Celebrating the author's work and the community-building tradition of African American quilt-making, the Toni Morrison Quilting Project kicks off on Feb. 22, noon to 1:30 p.m., with a virtual quilting traditions workshop, featuring Ithaca-based fiber artist Heather Stewart.
Organized by Cornell University Library, Tompkins County Public Library, and the Community Quilting Resource Center, the Quilting Project honors Morrison's legacy and her deep connection to quilt-making. In her novel Beloved, for example, she used an heirloom quilt as a storytelling device to connect the different histories of its characters. And, in exploring the African American diasporic experience throughout her work, Morrison wove complex narratives from a patchwork of voices across time and space.
"Toni Morrison is one of the preeminent chroniclers of the African American experience and, much like quilt-making, she created beautiful, useful, and communal art out of the multiplicity and everyday experiences of her characters," said project co-organizer Camille Andrews, emerging literacies librarian at Mann Library of Cornell University Library. "We hope that our community today, in these difficult times, will find inspiration in her works and legacy as they participate in the quilting project."
