Harriet Powers Centenary

Illustration: Harriet Powers. Bible Quilt, 1886.

This is the centenary year of the death of Harriet Powers, probably one of the most prominent of Southern nineteenth century quilters. There are only two acknowledged Powers quilts popularly known to exist, though there could well be at least one more in existence, possibly even more, either not having been identified or privately and unknowingly part of a collection. Either way, the two that are known, the Bible and Pictorial quilt both shown in this article, are excellent examples of Southern quilting from the nineteenth century.

Powers was born a slave in Georgia in 1837 and so spent nearly the first three decades of her life as the sole property of an individual. It is perhaps difficult for us to comprehend the idea that a human can be both the legal property and possession of another. However, what is truly remarkable is the number of individuals such as Powers, who although born into forced indenture, were still able to carve an independent life for themselves after slavery had been abolished. It is this particular generation that had been born into slavery that is the most inspirational. Although generations of African American slaves were denied access to any creative outlet, the inbuilt human desire for creativity and the outward expression of the imagination can never be subsumed or denied entirely.

Illustration: Harriet Powers, 1897.

It is unknown how Powers early life truly affected her and how those years coloured the rest of her life. That they must have been incorporated within her creative work, is a point that should always be a consideration when viewing her work. The two quilts shown here are pictorial in essence and is a clear indication showing that at least a certain element of African inspired creativity had managed to both pass down the generations and indeed outlast slavery itself. Powers work is clear and concise in composition and the narrative is both powerful and spiritual in context. There would have been no ambiguity concerning the pictorial aspects of her quilts for the generation they were made for, although today some of the compositions are less clear to a modern audience.

Whether the imagery produced by Powers is understood fully or not, it cannot be denied that the artist produced a strong and forcefully effective spiritual and magical tone to her work. Powers work should never be seen as simple or folksy, these are images that are fundamental to human history whether in Africa or America. They tap into the inbuilt spirituality of humans from the earliest of times, and while we may not fully understand why we are drawn to the defined imagery of Powers creative work, we are drawn nonetheless.

Illustration: Harriet Powers. Pictorial Quilt, 1898.

There are a number of celebrations and exhibitions drawing attention to the work and life of Harriet Powers. One of the most comprehensive is that of Hands That Can Do: African American Quilters of Northeast Georgia. This exhibition which runs from 5 October 2010 until 19 January 2011 at the Lyndon House Arts Center in Athens, Georgia, has at its core a number of discussions that include the work of Powers, the quilt traditions of African Americans along with the textile traditions and connections with West Africa. A special guest will be the author Kyra Hicks who wrote the influential and fascinating, This I accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces. Links to the exhibition and Hicks books can be seen in the reference links section below.

That Powers was a strong, intelligent and intuitive creative artist who had the imagination, spiritual depth and understanding to both inform and expand our own imaginations, is in no doubt. That she has been honoured in this her centenary year, is her just deserve.

Reference links:
Hands That Can Do: African American Quilters of Northeast Georgia exhibition
This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces
1.6 Million African American Quilters: Survey, Sites, and a Half-Dozen Art Quilt Blocks
Black Threads: An African American Quilting Sourcebook
Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria
Crafted Lives: Stories and Studies of African American Quilters
Love of Liberty: The Liberian Flag Story and Quilt Pattern

The Abstract Finesse of Textile Artist Marion Coleman

Illustration: Marion Coleman. Untitled, 2007.

These four abstract textile art pieces by Marion Coleman, are all linked through a series of commonalities, colour, texture, and pattern. However, probably the most obvious and noticeable link is that of her use of patterned textiles. In these particular pieces, she uses a mixture of locally American sourced textiles and perhaps more importantly, a generous supply of African sourced textiles. It is the use of the decorative and mark-making capabilities of these specific African cotton fabrics that allow the abstract compositions to be so successful.

The power of decoration within an abstract setting could be classed as counter to the ideas of abstraction itself, but in reality, these repeated decorative patterns become all the more powerful because of their relationship with, and their dependence on each other. The sense of balance between the differing qualities of the fabrics, whether that be through size, texture, colour, or tone, are all placed within the composition to both balance and complement.

Illustration: Marion Coleman. When Leaves Do Fall, 2007.

Coleman is an expert in this field and her compositions appear effortless, which is to deny the difficult and often complex task of the distribution of fabrics, many of which can often fight and clash with each other. Abstract quilting can, in many respects, be one of the hardest forms of quilting in which to achieve a satisfactory result. There are few rules or frameworks to work within and compositions are largely left to the skill of the artist.

The more you study these abstract Coleman pieces, the more you can understand about the balances, compromises and relationships that she has forged with both fabric, colour and decoration. The result she has achieved appears effortless, which is as it should be. However, the result cannot disguise the intrinsic creativity and inbuilt compositional quality of the artist.

 Illustration: Marion Coleman. Serengeti 2, 2005.

Coleman's work forges a link between textiles and fine art painting. It is often hard for textile artists to achieve any standing outside their immediate medium. However, through these pieces and particularly that of her more immediate and relevant textile work concerning the profound social and cultural changes within her own African American community, she has been able to tap into an element of relevance and significance that sometimes only fine art can achieve. That she has been able to achieve this through textiles is an achievement in itself.

Marion Coleman has exhibited her work extensively across the US and into Europe. Her work has also been featured in a number of publications and she has a number of awards to her name. She has a comprehensive website which can be found here, where much more of her work can be seen other than the abstract pieces I have featured. Also of interest is the fact that she has a regularly updated blog By a Thread, which can be viewed here.

Illustration: Marion Coleman. Crimson In The Mist, 2005.

All images are shown with the kind permission of the artist.

Reference links:

Marion Coleman website

Marion Coleman blog

Harriet Powers Bible Quilt

Illustration: Harriet Powers. Bible quilt, 1886.

The quilting work of Harriet Powers is a symbolists dream. The two quilts shown here, detail some of the important stories and legends of the Bible set within a panelled quilt. However, these are by no means pieces that can be judged as either 'naive' or 'folk' art as they were produced by a woman with an instinctive understanding of some of the complex messages underlying the stories. Her use of symbolism is extraordinary and even though it would be jumping to conclusions that may well not be true, it is tempting to believe that Powers, who started life as an American slave, still had at least some tenuous connections to the complex symbolism of Africa. The two pieces seem to share some of creative power of African artwork and the use of symbols, colours and textures make it all the more believable. It is part of the great human tradition of storytelling through pictures and symbols, and although Powers herself was not illiterate as some sources in the past have believed, her work resembles the power imbued by the simplicity of the symbol, much as in the later work of Matisse, though Powers produced these pieces over half a century before Matisse.

Illustration: Harriet Powers. Pictorial quilt, 1898.

I must admit that I first discovered the work of Harriet Powers through the research of Kyra Hicks, so this is not so much an article about the quilting work of Powers, which needs an article in its own right, but more about the extraordinary detective work of Hicks.

Hicks book: This I accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces, is a detailed and comprehensive investigation of Harriet Powers two remaining documented quilts, from their inception to their movement over time from one caring owner to another.

Hicks extensive and meticulous research has left no stone unturned, and as she unfolds the story of the quilts history through a series of careful and loving owners, each with their own often complex and engaging life story, the quilts themselves are imbued with these owners lives as well, giving the works even more symbolic power and resonance.

The book itself  not only tells the factual story of the journey of Powers quilts from maker to treasured museum piece, it also opens up the historical and cultural world of African America, from slavery itself, through to the complex and often difficult relationship with European America. The book made me aware that although African and European America is often seen, particularly by outsiders, as being of separate cultural traditions and with little interaction or familiarity, the opposite is often true. Hicks tells a different story, one of a much more intertwined and interdependent relationship, where although cultures might well have originated from different parts of the world, their interest, fascination and familiar identity with the symbolism and structure of Harriet Powers quilts is most definitely shared.

Kyra Hicks has left one more tantalising fact in her book, Harriet Powers is known to have produced more than two quilts, the others may yet still exist.

Illustration: Harriet Powers, 1897.

Kyra Hicks has produced a number of books within the quilting genre, some of which are listed below. All are linked to Amazon.com. She also has a fascinating and comprehensive blog Black Threads which highlights the African American quilting world.

Further reading links:This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces
Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria
Black Threads: An African American Quilting Sourcebook
The Liberian Flag Story & Love of Liberty Quilt
Stitching Stars: The Story Quilts of Harriet Powers (African-American Artists and Artisans)
Harriet Powers's Bible Quilts (Rizzoli Art Series)
Signs and Symbols: African Images in African American Quilts (2nd Edition)
Always There: The African-American Presence in American Quilts
Crafted Lives: Stories and Studies of African American Quilters
Stitched from the Soul: Slave Quilts from the Antebellum South
Stitching Memories: African-American Story Quilts
Facts and Fabrications: Unraveling the History of Quilts and Slavery: 8 Projects, 20 Blocks, First-Person Accounts