x 36 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Roland Freeman, \u201cCatherine Gill with Sunburst Quilt (left) Made by Her Mother, Classy Blaylock, from
Decatur, Mississippi, Flagstaff, Arizona, April 1993\u2033 (1993), Chromogenic print, 27 x 38 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n