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October Issue 2007
Penn Center on St. Helena Island, SC, Features Works by Edward Bostick
The
Penn Center on St. Helena Island, SC, is presenting the exhibit,
African Strings: Slave Quilts by Edward Bostick, on view
at the York W. Bailey Museum. through Oct. 27, 2007.
The exhibition features the colorful and diverse themes and designs reminiscent of those made by the hands of African American women at the turn of the century. Bostick, a resident of New York, was born in South Carolina and recalls the vibrant imagery of quiltmaking he witnessed at the knee of his grandmother and aunts. A self-taught artist, Bostick's quilts are highly sought by collectors who appreciate the intricate details and the uniqueness of his artistry.
Bostick describes his passion, "My main pursuit has been the construction of quilts that are not based on designed patterns, but on the personal initiatives and designs used by the African American women of the Southern United States. My main purposes in quiltmaking are to revive and to maintain an interest in the art form of quilting. I also want to relate the history and cultural relevance that African American women played in contributing a very important legacy to the history of this nation for others to appreciate to feel proud of, to profit and learn from."
In his collection of hundreds of hand-made quilts, Bostick narrates various themes through the design of "string/diamond" quilts, the earliest form of quilting used by slave women in the Southern United States. These slave women "borrowed" small pieces of string remnants after making the owners' clothes to construct quilts for their own families. The quilts had names like "housetops", "pig pens", "lazy gal", and "half-log-cabins".
The exhibit will include a diverse spectrum of patterned and pictorial quilts. Bostick is known for his whimsical quilts of portraits of Harlem Renaissance jazz musicians.
For further information check our SC Institutional
Gallery listings, call the Center at 843/838-2474 or visit (www.penncenter.com).
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