Durham. NC. – The St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation, Inc. is pleased to announce the bi-annual exhibition presented by the African American Quilt Circle (AAQC) founded in 1998 by a group of black women who love quilts and quilting in Durham, NC. These women are Bertie Howard, Jerriann King, Candace Thomas and Helen R. Sanders. The quilt circle has grown into an organization of quilters and quilt aficionados numbering 65 who live in Triangle area: Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cary and Clayton. Others drive from Fayetteville, Warrenton, and Wilmington. Members have been as young as five years old and some members surpass 75 years of age.
MUSIC IN MY SOUL: The Legacy and the Lyrics will open on Friday, August 14 through Sunday, September 30th in the Lyda Moore Merrick Gallery at Hayti Heritage Center, located at 804 Old Fayetteville Street in Durham, NC. The AAQC statement for the exhibition is as follows: Music (A Quilt) originates from within the soul and spirit of the creator and encompasses every feeling and human emotion regardless of genre, variations in rhythms, melody, lyrics, key, harmony and form. Music (Quilts) from the past continues to inform and inspire today’s music (quilts) as the spiritual source and its universal appeal remains the same. Our quilt, whether old or new, share the same legacy as music; and both are reflective of a love, unforgettable and varied art form.
The bi-annual exhibition kicks off the celebration of the 22nd annual Bull Durham Blues Festival. An opening reception will be held from 6pm – 8pm, Friday, August 14th for the public to meet the AAQQ, view the work, and enjoy some great local blues music with light refreshments. This event is free and open to the public.
In its ten years of existence, the African American Quilt Circle has had numerous workshops for its members, some taught by its members and others by such well-know fiber artists as Wini McQueen, Rachael Clark, Gwen Magee and Juanita Yeager. They have been honored to have such guest as Gladys Marie Fry, Roland Freeman and the late author and quilt historian, Cuesta Benberry attend meetings and retreats.
The AAQQ illustrates the old saying that “Quilts are more than something to keep you warm.” Members work on projects that are large and small, simple and to extreme complex, utilitarian to art quilters. Materials are diverse as authentic fabrics from the African Continent to recycle cloth from used clothing and scraps find their way into projects. Some quilters work entirely by hand, some use sewing machines exclusively and may use a combination of both techniques. Members may use magazines, books and/or commercial patterns for ideas, but many are inspired to crate their own original work.
The Hayti Heritage Center summer hours are Mondays, 5pm-8pm; Tuesday – Friday, 10 am – 5pm; Saturdays, 10 am – 3pm; closed on Sunday. Call to check all evening hours’ schedules, times vary. For more information view our website at www.hayti.org or call (919) 683-1709.
