In celebration of Black History Month, the East Lansing Public Library is proud to highlight two quilt exhibitions that honor the deep cultural and historical importance of quilts in the Black community.
Visitors can view stunning quilt squares inspired by Gee’s Bend quilts on display in the Brick Wall Gallery above the holds shelf. These pieces were created by Lezlee Worthington, a local fiber artist whose work honors the spirit of the Gee’s Bend tradition. Gee’s Bend quilts, created by generations of Black women in a small Alabama community, are known for their bold patterns, improvisational style, and deep cultural history. These quilts tell stories of resilience, creativity, and community, and continue to inspire artists around the world.
The Black Threads: Quilt Arts, Activism & Resistance exhibit is also on display in the library’s meeting room. This exhibit features posters of quilts and is presented in partnership with the MSU Museum’s Quilt Index. The Quilt Index is a digital repository that preserves images and stories of nearly 100,000 quilts and the artists who created them, highlighting quilt-making as a powerful form of expression, activism, and resistance.
The community is invited to stop by, explore these exhibits, and celebrate Black history through the art of quilting throughout the month. To learn more about the quilts of Gee’s Bend, or to get inspired to start a quilting project of your own, explore this staff-curated book list: https://elpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/2410617099/2954570367
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