Sew Their Names: Opening and Reception

Following the quilting circle, speakers will discuss the “Sew Their Names” project in the Museum’s Wilson Auditorium. Project organizer Judge Susan Russ Walker will speak about how she, along with the Director of the Lowndes County Community Life Center (LCCLC), the Reverend Dale Braxton, conceptualized this memorial to the enslaved people of the Black Belt region. Reverend Braxton will introduce quilters Wini McQueen of Georgia and Yvonne Wells of Alabama, both of whom will speak about the quilts they created in response to this project and the impact of storytelling through textiles. Gail Andrews, former director at the Birmingham Museum of Art, will talk about how quilts have been used over the years as commemorative and memorial pieces, highlighting the connection between national works and the “Sew Their Names” project.

After the presentations, attendees are invited to return to the Lowder Gallery with the quilters and organizers for a reception and the reveal of these two new quilts.