Stitching Black Legacy: The Quilts of Carolyn Mazloomi

For more than 55 years, Carolyn L. Mazloomi has dedicated her work as a historian, curator, author, and lecturer to bring the unrecognized contributions of African American quilt artists to the attention of the American people. When she founded the Women of Color Quilters Network (WCQN) in 1985, she helped propel the careers of many African American quilters into the contemporary art world.

Mazloomi is now dedicating time in her busy schedule to prioritize her own creative work by creating an impressive series of large-scale art quilts reflecting the lives of Black civil rights activists, leaders, and revolutionaries who shaped American history.

Textile Center is proud to present Stitching Black Legacy: The Quilts of Carolyn Mazloomi, which will be on view in all Textile Center galleries from April 22 through July 12, 2025, and it will be the largest solo exhibition ever of Mazloomi’s work under one roof.

Textile Center’s exhibitions are always free and open to the public.

During the second week of May, Mazloomi and members of WQCN will convene in the Twin Cities to celebrate the exhibition. Festivities include:

• Reception + Artist Talk: Friday, May 16, from 5:30 to 8 pm, with an Art Speaks talk with Carolyn Mazloomi at 6 pm. (Free and open to the public.)
• Workshop: Improvisational Quilting with Ed Johnetta Miller, Tuesday – Thursday, May 13-15, from 10 am to 1 pm. Tuition: $700 ($630 for Textile Center members) *
• Workshop: Collage Quilted Portraits with Sylvia Hernández, Friday, May 16, from 1 to 4 pm. Tuition: $220 ($198 for Textile Center members) *
• Workshop: Sew Your Story: Quilted Portraits with Sylvia Hernández, Saturday, May 17, from 10 to 11:30 am (All ages workshop). Tuition: $45 ($40.50 for Textile Center members) *
• Trunk Show: Sylvia Hernandez will sell her Portrait Quilts in a Trunk Show at Textile Center’s Shop, Tuesday - Saturday, May 13 - 17.
• Artist-in-Residence: WCQN member Dorothy Burge of Chicago will be an artist-in-residence during this week, participating in community engagement activities related to African American quilting and her work as multi-media artist and community activist.

“Carolyn is a treasured member of our Textile Center community,” says Executive Director Karl Reichert, “and we are honored that she chose our venue in Minneapolis for this exciting solo exhibition.

“We have enjoyed a long affiliation with Carolyn,” Reichert adds, “and among her greatest gifts to our community was the role she played in curating We Are the Story five years ago. When Minneapolis became the epicenter of the nationwide protest movement against police brutality and racism in America following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, it was Carolyn who proposed we join forces with Women of Color Quilters Network to create We Are the Story. The result was a multi-venue series of art quilt exhibitions that ran from September 2020 to June 2021 and included an exhibition catalog that is now in its fourth printing. We look forward to welcoming Carolyn back to Minneapolis in May.”

Stitching Black Legacy: The Quilts of Carolyn Mazloomi at Textile Center follows her successful gallery exhibition last fall – Whole Cloth: Narratives in Black and White – at Claire Oliver Gallery in New York City. This spring’s exhibition will premiere Mazloomi’s newest quilts created earlier this year.

“Quiltmaking is a tradition and a mode of expression that is both intimate and esteemed,” says Mazloomi. “Every human being has an intimate relationship with cloth. It is the first thing we are swathed in at birth, and the last thing that touches our body upon our death. Through the nuance of textile, difficult stories can reach audiences across identities and generations from a place of care, hearth, peace, and nurture.”

Mazloomi’s black-and-white quilts catalyze ideas illustrated in her diaries and sketchbooks, where she embarks on in-depth explorations into the lives of freedom fighters. From these pages, her drawings are printed onto cotton fabric in rich, black ink reminiscent of the bold graphics captured in woodblock prints and indelible photographs reproduced in newspapers. During the labor-intensive process of appliqué — a technique for creating shapes by sewing on fabric patches — Mazloomi builds the compelling and complex narratives of Black trailblazers, memorializing their stories for the future generations. Each quilt is framed by a patchwork border — kaleidoscopic, geometric patterns that celebrate the quilting community and those craft traditions that she has made significant contributions to as a curator, author, and community organizer.

As in a newspaper, the clear and bold black color ensures that no dimension of decoration distracts from an impactful and memorable portrait of these individual’s lives. Throughout the quilts, circular motifs recur — symbols of perpetual, enduring life cycles. In a time where the histories of race, gender, and class are at risk of being erased from education by conservative forces in politics, Mazloomi’s works serve as a seminal teacher. She is an artist who activates her practice to ensure that no oppressive body can suppress, or erase, the legacy of Americans who put their lives at risk to ensure a brighter future for their people. These quilts are shrines to acts of inimitable bravery, resilience, compassion, brilliance, and kindness.

Image: Quilts by Mazloomi at Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem, NY. Photos by Karl Reichert, taken September 2024.