Tuscaloosa native and self-taught quilt artist Yvonne Wells, along with UA American studies professor Stacey Morgan, utilized the Threads of Story event hosted by the Women and Gender Resource Center to discuss their book, “The Story Quilts of Yvonne Wells,” and share encouragement with students.
Wells presented a range of quilts from her five different categories: sociopolitical, religious, picture this, potluck and children’s moment. One quilt she demonstrated from the sociopolitical category was about the 2010 BP oil spill and was entitled “Invest in America.” She also presented her “Seven Deadly Sins” series, where each quilt was based on a sin.
“I really enjoyed her talking about her sociopolitical quilts. I consider myself an activist, so I found that to be relevant to my life,” said Taj Johnson, a freshman majoring in psychology. “I learned that art can truly be whatever you make it and you can succeed even when they try to confine you in a box.”
Morgan presented to students the research process for the book, which consisted of creating a detailed quilt inventory and conducting interviews with Wells, her family and world figures in art. The process also involved arranging professional quilt photos.
“She has had this remarkable career. Her quilts are in all these major museums. She is shown in all these major galleries in the U.S. and overseas, and yet there is relatively little documentation of her career,” Morgan said. “That was the main goal. We need to preserve this and put it into something concrete and tangible that people can access.”
Wells’ quilts have been displayed in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Art Institute of Chicago and the American Folk Art Museum. Although she has garnered success for her work, she has received criticism for not having formal training.
She said she desired for students to learn from her experience with criticism.
“I hope they were able to gain that whatever people throw at you, do not let it knock you down. Let it be an inspiration for you to continue because a word or a thought can change the world,” Wells said.
