A Piece of My Soul: Quilts by Black Arkansans
Quilts posse a heritage like no other heirloom. They are each uniquely comprised of actual pieces of history containing memories, both good and bad. These hand-made masterpieces reveal the heart and soul of the hundreds of African American quilt makers that crafted them with love and determination. Interpreted through documentary vignettes and multiple pages of photos and text, Eidson brings to life these works of art via an interactive video kiosk within the exhibit “A Piece of My Soul.” Much of the content was shot on-location in small rural Arkansas communities where the artistry of quilting has survived for generations. Rarely choosing the European-based quilting styles when quilting for themselves, they re-defined quilting in terms of black sensibilities bringing to the art of quilting a new sense of color and an improvisational approach to pattern creation. The result is a uniquely American black art form. The challenge of displaying nearly 90 large art works was met beautifully by this video kiosk format.
