“If These Quilts Could Talk” is a colorful and captivating juried exhibit of quits – new and old – at Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion in Cadwalader Park. It features the work of two vibrant quilting groups, the Sankofa Stitchers of Princeton and the Friendly Quilters of Bucks County Pennsylvania. The show starts with an opening reception on Sunday, January 19th at 2:00 p.m. Both the exhibit and the opening are free and open to the public.
Curated by Diane Ciccone and Jane Malloy, the collection offers a range of quilting styles and color schemes that take up the spacious first floor galleries with African American artistry, creativity, and storytelling. The Friendly Quilters and Sankofa Stitchers believe in keeping quilt-making history alive with works of art that tell stories, provide historical perspective and strengthen community bonds. Over the next three months, the exhibit will offer workshops and lectures on the history and traditions of quilts in the African American community.
The quilt-makers come from two community-oriented groups each of which has an interesting story of its own, which you can hear when you attend the lectures or workshops. The presenting quilters are:
| Sankofa Stitchers | Friendly Quilters |
| Rose Mary Briggs | Dorothy Allen |
| Ora Brown | Vivian Barrett |
| Mada Coles-Galloway | Linda Bodley |
| Paulette File | Gloria Brown |
| Juandamarie Gikandi | Janet Byard |
| Gail Mitchell | Adrienne Daniels |
| Tarsha Taylor | Vickie Meisel |
| Jane Wyche | Rose Miller |
| Myra Nevius | |
| Linda Salley | |
| Cassandra Stancil Gunkel | |
| Christina Thomas | |
| Christine Webb | |
| Constance White |
Workshops and Lectures (all start at 1:30 p.m.)
WORKSHOPS: Contact 609-989-1191 or info@ellarslie.org to reserve your space. There is a fee of $25 ($20 for members) to cover cost of materials.
LECTURES: Freewill donations greatly appreciated.
Check with the Museum for updates in case of inclement weather.
- Sunday, Feb. 2: Underground Railroad Quilts lecture by Cassandra Stancil Gunkel
- Saturday, Feb. 8: Improvisational Quilting workshop led by Rose Miller (workshop will accommodate up to 15 participants; rain/snow date Feb. 9)
- Sunday, Feb. 16: Quilt Arts and Culture lecture by Gail Mitchell
- Saturday, March 7: Adinkra Stamping workshop by Cassandra Stancil Gunkel
- Sunday, March 29: Improvisational Quilting workshop led by Mada Coles-Galloway and Juandamaire Gikandi (workshop will accommodate up to 15 participants; rain/snow date March 30)
NOTE: Sunday, April 19 – Closing Reception with Quilters Talk and the Community Quilt unveiling!
