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Catalyst for Change

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-6621

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Quilts and Human Rights; South Africa Quilt History Project; The Black Diaspora Quilt History Project

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

15.0191

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

2015:18.2

Object label:

Intuthuko Embroidery Group artists with Hester Viles
Catalyst for Change
Etwatwa and Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa | Hand dyed threads on 100% South African cotton fabric and edged with traditional Shweshwe fabric; embroidered, pieced

Artists who have had the privilege to study art on a formal level can work with informal artists to empower them to take social, ecological, and economic control of their environment. Such collaboration activates strategies that extend beyond visual narratives and aesthetic pleasure and is instrumental in generating a sense of achievement and a shared belonging and trust in the community.

Twenty-three informally trained women artists of the Intuthuko Embroiderers created the individual embroidered pieces; artist Hester Viles combined the pieces into a complete quilt. The value of this embroidery project is found in its inclusiveness that creates a dialogue and echoes the co-operative spirit between Nelson Mandela and Willem de Klerk. This is an expression of the traditional meaning of ubuntu, an African word that transcends any written definition and is best expressed as "I am a person because of other people". The collaboration between these two leaders is regarded all over the world as a catalyst for dramatic social and political change in South Africa and is echoed by the interchange between these artists from diverse backgrounds.

Quilt's title:

Catalyst for Change

Subject of the quilt:

Nelson Mandela

Who helped you fill out the form?

Hester Viles

When was the form filled out?

6/25/2015

Quilted by:

Viles, Hester

Name of the group that made the quilt:

Intuthuko Embroidery Group artists with Hester Viles

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

Museum employee

Where the quilt was made, city:

Etwatwa and Johannesburg

Where the quilt was made, province:

Gauteng

Where the quilt was made, country:

South Africa

Time period:

2000-2025

When was the quilt finished?

2014

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression; Commemorative

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Group

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

29 3/4"

How long is the quilt?

30"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Beige or Tan; Black; Gold

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Describe the quilt's layout:

Nontraditional or art

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand dyed threads on 100% South African cotton fabric and edged with traditional Shweshwe fabric.

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Original to maker

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

"Conscience of the Human Spirit: The Life of Nelson Mandela", The International Quilt Conference Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa, July 2014. "Conscience of the Human Spirit: The Life of Nelson Mandela", The Kentucky Museum at Wester Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, September 8, 2015 - January 31, 2016 "Conscience of the Human Spirit: The Life of Nelson Mandela", National Afro American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, OH, April 7 - October 7, 2016.

Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:

"Conscience of the Human Spirit: The Life of Nelson Mandela," exhibit catalog, Marsha MacDowell and Carolyn Mazloomi, Michigan State University Museum, 2014, page 24.

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

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Who photographed this quilt?

Pearl Yee Wong

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum

Cite this Quilt

Viles, Heste. Catalyst for Change. 2014. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Quilts and Human Rights; South Africa Quilt History Project; The Black Diaspora Quilt History Project. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-6621. Accessed: 03/28/24

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