As momentum builds for our Kindred Spirits: A Convergence of African American Quilters conference in June, we’d like to share some snapshots of the creative souls who will teach at the event. Each has a unique, storied background, and their engagement with their art revolves around community. We have so much to learn from these inspiring talents. We can’t wait to be in community with them in Durham in June.
Aisha Lumumba wants her work to “reflect my great African heritage as well as the ups and downs of our American experience.” Of her recent show Aisha’s Coming Home in Locust Grove, Georgia, in April, 2023, she says “These quilts are super special to me. They show my slow awakening. They show my release of memories from my childhood. They show that I have accepted that our way of life and way of living is just as important as other cultures or people. They are my awakening!” Aisha is also a published author whose book If Quilts Could Talk: My Stories, Volume 1 includes five distinctive tales of growing up as a young Black girl in the 1950’s American South. To view her work, visit Aisha’s online quilt gallery.
Cookie Washington has been a sewist for over 50 years. She creates story quilts and soft fiber dolls that tell the tales of family and culture. Cookie is currently mounting Celebrating Mermaids: From Africa to America in May 2023 in Charleston, SC. Of her process Cookie says ”I have recently learned quilting with a disability requires ingenuity and creativity. As I transitioned to quilting as a disabled maker, I have not let the small inconveniences of limited mobility stop me. I am working as hard as ever. I am also full time caregiver to my adult child with a brain injury. Color, history, embellishments and the tactile feel of fabric in my hands drives the real fire in my belly to keep me at the sewing machine. I welcome inquiries for commissioned work always.
Kena Dorsey began sewing and quilting almost 20 years ago and has enjoyed designing and selling custom-made modern and traditional quilts ever since. Early on, Kena was influenced by many of the Harlem Renaissance artists such as Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Zora Neale Hurston, James Van Der Zee, and Langston Hughes, to name a few. So, it’s no surprise that she quickly became intrigued with portrait quilts. She began making raw edge appliqué story and art quilts using images that reflect African American people. When not designing and making quilts, Kena teaches filmmaking and television production to high school students. She is also an adjunct professor at a local college, where she teaches cinema and multi-camera television studio production courses. Learn more about her start in quilting.
Kianga Jinaki is a self-taught artist born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She grew up in the ’60s and ’70s immersed in the cultural and civil rights movement of the time. A recipient of the 2022 Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, Florida’s Artist Innovation Fellowship, Kianga says, “Quilting is a medium that I am continuing to grow in both in my method of storytelling and techniques that I incorporate.” Her fascination with fiber arts includes paper. For The Greedy Hyena, she created illustrations out of handmade paper. Watch Kianga discuss her work.
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