OCEAN CITY — The Gallery at the Ocean City Arts Center presents “Stitched Stories: An Exhibition of African American Quilters & Fiber Artists from New Jersey” July 1-29.
A “Meet the Artists” reception will be 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 8, in the gallery, second floor, Ocean City Community Center, 1735 Simpson Ave. The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
The exhibiting artists represent north, central and southern New Jersey. Two guilds are represented: The Nubian Heritage Quilters Guild from North Jersey and Princeton Sankofa Stitchers Modern Quilters Guild from Central Jersey. Rounding out the exhibit are two well known quilting sisters, Barbara Imes Jorden and Jacqueline Imes Jenkins, from southern New Jersey, and one non-resident, Philadelphia fiber artist Christina Johnson.
The Imes sisters, both in their 80s, are from Franklinville. They learned to sew while in grammar school from their mother, a professional seamstress. They were co-founders of a now defunct African American quilting guild in Gloucester County and have exhibited their works extensively throughout the region. Barbara has had works in exhibits throughout the country.
The sisters have been recognized for their quilts with many awards and have been featured in books, on television and in national publications. As Jacqueline wrote about them: “Role models proudly living life through experienced ideals set forth by the ancestors. Sister, Sister, a mirror image of me.”
The Nubian Heritage Quilters Guild, based in Essex County, was established to promote, preserve and document the importance of African American quilting. Fiber artist Glendora Simonson and quilt enthusiast Carolyn Davis’ desire to provide a forum for the exchange of information and ideas along with a genuine appreciation of African American quilting provided an opportunity to come together to promote friendship, fellowship, and share a common interest as the St. James Quilters, as the group was formerly known.
Nubian Heritage adopted the African Adinka symbol-Sankofa, and took its meaning, “Learning from the Past, in building for the Future” as their mission statement. They celebrate the legacy of African American quilting through their mutual quilting experiences. They transform and expand traditional quilting ideas by incorporating ethnic patterns and fabric.
As part of giving back to the community, Nubian Heritage members donate their time, talent and crafts to creating baby quilts for boarder babies at local hospitals and donating lap quilts to the Veteran’s Administration Hospital. They conduct seminars geared towards teaching young people the basics of quilting, as well as give them an appreciation and understanding of the heritage of quilt making, thereby keeping this art alive.
The Princeton Sankofa Stitchers Modern Quilt Guild (PSSMQG) was formed in late 2015 by a group of African American women who began getting together casually to quilt and to share information about the craft. As the group grew, they decided to formalize and become an official guild. Members of the group decided to call the guild Sankofa Stitchers to reflect its identity as a group that worked with African and African American fabrics, designs, and cultural experiences.
In 2019, the group joined the Modern Quilt Guild (MQG), a national organization of quilters. PSSMQG is proud to have members from several states.
The name of the guild is derived from “Sankofa [SAN (return), KO (go), FA (look, seek and take)] is a symbol used by the Akan people of Ghana to represent the idea of reaching back to the past to acquire knowledge that has been lost to make progress in the present. PSSMQG believes strongly in the idea that learning from the past serves as a guide in planning and securing a strong future. The group’s motto is “Each one, Teach one.”
In 2018, the group helped to start a Girl Scout Troop for young ladies living in the Trenton area. In 2018 and 2019, PSSMQG members sewed flannel baby blankets and baby quilts for local organizations that deal with infant mortality issues. The group also sewed wash-cloth based personal hygiene kits donated to Womanspace, a domestic violence service in Mercer County. In 2020 PSSMQG made baby quilts to donate to Makerspace in Trenton and members made hundreds of Covid masks for local organizations. Women veterans at the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home were the recipients of wheelchair lap quilts as PSSMQG’s 2021 philanthropic activity.
Christina Johnson is a West Philadelphia fiber artist focused on relaying traditional African American quilting techniques and cultural values. Johnson is the founder of Heartstrings Quilting Guild in Philadelphia.“My art challenges traditional and stereotypical edicts, encouraging individual empowerment with the hope of assisting women to use their voices and art for continued social change,” she said. She believes in the motto, ‘each one teach one and then pass it on.’”
For further information, call (609) 399-7628. Check out the Arts Center at oceancityartscenter.org, on Facebook and Instagram.
This program is made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
