Communities of Color Quilt Selected for Exhibit at the International Quilt Festival Houston 2021

The Together in Unity exhibit, one of many at the International Quilt Festival Houston 2021, encouraged artists to “express in a creative work what brings us together and illustrates how listening to change and reaching out can open doors for all people. Art not only illustrates change but can also influence it." I thought I had a perfect quilt for this exhibit. A few years ago, I invited people to come to an event and make fabric beads with me. I featured the activity as a community art project. Later those beads became the focus of a quilt I made - Communities of Color. The concept of “community” grew in my mind as I placed the fabric beads in clusters of four, making up small “communities.” Each community is a mix of purples and yellows co-existing in harmony. Also, the quilting stitches change from one colored thread to another colored thread to another, mixing and blending together. What if people were like that – mixing and co-existing in harmony. Now is a time where the color of one’s skin hinders many from having harmonious communities. Maybe we should be yellow or purple? Probably not. But I hope we can exist peacefully in communities of color, like the quilt. After the first word - "Congratulations," exhibit coordinators stated in the acceptance letter that, "This year we received many beautiful quilt entries, much more than usual, so that makes your selection even more special, and is a credit to the quality of work you are presenting." I was so very honored to be included in the International Quilt Festival Houston 2021 exhibition, I told everyone I was over-the-moon!

The exhibit was sponsored by eQuilter.com