The Skin Quilt Project

About The Skin Quilt Project:

The Skin Quilt Project is a documentary that explores colorism in the African-American community. The film addresses this complex issue through the stories of African-American quilters, and the tradition of an artform that celebrates its culture. The quilters speak of the influence of the African-American quilting tradition as a tool for encouraging an appreciation in the African-American cultural heritage.

Colorism has been a long disputed issue within the African-American community, however, filmmaker Lauren Cross speculates that African-American quilters are much more grounded in their African roots. As Quilt historian Carolyn Mazloomi explains, African-American quilters "are joined by the thread of a needle” in which the quilting medium leaves no room for “color issues.”

As many African-American quilters come from families who have passed down quilting techniques to their children and grandchildren, today’s quilters represent African-American men and women who have become concerned with telling the story of their cultural heritage. In The Skin Quilt Project, the quilters tell the story of skin color politics in African-American culture, yet realizing the power of quilting to empower self-confidence in their community.

About the Artist:

Lauren Cross is a writer, activist, and interdisciplinary artist working in mixed media, photography, media arts, and installation art. Her current research interests include the issues of colorism and the “color complex” within the African American community, and her current work addresses ideals of beauty, race, and skin complexion in media imagery. She is also the founder and editor of CVAAD Projects( www.cvaad.com), an online blog and resource for contemporary visual art of the African diaspora. She received her BA in Art, Design, and Media from Richmond, The American International University in London, England, and MFA in Visual Arts from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, Cambridge, MA.

For more information,
please contact us at:
info@skinquiltproject.com

Quilting and Participant Links:
www.artbysshine.com
www.wendellgeorgebrown.net
http://blackthreads.blogspot.com
www.bluetrianglequiltguild.com
www.africanamericanartquilt.com
http://auburn.edu/academic/other
/geesbend/home.html
www.carolynlmazloomi.com/
http://richerichardsonartquilts.blogspot.com/
www.myspace.com/darianurbangriot
www.myspace.com/mahoganylbrowne

November 2

Quilting in South Carolina and the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor!

What a treat we’re in for during on the upcoming trip to South Carolina, with an amazing lineup of African American and Gullah quilters!

To give you an introduction, the Gullah/Geechee culture is one of the most-defined groups of African Americans who have managed to maintain a strong connection to their African roots, some of their tools of expression being basket-weaving and quilting traditions! The Gullah/Geechee cultural presence can be traced from the coasts of North Carolina all the way down to Jacksonville, Florida. To find out more about the Gullah/Geechee culture check out the link to the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.

There is also a great rooted history of the African American culture in places like Charleston and Georgetown, South Carolina leading back to the transportation of slaves from Africa. I’ve often heard about the historic slave market in Charleston, but in the context of The Skin Quilt Project it has new meaning. If anyone has ever read the book, Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad( Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard, Ph.D) you know exactly what I mean. The story is about a woman in Charleston, SC who revealed a secret code used in the underground railroad during slavery. It’s a fascinating and thought provoking book that suggests the cultural connections between the history of the African American quilting tradition, slavery, and the Underground railroad. Despite it’s interesting points, the theories in the book have also been questioned by many scholars and historians as they debate whether there was truly a “secret code” during slavery. Where it’s true or not it’s certainly an interesting take on the African American quilting tradition.

During the upcoming trip we will also be visiting a variety of historical sites that will allow us to visualize the history of the African American experience in the south.

We’re excited to be interviewing quilters Wendell George Brown, Cookie Washington, Vermelle “Bunny” Rodrigues at the Gullah Museum, and Dorothy Montgomery. Please stay tuned for more updates on what we found!