Tierney Davis Hogan, Langston Hughes, Pioneer Poet, 2021, ©Tierney Davis Hogan.
Black Pioneers: Legacy in the American West explores the path of Black history in the West with a timeline of original pictorial quilts. These colorful, richly detailed works of art chronicle the arrival of Africans in the American West in 1528 all the way through the Civil Rights Movement, bringing to life forgotten stories and lesser-known chapters in our shared history.
Dispelling the myth that Black people in the old West were mostly cowboys, Black Pioneers: Legacy in the American West, reveals the breadth of their occupations and achievements in society, religion, education, and the arts.
Quilts were chosen as the visual medium for this exhibition because they function to highlight the intersections of African Americans in the Western Frontier while informing others about the art form and its important role in African American history.
This exhibition is organized by The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art and Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, curator, historian and artist. The 50 quilts have been created by the Women of Color Quilters Network especially for this exhibition.
Photo credit: Tierney Davis Hogan, Langston Hughes, Pioneer Poet, 2021, ©Tierney Davis Hogan
Tierney Davis Hogan, Langston Hughes, Pioneer Poet, 2021, ©Tierney Davis Hogan.