100 Days of COVID-19, Day 66

My Art in the Time of a Pandemic

Letters to My Sisters

Many who read this blog know that I am a member of the African American Quilters of Baltimore.

During the last two years, I've been interviewing senior members, many in their eighties and nineties, to record their stories and document their quilting styles and techniques.

Due to COVID-19, all of our regular meetings have been cancelled.

Today when I was in my print studio, I decided to print a few special images for all the members. I will mail a print and a letter to each of my "quilt sisters" tomorrow.

Blessings to all.

*Coronavirus Disease 2019:
Update in Maryland- 6/4/2020

55,858 confirmed cases

2,668 deaths 3,985 recovered

Update in New York State - 6/4/2020

375,133 confirmed cases

30,174 deaths 66,756 recovered

Total in United States: 1,872,660 confirmed cases, 108,211 deaths
Total Worldwide: 6,632,985 confirmed cases, 391,136 deaths

* All numbers are taken from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center

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Born of Love, Shakespeare's Sonnet 151

Over the summer I worked on new artwork, Born of Love , inspired by Shakespeare's Sonnet 151. The book offers a translation of the sonnet to the language of textiles and embroidery. Working on this book allowed me to explore the beauty of textiles from four continents. Its construction is inspired by the poetic structure within the sonnet. This book, along with two other of my art pieces, will be on exhibit at the Folger Shakespeare Library from 16 Sept 2024 - 9 Feb 2025.

Flowers For Mistress Overdone, 2024

Coded Threads: Translating Shakespeare Through Art The following is a page from Flowers For Mistress Overdone , the first of two books that I presented at the Folger Shakespeare Library on Nov 16. The pages for the books are created with textiles from 5 continents (Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America). The textiles were collaged and sewn into various designs. The fabric on the left is a collage of American and Tanzanian fabrics that I combined with one of my linocuts. The fabric on the right was an original mid century modern English quilt top I purchased at London's Antique Quilt Company during my summer in the UK researching Shakespeare's texts. The owner, Christopher, sources the highest quality textiles and it was truly a joy to transform this quilt into pages of my books inspired by Shakespeare's Measure For Measure. It was wonderful to present a few of my original artworks and embroidered books during my talk at the Folger Shakespeare Library....

Flower Power, 2024

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Baltimore Sonnets

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