First Ladies' Gowns Black Quilts Quilts made by Arkansas's African American community from 1880 to present are a major collecting focus of the Old State House Museum, and are nationally and regionally significant. Through quilting, many women and some men expressed their creativity and personal pride, and scholars are now interpreting these works in new ways. The current trend in historical interpretation of quilts made by African Americans focuses on African traditions of the makers. This ignores, however, the power of African American culture as a force in its own right.
Culture is a product of community.
Slaves from various parts of Africa, with differing customs, languages, and religions, were thrown together. The culture they made is as old as America. Though blacks could emulate traditional European-based quilting styles, when quilting for themselves, they rarely chose to do so. Instead, they re-defined quilting in terms of African American sensibilities. Blacks brought a new sense of color, as well as an improvisational approach to pattern creation, to the art of quilt-making.