Southern Stitches to be on display at KFAC

Morehead State University’s Kentucky Folk Art Center has announced a new exhibition titled “Southern Stitches: African-American Quilts from the Collection of Larry Hackley” will be on display.

The exhibition opening reception will be held on Thursday, Oct. 21, 5-7 p.m. in conjunction with the MSU Reading Series presentation by poet Honorée Jeffers at 7 p.m.

The display at KFAC will run through February 2011.

The exhibition features 16 bold and colorful quilts made by six African-American quilters from Mississippi and Alabama. The quilts were loaned to KFAC for this exhibition by Hackley, a prominent dealer and collector of folk art from Berea. Southern Stitches presents quilts produced during a 10-year period, from the late 1970s through the 1980s.

By the 1980s, there was an active market for grassroots quilts. Collectors sought quilts made by southern African-American quilters. For their part, many of those quilters responded with increased production to satisfy demand for their work. This period was also a time when formerly isolated American regional cultures became faced with the forces of commercial homogenization and the explosion of mass media. The quilts featured in this exhibition reflect those tensions and changes.

“Together, these quilts offer a snapshot of the changes that occurred at the confluence of tradition, market forces, and media-driven popular culture,” said Adrian Swain, KFAC artistic director. “That the outcome was vibrant and exhilarating is a reassuring testament to the creative imagination of these six self-taught artists.”

“Certainly quilts are one of those cultural artifacts most often associated with life in Appalachian Kentucky,” said Matt Collinsworth, director. “Many households in our region can boast more than one hand made quilt, and quilting groups are organized and active in many counties in the region. We’re pleased that Larry Hackley offered us the opportunity to present these quilts as important and interesting documents of another American regional culture. I’m sure our visitors will be eager to see them.”

Kentucky Folk Art Center is a cultural, educational and economic development service of Morehead State University. The Center is open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Additional information is available by calling (606) 783-2204 or visiting the Web site at www.kyfolkart.org.

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Morehead State University 150 University Blvd. Morehead, KY 40351 • 1.800.585.6781