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Edna Patterson-‐Petty, Quilts

Overview Look around your home. What examples can you find of things that could be considered “traditional”, handmade, and/or “artistic”? How many of these are things that your mother made, and perhaps learned from her mother or grandmother? Alice Walker wonders in her essay “In Search of our Mother’s Gardens: The Creativity of Black Women in the South” (1974) how the creativity of her ancestors endured, for centuries, in the face of prejudice, racism, and cruelty that denied artists their outlets. She argues that the answer can be found high and low in the beauty of things made—the clothes, gardens, canned vegetables, and the beautiful quilts made of rags. Edna Patterson-‐Petty uses the tradition of sewing learned from her mother and grandmother combined with the education she received through her Masters in in Fine Arts program to create beautiful, and critically acclaimed, quilts. Finding beauty in the scraps around her, the quilts find the colors, patterns, and design to tell stories and bring to life her heritage. What IS Art? There are a lot of different kinds of art that can be explored in our communities. Some art is put on a pedestal or hung on a wall. Some art is listened to or watched. Some art is beautiful, some is not (and not everyone agrees about what is “good”). We wear some art, and we may even eat some art. This exhibit showcases what can be called “folk” or “traditional” art, which means that it is art that has been passed down from one generation to another. Suggested Objectives

• Complete a close reading of multiple kinds of texts, analyzing tone, structure, and argument to gain an understanding of woman’s traditions, especially within the African American tradition.

• Conceptualize and create a project, integrating knowledge gathered through research and with a clear sense of communicating a thesis to an audience.

• Identify different ways in which stories and narratives can be communicated, including visually.

• Understand relationship of personal cultural identity and cultural expression.


Focus Standards Reading CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.3 Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.4 Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.6 Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9 Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

Speaking/Listening

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.5 Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.


A Closer Look: Reading “Visual” Texts Worksheet and Discussion Guide

Look at the quilt on Edna’s exhibit panel that was displayed at President Obama’s first inauguration. ~What do you believe her thesis may have been? ~What evidence of research can you identify? ~What elements included in the design of the quilt help her tell her message or story?

This photo shows text Edna included on the back of her quilt. It names all the women whose photos are included in the quilt. [NOTE: The artist points out that the majority of these women (but not all) have a connection to St. Louis and/or East St. Louis.] ~Do you know any of the names? Why do you think she included her grandmother? ~How does the title help support her argument: “If it Wasn’t for the Women.”


Edna Patterson-‐Petty Found Objects Activity and Worksheets

Create a project using “found” objects that tell a story. This activity can be adapted for a variety of learners. Suggested steps in the process:

1) Identify a narrative or thesis to research and communicate through this project. (Depending upon time and learner ability, this process could be very involved. Particularly salient narratives given this artist could include stories of cultural identity or heritage, preserving the environment/ecosystems, looking at racism, etc.)

HINT: Have students look at the quilt on Edna’s exhibit panel that was displayed at

President Obama’s first inauguration. Have them guess what her thesis may have been. What evidence of research can they identify? How does the title help support her argument: “If it Wasn’t for the Women.” What elements included in the design of the quilt help her tell her message or story? (Use worksheet included above.)

2) Identify the medium for presentation. Quilts/fabric projects are always appropriate, but there are a variety of “found” materials that could work. As evident in other photos of Edna’s work, she works with a variety of objects. Share the worksheet with photos of her work below with the students.

3) Create a “story board” that first outlines the thesis and supporting points, then add images to explore how to represent visually.

4) Production. Depending upon student age and ability, there can be models or drafts that are first produced and then refined before final product is started. These models can identify color pallet, texture(s), medium(s), etc.


Edna Patterson-‐Petty Found Objects Worksheet

What everyday objects can you find in this art below? Do you see any stories in this art?


Found Objects narrative worksheet

Main Idea or Thesis: A symbol/image that supports this thesis: A color that supports this thesis would be: A texture that supports this thesis could be: Supporting Point A: A symbol/image that supports this idea: A color that supports idea A would be: A texture that supports idea A could be: Supporting Point B: A symbol/image that supports this idea: A color that supports idea B would be: A texture that supports idea B could be: Supporting Point C: A symbol/image that supports this idea: A color that supports idea C would be:

A texture that supports idea C could be:


Discussion Questions to be adapted for a variety of groups/uses

Edna notes in an interview completed for this exhibit: “Everything I do is based on doing it from a place of love. I never try to create things in the sense of “I’m going to show you”—it’s never that. It’s always based upon what I am feeling, what I enjoy doing… and if it turns in to nice things, that’s fine. I’ m not trying to show anyone up with what I am going to do, I just want to create my own beauty around me that I’m surrounded with all the time. My house reflects who I am as a person, it reflects my inside and my outside.” ~What does this quote suggest to you about her art? ~How does it help you “read” the art that is evident in her exhibit panel? Analyze the essay by Alice Walker, “In Search of our Mother’s Gardens”. Some questions that could guide the discussion include: ~What is the main point, or argument that this essay? ~Is the use of poetry and narrative effective? How do they complement each other? How does poetic language create a feeling that would be much more difficult to create through narrative? ~How do you read the inclusion of the author’s personal story in the essay? Does this make it more or less credible for you as a reader? ~How does this make you think about family traditions that have been kept for generations differently? How does it make you think about those activities that are not noticed as important or beautiful, but demonstrate creativity in everyday life differently? Does it make you think about women’s traditions and creativity differently? Read along with Alice Walker’s essay “In Search of our Mother’s Gardens” her often anthologized short story titled “Everyday Use.” ~How do these two pieces complement each other? Are there tensions between the two? ~Describe the character traits of the main female characters found in the story. Where is there tension between the traits of Mama in the story and the traits of who Dee would like her mother to be? What does this suggest? ~What does “heritage” mean to Dee through the text? How does it change? What does “heritage” mean to Maggie and Mama? What does this suggest for people who want to pay attention to important traditions in their own heritage? ~What is so important about the quilts in this story? Is it the same thing that is important to each character?


Additional Resources Artist’s website with more background information on her work: http://www.fabricswork.com/ Articles referenced above may be found in many anthologies. Two web-‐based versions noted below (may be copyright protected: only for individual use) In Search of our Mother’s Gardens: (http://www.msmagazine.com/spring2002/walker.asp) Everyday Use: http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/EMcConnell/files/everyday%20use.pdf

ednapatterson,petty,quilts% - company of folk › wp-content › uploads › 2013 › 09 ›...

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