The “Sew Much Life . . . Threads Connecting Lives” exhibition at the Hayti Heritage Center brought to life the social and political conditions in which we find ourselves today — themes ranging from gun, gang, and domestic violence to Black Lives Matter, modern day lynching, human trafficking and identity theft. Annette Bailey, exhibition curator and longtime member of the AAQC, said that, “the show will be eye-opening and thought-provoking in a way that makes people think and spur them to action.”

The “Sew Much Life…Threads Connecting Lives” exhibition finds the intersections between cloth, expression, and narrative. The exhibition theme grew out of the quilters’ concerns about and response to an epidemic of violence that seems ever-present and unrelenting. Some of the quilts explore violence through a historical lens. Others dig into current events centered around highly charged perspectives related to the killing of African Americans.

This powerful approach to artistic representation is not new for quilters. While many of the artists associated with the AAQC have in the past produced exquisite pieces that speak to both the oppressive conditions and resilience of African Americans, The “Sew Much Life… Threads Connecting Lives” exhibition boldly tackled difficult times and conditions in our country. Again Annette Bailey says, “The quilts don’t have to have all of the answers, but they should pose lots of questions.”