Yvonne Wells: Quilted Messages
SPECIAL NOTE: Yvonne Wells was interviewed on the American Patchwork & Quilting Radio show on Monday, December 19. The free podcast is available 24/7 on our site and on iTunes.
Introduction
- October 7, 2011 - February 26, 2012
- Curation of Yvonne Wells: Quilted Messages
- Jill Kessler, M.A. in Textile History/Quilt Studies, UNL,
under the supervision of Dr. Patricia Cox Crews - Co-curated by Jonathan Gregory, IQSCM Assistant Curator of Exhibitions
- Design by Marin Hanson
- Yvonne Wells taught physical education in public schools for most of her adult life.
- But, in 1979, while her Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home was undergoing major renovations, she had to sit near the fireplace to keep warm. She decided to make her first quilt to warm her legs until the heating system was restored. With knowledge of how her mother, many years before, made utility quilts - the kind that were “made in the morning and used [th]at night” - Wells made her simple pieced quilt. She liked her quilt and the experience inspired her to make story and picture quilts to express the messages in her heart. Wells stated in a recent interview, “What my head sees, my heart feels, my hand creates.”
- Wells is African American, but does not use African American quiltmaker as her primary identity.
- For her, the term glosses over the individual vision expressed in her work. Instead, Wells calls herself an artist who makes folk art and her medium is quilts. Wells’ quilts remind us that individual makers must be carefully studied so their work is understood first as an individual expression before establishing their place among the broader scope of African American and American quiltmaking.
Schedule
Public tours are FREE with Admission Tuesdays through Saturdays at 11:00 AM and on Saturdays at 1:00 PM.
Other programming associated with the exhibition includes:
- Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 3:30 PM
Public Lecture: “African American Quilts: Teaching the Past Through Quilting,” presented in conjunction with the 40th Anniversary of the UNL African American and African Studies Program by Pearlie Johnson, Assistant Professor of Pan African Studies, University of Louisville.
More Lecture Information
Calendar Event Details - Friday, November 4, 2011, 5:00-6:30 PM
Meet the Student Curator, Jill Kessler, FREE admission, 4:30-7:00 PM.
Calendar Event Details - Saturday, November 12, 2011, 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM
Storytelling in the gallery with artist Yvonne Wells.
Calendar Event Details - Tuesday, January 24, 2012, Noon
Tuesday Talk: “The Robert and Helen Cargo Collection of African American Quilts,” presented by Marin Hanson, IQSCM Curator of Exhibitions.
Calendar Event Details - Friday, February 3, 2012: 5:30 PM
Public Lecture: “Being in Total Control of Herself: The Story Quilts of Yvonne Wells,” presented by Jeannette Eileen Jones, Associate Professor of History and Ethnic Studies, UNL, and Jill Kessler, M.A. in Textile History/Quilt Studies, UNL. Black History Month lecture. FREE admission, 4:30-7:00 PM.
Calendar Event Details
Additional Resources
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- Interview of Yvonne Wells by Stacy Morgan
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- Lecture by Pearlie Johnson
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- Devastating tornadoes struck Yvonne Wells' home town of Tuscaloosa, Alabama in April 2011. As the city and its residents worked to rebuild, artists contributed their talents in a very special way, giving the community "gifts of love in the form of beauty amid the destruction".
Credits
This exhibition, gallery guide, & programming were made possible through funding from the Friends of the IQSCM, the Nebraska Humanities Council, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and the Nebraska Arts Council.
