Research Catalog

Title

Signs & symbols : African images in African American quilts / Maude Southwell Wahlman.

Author

Wahlman, Maude

Publication

Atlanta, Ga. : Tinwood Books, 2001.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

143 p. : col. ill., maps, ports.; 28 cm.

Summary

"Many African American quilts are the visual equivalent of blues, jazz, and gospel--rich with color and symbolism. Characterized by strips, bright colors, large designs, asymmetry, multiple patterns, improvisations, and symbolic forms, historian Maude S. Wahlman contends that these African-American quilts have their roots in African textile techniques and cultural traditions. African influence on the history of music, dance, and speech in the New World has long been documented, but African influence on American quiltmaking is less well known. It is possible to trace African textile techniques, religious symbols, and aesthetic traditions that were adapted by African American textile innovators to the needs and resources of a new world. Emphasizing quilts' spiritual functions as much as their formal qualities, this well-illustrated book combines multidisciplinary research with in-depth looks at living African-American artists."--Provided by Publisher.

Alternative Title

• Signs and symbols
• Signs and symbols : African images in African American quilts

Subjects

• Symbolism > United States
• Signs and symbols > United States
• Textile fabrics > Africa, Sub-Saharan > Influence
• African American quiltmakers > Biography
• African American quilts

Note

• Previous ed.: 1993.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 134-137).

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Introduction -- Aesthetic traditions -- Applique traditions -- Tracing religious symbols -- Protective charms -- Contemporary trends.

ISBN

0965376613

OCLC

• 49244555
• SCSB-11178220

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library