00:00:00Karen Musgrave (KM): This is Karen Musgrave and I'm conducting a Quilters'
S.O.S. - Save Our Stories interview with Carolyn Mazloomi. Carolyn is in West
Chester, Ohio, and I'm in Naperville, Illinois, so we are conducting this
interview over the telephone. Today's date is April 21, 2009. It is now 9:03
a.m. Carolyn, thank you for taking time out of your day to do this interview
with me. Please tell me about your quilt "He Stands on the Shoulders of Many."
Carolyn Mazloomi (CM): That quilt was inspired by the Selma to Montgomery March
that occurred in 1965. When I think about being a citizen in this country I
think about the right to vote because that is one of the greatest treasures of
being an American, that freedom and that right to vote. It was because of the
Selma to Montgomery civil rights march that there was legislation that got
00:01:00African Americans the right to vote. That Selma to Montgomery March for voting
rights lasted three weeks and one of the turning points of that march was what
we call "Bloody Sunday." "Bloody Sunday" occurred March 7, 1965, when there were
600 civil rights marchers that headed out east of Selma, Alabama, on US Route 80
and they only got six blocks. There was a bridge, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and
00:02:00when they approached that bridge to cross, the state and local lawmen attacked
the marchers with billy clubs and tear gas. They drove them back into Selma and
that was a big turning point for the civil rights movement because there was a
lot of media there and across the nation local well national television shows
were interrupted with a broadcast of what was happening in Selma, Alabama. It
was the first time America, the nation, got an opportunity to see really what
was going on with the civil rights workers and people were horrified that these
00:03:00marchers were beaten down like they were. Initially this march started out with
600 people, but by the time three weeks later when they actually got a court
order to set out to Montgomery [Alabama.] there were over 3,200 people and then
they ended up, the final count was 25,000 marchers. Twenty-five thousand people
from all over the country came to join in that march and that would not have
happened had not the news been broadcast across the nation that people were
being brutalized just for attempting this civil rights march. That was a
00:04:00catalyst of this voting rights act so that was the inspiration for my quilt
because when I talk about the President [Barack Obama.] standing on the
shoulders of many, it took the sacrifice of many African Americans, not only
during this period in our history but from slavery until this period in our
history., many sacrifices, politically and socially to get to this point that we
have an African American elected to the highest elected office of the land. That
was the inspiration and in particularly I think about Congressman John Lewis
because I vividly remember seeing him as a young person watching this on
00:05:00television, seeing him get hit in the head by state troopers and mauled by the
dogs and now this man is a United States Congressman and he was one of the
inspirations for that piece as well because he is a very gentle, very gentle
spiritual soul who had been through so much and indeed the President stands on
many shoulders. When I started out making the quilt I wanted a map in the quilt
to indicate geographically the route of the march and the quilt is applique,
00:06:00is hand and machine quilted. Very seldom now I have the opportunity to make
quilts because I'm so busy doing other things, however, it was important to me
to participate in this particular exhibition because of the occasion.
KM: Tell me more about the exhibition.
CM: Roland Freeman called me initially when he had the idea of an exhibition
["Quilts for Obama: An Exhibit Celebration of our 44th President" at the
Historical Society of Washington, D.C.] and asked me if I would find quilters to
participate in the exhibition. I suggested that the quilts be in small format
because the quilters only had a month to make the quilts and it was during the
00:07:00Christmas holiday and Thanksgiving holiday and people were really, really busy
and didn't have that much time. I looked to members of the Women of Color
Quilters Network to pool artists who might be interested in the project and who
that I knew could create work in a short period of time that would be during
Thanksgiving and Christmas. I told Roland Freeman after I got the list together
and contacted everybody that he was getting the best of the best, the best that
00:08:00Women of Color Quilters Network had to offer. One of the things too that I asked
for artists when making these quilts, I told them that this is not just about
the physical image of President Obama. I didn't want to see 44 quilts that are
portraits of the President because this exhibition that they were creating for
was about more than the image of one man. Actually it was about the journey of
African Americans as they weave their way through the social and political
00:09:00politics of this country. It is about the journey, it was about the journey of
African Americans in this country from the slave ships to the White House. I
wanted them to address that story, because that's how President Obama was able
to be the president. We've been through so much in this country socially and
politically and economically and every strata, every facet of this country being
African American and African American culture is woven through it so I wanted to
00:10:00see the artists address this history and they did not disappoint me. The quilts
are some of the best works to ever come out of the Women of Color.
KM: Is "He Stands on the Shoulders of Many" typical of your style?
CM: That quilt is typical of my style. I enjoy making story quilts. I enjoy
making narrative quilts. I find the work more interesting if I have a theme or a
story in which to work from, some theme that I want to address in my quilts.
Usually the quilts are either based on something political, of a political
00:11:00nature or they address issues that are close to my heart. Personal issues that I
enjoy, such as music. My quilts either deal with music, jazz particularly, or
women's issues because I'm very much involved in both.
KM: What are your plans for this quilt?
CM: I have no plans for it. [laughs.] It's been in the show and I've received
the quilt back maybe a month or two ago. I have no plans to show it again.
That's that. It is here and it will be in my collection. I collect quilts. I
00:12:00have over 700 of them [KM remarks "wow."] and not mine, [laughs.] but I have
over 700 quilts. That quilt is historically important to me so I probably will
just keep it in my collection.
KM: Tell me about your interest in quiltmaking.
CM: My interest in quiltmaking has been more from the aspect of an organizer. 25
years ago I founded the Women of Color Quilters Network and that's been my life
work and the making of "He Stands on the Shoulders of Many" was a departure for
me because the past four or five years I haven't been able to make that many
00:13:00quilts because I've been involved with running the Women of Color Quilters
Network and that's like a full time job, so it doesn't leave time for much of
anything else. I started the organization as a means to let African American
quiltmakers know about the cultural significance as well as the monetary value
of their quilts. We started out with nine people and over the years it's grown
tremendously. One of the things that we do is present quilts, quilt exhibitions
00:14:00to museums around the country. We give workshops around the country to children
and youth, try to interest them in learning to quilt because when you think in
terms of the quilt population of African American quilts within the realm of
quilting in this country, there are not that many of us so it is important to me
to try and interest young people in learning how to quilt. That is very
important, because I think about the future.
KM: You mentioned Women of Color Quilters Network, do you belong to any other
00:15:00art or quilt groups?
CM: I am on the board of the Studio Art Quilt Associates. I'm a member of a
local quilt guild here in my city, West Chester, Ohio. I'm a member of the
Women's Caucus of the Arts. The American Quilting Association. I'm sorry the
National Quilting Association. That's it so far as quilting organizations.
KM: Why is it important to you to belong to these groups?
CM: I'm interested in communing with other quiltmakers. I'm interested in
00:16:00learning more about quiltmaking. The Women of Color Quilters Network is about
preservation. Outside of that with other groups I'm interested in the
camaraderie, I'm interested in learning. I have never had time, I've never had
the opportunity to really take any quilt classes. I'm totally self-taught so I
enjoy reading about techniques, I enjoy being around people that utilize new
techniques and I can see pretty much what's going on and hopefully take away
something that I can utilize in my own work. It's about learning and it's about
00:17:00camaraderie. I often say in my travels, and I travel across the country at least
once a week. I never meet a stranger in the quilt community. Quilters are very
special people. It doesn't matter what region of the country you are in or what
group of people, quilters are just very special folks. You don't know any strangers.
KM: You curate, you write, you lecture, you collect, what is your favorite thing
to do?
CM: My favorite thing to do is curate shows and write the books that accompany
00:18:00the shows. I think it is important for the sake of history to have these shows
and especially have the books that commemorate these exhibitions because it is
like a footprint that, especially for the network, for the African American
quilter, like a footprint on the canvass of American quiltmaking. It documents
our participation in American quiltmaking and that is very important to me, it
means everything to see that African American quilters are duly recorded in
history, quilt history as being active participants. Especially I'm interested
00:19:00in the maker of contemporary quilts within the African American community
because prior to ten years ago there was not that much emphasis on the
contemporary quilts made within the African American community, most of the
emphasis was on improvisational quilts. It is very important for me to see that
these contemporary quilters carve out a niche in history for themselves to make
their presence known and to let people know that African American quilting is
more than improvisational quilting. We as a community participate or rather make
00:20:00all types of quilts, not just improvisational quilts. There are people that make
traditional American Patchwork and applique quilts, as well as art quilts and
the improvisational quilts. That has to be documented and it has to be written
about so I see myself as an instrument to make that happen. This is how I like
to spend my time and it is my favorite thing to do.
KM: Whose works are you drawn to and why?
CM: I have many favorite quilters and of course I think, well for the most part
there are American quilters. I admire the quilts of Gwen Magee from Jackson,
00:21:00Mississippi, the stories that she addresses, the issues that she addresses in
her quilts are important and they make people stop and think, as well as being
well crafted. Her quilts are impeccable, the technique impeccable. I like the
quilts of Marion Coleman, again these are narrative quilts. Again, she is one
that tackles issues and I like to see that and they are well crafted. Another
00:22:00favorite quilter is Penny Sisto who is not only, she is a dear friend as well
and I always look forward to seeing new quilts by Penny Sisto because they are
very dramatic, visually dramatic as well as being seeped in stories. Both she
and Gwen Magee, and then there are two young quilters within the Women of Color
Quilters Network, Carolyn Crump and-- [door bell rings.] Oh my gosh did you hear that?
KM: I did.
CM: Just one moment.
KM: That is okay, go ahead. [laughs.]
CM: I'm expecting an exhibition bag.
KM: Go right ahead.
CM: Gosh. Okay, I have someone to take care of that. I'm sorry.
00:23:00
KM: That is okay. You had Carolyn Crump.
CM: Yes. They are serious art quilters that make abstract work, they both dye
and paint their fabrics, they use all types of interesting techniques. Carolyn
Crump's work is three dimensional and just mind boggling in it's form. She has
00:24:00not been exhibited that much but hopefully within the next eighteen months she
will have several major exhibitions and her work will be introduced on a
national level. Both she and Sonji Hunt I think are going to do very well, very
well in the quilt world because their work is so unusual. So unusual, so I think
people are going to be in for some big surprises with these two young folks.
Those are my five favorites.
KM: That is a wonderful list too. You mentioned collecting quilts and that you
00:25:00have more than 700 quilts. What criteria do you use for purchasing a quilt for
your collection?
CM: Most of the quilts are African American made quilts and they are African
American contemporary quilts but then on the other side I collect all types of
quilts, everybody's quilts but most of them are African American. The quilt has
to touch my spirit, it has to speak to me. I have to be able to live with it. I
rotate the hanging of the quilts in my home and in my studio and when I can wake
up and look at it first thing in the morning and want to see it all day long
then I know okay that's the quilt for me. I have to be able to live with it. It
00:26:00has to touch my spirit. It has to mean something to me. That's the criteria. I
have no criteria in so far as technique. I don't look for particular artists,
the quilt has to speak to me. That's the criteria. It is a totally, it is a
spiritual thing. I have a wide range of quilts. I have quilts by Faith Ringgold
as well as most of the major artists within the Women of Color Quilters Network.
There are few favorite artists like Marion Coleman and Faith Ringgold and
00:27:00Carolyn Crump. For my favorite artists I may have several of their quilts. It's
like candy. It is like chocolate. [KM laughs.] I can't have just one. I think
that's my personality too, compulsive. I can't have just one of anything. My
favorite quilters I may have several of their quilts or dozens. [both laugh.] It
just depends.
KM: You mentioned your studio, so describe your studio.
CM: My studio is in my home on the lower level. It's 1,100 square feet and I
00:28:00have. It serves not only as my studio space but my husband calls it "My Art
Gallery" because I have many of my favorite paintings downstairs and the work
that I love I have to live with it, I want to see it, I want to be surrounded by
it. I want to see it first thing when I wake up in the morning. I want to live
with it because it makes me happy. In my studio I have not only quilts but I
have my favorite paintings up as well and my sewing machine that I'm sort of;
00:29:00I'm compulsive about organization as well, so everything has to be in its place
and all the fabrics are arranged according to color. I guess like every other
quilter, we are very picky about our studio space and how it looks and how it's
arranged that it can work best for what we do. My studio is like my sanctuary as
well. My office space is on that level as well. There is one corner for my
computer and books and whatnot. I could actually live there and not come up for
00:30:00air for a couple of weeks. [laughs.] It truly is a sanctuary. It's an
environment that I enjoy. The quilts are scattered out all over my home.
KM: What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quiltmakers today?
CM: For the art quilters it's acceptance of the art form within the larger art
community. I think that is a challenge for some quilters. Different groups
though have different challenges. The Women of Color Quilters Network and the
00:31:00African American quilters that belong to that organization have a totally
different set of challenges and that is just the acceptance of the work period.
Any kind of work that they produce if it is not improvisational work. The
challenges vary with the group, it depends on the objectives, organizations, and
the objectives of the quilters themselves.
KM: How have you seen things change in the 25 years that the Women of Color
Quilters Network has been around?
CM: There have been lots of changes in so far as first of all technology has
brought so much to the quilt world, introducing new tools and new ways of doing
00:32:00things, new materials that are all incorporated into quilts and quiltmakers
using these tools and materials to create quilts so that has been huge. It's
made quiltmaking easier and technically more challenging and it's brought about
a more sophisticated type of quilts, a different kind of quilts. I think the
greatest change has been in technology. Then the again another change is seeing
more quilts in museums. It's now like old hat. 25 years ago you didn't see that
00:33:00many in museums that would devote entire gallery to quilt exhibitions or space
for quilt exhibitions and now you see that a lot and it's become quite normal to
see the country's museums have quilt exhibitions.
KM: Why are quilts and quiltmakers important to you?
CM: Quilts are important because, physical quilts are important to me because
they give me joy, they bring me joy, they bring me joy. That's the first thing
00:34:00and then the second thing I think about the historical aspect of quilts. I'm
interested in recording that history, that is important to record quilt history
because it gives us a window into American society, families and lives and
social structure of people living here in this country. It is fascinating and
it's important. That's what is important and then the quiltmakers themselves,
people. There is just a wide variety of people that I've met and everybody
00:35:00brings something interesting to the table so that's been an interesting point
for me, meeting quilters of all races, gender across the country and sharing
that common love of quiltmaking.
KM: You talked about quilts speaking to you. What do you think makes a quilt
artistically powerful?
CM: The first thing I look at are the images in the quilts. I look at the image
and the colors speak to me, color combinations speak to me and I look at the
00:36:00craftsmanship. The first thing I see, I see the image. The next thing I see is
the color. Then I'm going to hone in closer and look at the technique. The
graphics grab me first. If the quilt, as a buyer, as a collector, if the quilt
is not well made I don't care how strong the graphics are, then that's not a
quilt I'm going to take home.
KM: What are you working on right now?
CM: [laughs.] Currently I'm writing three books, two of which are behind
00:37:00schedule. Actually one is two years behind schedule so I'm writing these three
books, I'm curating two new exhibitions, I'm in the process of organizing those
exhibitions now so the next year and a half is pretty full for me with the books
and the exhibitions. I started my own publishing company three years ago and
initially I started out wanting this company just to publish the books for the
Network, for the Network exhibitions, however it is not panning out like that,
00:38:00we are starting to do more books for other folks so that is keeping me pretty
busy too. All the publications are quilt related though so that is a good thing.
I find myself doing everything but making quilts and that kind of makes me sad
but maybe when I finish all of my projects I can come back around full circle to
where I started and that's making quilts.
KM: How do you balance your time?
CM: [laughs.] That is a good question. How do I balance time? There is no
balance. [both laugh.] There is no balance. I wish I could find a balance. You
00:39:00just do what you have to do and if things fall short you just try and catch up
with it the next day. A nice happy balance and a happy medium for me would be
the inclusion of making more quilts and having time to actually sit down and sew
but it is not like that, so all I can do right now is just curate shows and
write books and then there is a lot of traveling in between that. Those two
events, these two jobs just kind of consume my life right now so there is
nothing else. I don't find that there is any balance in life. I often say there
is no such thing as a "super woman" and there isn't. I feel I can't do it all,
00:40:00but I try and do the best that I can with the jobs that I do and balancing
family in between all this other, all the other things.
KM: What does your family think of your quiltmaking and your involvement in quilts?
CM: [laughs.] I have three sons and they are all grown and they appreciate my
quilts and my husband appreciates my quilts. They've always appreciated my
quilts. I'm sure all of them wish that I had more time for them because I travel
so much, as well as being involved with the books and the exhibitions, so I'm
00:41:00sure they wish I had more time for them. I can't say that they are selfish like
that because that is not selfish, that is just human nature as the nature of
family. They do recognize the importance of quiltmaking in my life and they
appreciate my quilts so I'm lucky in that aspect, they appreciate my quilts and
cherish them and recognize them as art works, important art works.
KM: How do you want to be remembered?
00:42:00
CM: My legacy and so forth with quiltmaking will be the founding of the Women of
Color Quilters Network and finding a recording the contributions of African
American quiltmakers to American quiltmaking, especially for the contemporary
African American quiltmaker. It's important for me that I do everything that I
can to record their works, to exhibit their works so that they have a place in
00:43:00quilt history.
KM: Is there anything that you would like to share that we haven't touched upon
before we conclude?
CM: Not really. I probably will think of a hundred things when we hang up. [laughs.]
KM: Isn't that human nature.
CM: I can't think of anything right now.
KM: Do you think of yourself more as an artist or a quiltmaker or do you even
make a distinction?
CM: I don't make a distinction. I've never really made a distinction. To me
there is the big brew-ha-ha between the definition of art and quilts and craft
and quilts that doesn't enter into my realm because I think everything we create
00:44:00if it is a feast to the eyes, it's art. I don't make a separation. I've always
looked at quilters as artists because they are creating. I don't care whether
it's traditional or art quilts or contemporary quilts or improvisational quilts,
everybody, every artist that's made those quilts, they are artists, they are
creating art. There is no difference between those words. It's just a play on
words. We are all artists and that's how I see it and that's how I've seen it
since day one.
KM: I think this is a great way to conclude. I want to thank you for taking time
00:45:00out of your day to share with me, and we are going to conclude our interview at 9:49.