SYMBOLISM FROM A QUILT

The representation of the life cycle was definitely a huge part of the African quilt building theme.  Any quilt that had circles on it represented the life cycle, and any quilt that consisted of diamonds also represented the four parts of the life cycle, which included birth, life, death, and rebirth.

This is an example of an African quilt which represented the life cycle.

Protective scripts were also used in Africa through native and symbolic languages, but as the slave trade brought many Africans to America, the protective scripts began to have the English language inscribed in it as well.  The scripts were sacred because they showed the intelligence, power, and knowledge the creator of the quilt had.

This quilt by Eleanor Burns and Sue Bouchard, is a replica of what was used during the Underground Railroad.

 


In the Americas, during slavery, people associated with the Underground Railroad used quilts to relay their messages across.  They had a set of key images that would represent something in particular.  For example, a black cloth that had a log cabin design was made to symbolize a safe house for refuge from those hunting runaway slaves.  Other symbols also included maps on quilts that showed how to escape from certain houses and plantations, while other maps showed which stars to follow to get out of the oppressed South.

 This video shows how the Quilt Code helped slaves to escape.

Another famous African American quilt artist known is Harriet Powers.  She was a very artistic women, and all of her pieces had a symbolic meaning behind them whether it be family, the Bible, or even  celestial phenomena.  Powers has become one of the most famous quilt artists in the world, and even after her death in 1910, she is still recognized for evolving the art form into what it has become today.

 

The Pictorial Quilt (1898) is Powers' most famous art quilt.  It represents the constellations.