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Quilts and Black History
Quilt Discovery Experience
Follow the trail to learn more about quilt making and the history of quilts and how they truly are documents of history, reflecting who we were as a nation and a people.
Quilting Community Advocate : Carolyn Mazloomi
Regarded as the leading authority on African-American quilts and quiltmaking, Carolyn Mazloomi has fostered and promoted the perpetuation of this traditional art form through her organization the Women of Color Quilter's Network (WCQN).
Quilts That Embody the Legacy of Black America
“[Quilting is] so important to the history of Black people,” says Mary Margaret. “I don’t want it to be a lost art.”
Underground Railroad Quilt Codes: What We Know, What We Believe, and What Inspires Us
According to legend, a safe house along the Underground Railroad was often indicated by a quilt hanging from a clothesline or windowsill. These quilts were embedded with a kind of code, so that by reading the shapes and motifs sewn into the design, an enslaved person on the run could know the area’s immediate dangers or even where to head next.
The Women of Color Quilters Network
The Women of Color Quilters Network is a non-profit organization* founded in 1985 by Carolyn L. Mazloomi,
a nationally-acclaimed quilt artist and lecturer, to foster and preserve the art of quiltmaking among women of color.
