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The Flint Foreclosure Quilt

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quilt

QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-6262

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Quilts and Human Rights

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

13.0009

If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:

2013:11.1

Object label:

Flint Foreclosure Quilt
Kathryn Clark
San Francisco, California
2013
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#2013:11.1

Essay:

Artist statement:

My previous work as an urban planner made me acutely aware of how big an impact the foreclosure crisis would have on our cities and towns throughout the United States. However, very little was mentioned in the news.

It was important to me to present the whole story in a way that would captivate people’s attention and make a memorable statement. Making map quilts seemed an ironic solution. Quilts act as a functional memory, an historical record of difficult times. It is during times of hardship that people have traditionally made quilts, often resorting to scraps of cloth when so poor they could not afford to waste a single thread of fabric.

The neighborhoods shown are not an anomaly; they are a recurring pattern seen from coast to coast, urban to suburban neighborhoods across the US. The problem has not been solved, it is still occurring, just changing shape, affecting more of us.

Quilt's title:

The Flint Foreclosure Quilt

Quilt top made by:

Clark, Kathryn

If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?

Purchased the quilt

Where the quilt was made, city:

San Francisco

Where the quilt was made, state:

California (CA)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

2000-2025

When was the quilt started?

2013

When was the quilt finished?

2013

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

San Francisco

Quiltmaker's state:

California (CA)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Urban

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

26"

How long is the quilt?

46"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Red; White

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Type of inscription:

Signature

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Kathryn Clark

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

18

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton; Linen

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

Cheescloth

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

How is the binding made?

Unfinished/raw edge

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

No filling

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:

The red backing acts as a foundation. The linen rectangles are attached to the red back with large running stitches. Smaller rectangles have been cut from the linen revealing red rectangles that represent foreclosed lots in a neighborhood. The whole piece is covered with cheesecloth with straight line quilting stitches holding the entire work together. All edges are raw to show how fragile and imperfect the neighborhoods are, how they’re falling apart.

Source of the information on this quilt:

Museum employee

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public- Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's name:

Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's city:

East Lansing

Quilt owner's county:

Ingham

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Purchase

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

It was a pleasure creating the Flint Foreclosure Quilt for Michigan State University. I hope everyone enjoys viewing it.

Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:

My previous work as an urban planner made me acutely aware of how big an impact the foreclosure crisis would have on our cities and towns throughout the United States. However, very little was mentioned in the news. It was important to me to present the whole story in a way that would captivate people’s attention and make a memorable statement. Making map quilts seemed an ironic solution. Quilts act as a functional memory, an historical record of difficult times. It is during times of hardship that people have traditionally made quilts, often resorting to scraps of cloth when so poor they could not afford to waste a single thread of fabric. The neighborhoods shown are not an anomaly; they are a recurring pattern seen from coast to coast, urban to suburban neighborhoods across the US. The problem has not been solved, it is still occurring, just changing shape, affecting more of us.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Who photographed this quilt?

Pearl Yee Wong

Copyright holder:

MSU Board of Trustees

Cite this Quilt

Clark, Kathry. The Flint Foreclosure Quilt. 2013. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Quilts and Human Rights. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-6262. Accessed: 03/28/24