Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories

Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA
November 17, 2022–March 12, 2023

Organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Photography by Robert Wedemeyer

The exhibition starts with two questions: ‘Who is American?’ and ‘What is American?’ “Throughout the exhibit, you see that these questions can be answered in a multitude of ways as different voices come through.”
—Skirball Associate Curator Dani Killam

Fabric of a Nation showcased the unique capacity quilts have to tell stories and convey a sense of humanity. Quilts by the likes of revered folk artist Harriet Powers and illustrious contemporary textile artist Bisa Butler are interspersed with works made by anonymous Indigenous wool weavers, enslaved domestic servants and working-class seamstresses, as well as mixed media and sculpted quilts. The works imparted deeply personal narratives of their makers and offer an intimate picture of American life.

Also on display via touchscreen was the AIDS Memorial Quilt. It was made accessible at an interactive kiosk allowing users to view each of the nearly 50,000 panels that make up the community folk art project launched by activist Cleve Jones in 1985.