Name/Title
Routed west : twentieth-century African American quilts in CaliforniaEntry/Object ID
NK9198.5.U6.R68 2025Description
Routed West traces the flow and flourishing of quilts in the context of the Second Great Migration from 1940 to 1970. As millions of African Americans sought greater economic opportunities and freedom outside of the American South, hundreds of thousands initially arrived in the Golden State. Many migrants carried quilts as functional objects and physical reminders of the homes they left behind. They also brought their quiltmaking skills, extending the art form's Southern roots to the western United States in the later part of the 20th century. Featuring images of over 100 quilts by nearly 90 individuals - the majority of whom are women and have ties to the San Francisco Bay Area - and new research, Routed West honors the resilience, self-determination, collective care, and creative ingenuity of this distinctive migrant generation. Essays by scholars, curators, quilt historians and artists celebrate the joyful power of African American quilts as objects of beauty, memory and cultural reclamation within Black life, and explore the role of museums in their stewardship and preservation. This book accompanies a group exhibition of artworks drawn from the African American quilt collection at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.Context
Published in conjunction with the exhibition Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California, organized by the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, from June 7, 2025 to November 30, 2025.Lexicon
Search Terms
african american quiltmakers--california--san francisco bay area—20th century, african american quilts--exhibitions, african americans--social life and customs--20th century, quilts--california--berkeley--exhibitionsLegacy Lexicon
Category
Exhibition catalogBook Details
Editor
Elaine Y. YauPublisher
University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, DelMonico BooksPlace Published
City
Berkeley, CA, New York, NYDate Published
2025ISBN
9781636811598Notes
Length: 271General Notes
Note Type
ContentsNote
Routed west : twentieth-century African American quilts in California / Elaine Y. Yau -- Rooted to the ground, stitched together like patchwork : Southern migrant landscapes in the Black Bay Area / Wendy M. Thompson -- Staggering quilt works of sonic genius / Daphne A. Brooks -- Quilt collecting stories / Eli Leon. Reclaiming a missing link ; Meeting Mrs. Murphy ; Trips South -- Collecting and exhibiting quilts / Bridget R. Cooks -- Conversations / Adia Millett -- Grandma's hand / Basil Kincaid -- Quilts in life -- Quiltmaker biographies / Matthew Villar Miranda and Elaine Y. Yau.