Featuring 40 quilts from artists of the Women of Color Quilters Network, the Bruce Museum presents “And Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations” from January 16 through April 24, 2016. Using the powerful medium of story quilts, the exhibition narrates nearly four centuries of African-American history, from the first slave ships to the first African American president and beyond. This exhibition, now on a national tour, is curated by Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi and presented by the Women of Color Quilters Network in partnership with Cincinnati Museum Center and National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

“The exhibition gives voice to personal, authentic, and unique histories of AfricanAmerican men and women– from relating painful stories of enslaved ancestors, to highlighting contemporary political leaders and drawing attention to social challenges our nation continues to face today,” explains guest curator Mazloomi, who is an accomplished artist, writer, former aerospace engineer and founder of the Women of Color Quilters Network.

The beautifully hand-crafted quilts narrate stories of the African-American experience that include Phillis Wheatley, the first African American woman to have her work published (in 1773); the Harlem Renaissance; baseball legend Jackie Robinson; Academy Award-winning actor Hattie McDaniel; Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and the tragedy of Trayvon Martin. Story quilting is an art form that goes beyond the simple quilting patterns familiar to many people. It expands on traditional textile-arts techniques to record, in fabric, events of personal or historical significance. Through the accessibility of their colors, patterns and symbols, the quilts of “And Still We Rise” relate narratives that enable conversations about sensitive topics from our national history, furthering the discussion of racial reconciliation in America.