Quilted Legacies: Visual Stories by Brenetta Ward

September 13 – November 4, 2024

Brenetta Ward, Quarantine Series (2020)

Brenetta Ward is an oral historian. Her artwork captures the essence of the cloth she works with and the heart of the stories she tells with the layers of material she gathers and melds into quilts and story scrolls. When I shared the story of My Lord, What a Night with her, she immediately went into research mode, diving deeply into the history of Marian Anderson and Albert Einstein and their history together. I knew she was the perfect artist to expand on that story here in the Kendall Center Exhibition Series.

“I combine traditional quilting techniques, ethnic fabrics and African design aesthetics to create quilted legacies. My quilting style honors my Southern roots and incorporates a range of techniques. Using cultural textiles, vintage photographs and symbolic embellishments, I construct contemporary quilts that keep you warm, narrative quilts that tell cultural stories and fabric art that celebrates the spirit of the cloth.

My art is influenced by my values, life experiences, spiritual beliefs and culture. The integration of these elements guides my creative expression. I believe fiber is a powerful influence in our lives. It is the first thing we are swaddled in when we are born, and it is the last thing we are wrapped in when we leave this earthly life.

Many of my pieces feature Mud Cloth, a textile from Mali. The narrow strips of this handwoven cotton are stitched together into a whole cloth, then resist-painted with symbols and dyed using mud from the local area. I carefully deconstruct the strips of fabric to use in my art. I believe its connection to the earth of my ancestors’ homeland provides a powerful bond to my own history and personal story.  

As an oral historian, I especially enjoy designing pieces that pay tribute to African Americans whose contributions to our shared history have not been sufficiently recognized. As a Black woman, an artist, and a citizen in this country, I believe my art and artistic practice are acts of liberation.”

Brenetta Ward is a Seattle-based fiber artist, third generation quilter and oral historian. Her work has been exhibited at the Postmark Center for the Arts; Wa Na Wari; Stark Museum of Art; California Museum; Booth Western Art Museum; The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art; the Textile Center: A National Center for Fiber Art; National Afro-American Museum; Ethnic Heritage Art Gallery; Tacoma Art Museum; Northwest African American Museum and Spellman College Museum of Fine Art. Selected pieces have been published in We Are the Story: A Visual Response to Racism and Spirits of the Cloth, and included in public, corporate and private collections. As a fiber artist, she believes quilts have the power to nurture our spiritual needs for creativity, beauty and comfort.

All works are for sale unless marked by a red dot. Please visit Brenetta’s website – brenettaward.com – for more information on her work.

– Gina Cavallo, Curator & Director of Development, Taproot Theatre