![Black Threads: An African American Quilting Sourcebook [Hardcover]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uabGKw5NOnmWQvgeocUdQUruc-Dp3rG-CoNq79MZM415QQbgamkjDtmLetHaqQbjwHd-v84iSMpHHqdfxiwFQ9i7Y2pg-1kScAS15eyutiS1tljP_JOeNguNBX-Q6NPg=s0-d)
I can't say enough about the importance of this book.Every one who is interested in acquiring a true perspective on the diverse history of American quiltmaking and the role that African American quilters played in that history must own a copy of this book.Kyra Hicks spent many years tracing information about African American quilters that would otherwise soon be lost to us all. She has been diligent, careful and intensely rigorous as a scholar--and, she took this on as a true labor of love.Althugh she received some support from a national organization, Kyra Hicks used personal funds and many unpaid hours to complete this project. The book istself is extremely well organized, and provides a wealth of detail and resources.Anyone planning to give a lecture or write an article about the history of quiltmaking will find material here that would be very difficult to access otherwise.
This book is also important becasue too many of the other books and articles only focused on the improvisational string quilt or improvisational patchwork quilt, which is only one genre of African American quilt making.Kyra clearly documents that African American quilters worked and continue to create quilts in all forms and genres.
The book has chapters documenting the influence that quilting has had on other artists and art genres as well. One of the remarkable images is that of a quilt designed by Romare Bearden, an internationally known African American artist who is generally known as one of the premier collagists of the 20th Century.
Kyra also conducted extensive online surveys of quilters, and documented very interesting facts about the enormous buying power of African American quilters in the United States.This material alone is worth the price of the book to companies that sell fabric and patterns to the quilt market.
My only regret is that the book had only a few color images.I wish that the publisher would have Kyra create a companion book in color with more of the images of the unique and unusual quilts and lesser known quilters she found.
Finally, the book is a comprehensive reference to galleries and collections for those who wish to explore the owrld of African American quiltmaking further.Buy and keep this book on your shelf--it will be useful and remarkable reading for years to come.
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Product Description:
One million African Americans spend approximately $118 million annually on quilting. Some believe that recent studies of oral histories telling of the role quilting played in the Underground Railroad have inspired African Americans to take up their fabric and needles, but whatever the reason, quilters like Faith Ringgold, Clementine Hunter, Winnie McQueen, and many others are keeping the African American traditions of quilting alive. This is the first comprehensive guide to African American quilt history and contemporary practices. It offers over 1,700 bibliographic references, many of them annotated, covering exhibit catalogs, books, newspapers, magazines, dissertations, films, novels, poetry, speeches, works of art, advertisements, patterns, greeting cards, auction results, ephemeral items, and online resources on African American quilting. The book also includes primary research done by the author on the Internet usage of African American quilters, a listing of over 100 museums with African American made quilts in their permanent collections, a directory of African American quilting groups in 29 states, and a detailed timeline that covers 200 years of African American quilting and needle arts events.
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