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And Then There Was Hope

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-6796

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Women of Color Quilters Network; Quilts and Human Rights; Black Diaspora Quilt History Project

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

15.0100

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

2014:55.21

Quilt's title:

And Then There Was Hope

Subject of the quilt:

Barack Obama, Hope

Who helped you fill out the form?

Aleia Brown

When was the form filled out?

4/2/2015

Quilt top made by:

Fell, Deborah

Quilted by:

Fell, Deborah

Where the quilt was made, city:

Urbana

Where the quilt was made, state:

Illinois (IL)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

2000-2025

When was the quilt finished?

2009

Quilt is presently used as:

Artwork/wall hanging

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

African American

Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?

Women of Color Quilters Network

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

39"

How long is the quilt?

34"

Shape of edge:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Beige or Tan; Black; Blue; Brown; Red; Yellow

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Type of inscription:

Date; Message; Single Inscription

What is inscribed on the quilt?

(c) 2009 Deborah Fell 39" x 34" President Obama came to the University of Illinois in 2004 while running for the Illinois Senate. Hearing him speak for the first time, I felt hope unlike anything that I have ever experienced before in regards to our national political arena. The photos I took of Mr. Obama hung on my studio inspiration wall for a number of years before he was elected as our President. This photo became the image used in this art quilt. Started before the election, I only knew a few things about the ultimate visual image I was trying to portray in this quilt. One, the face of Obama needed to be all colors of the world since he has such a global connection to so many. Two, the word hope, embedded into the piecing, needed to serve as one of the fundamental design images. Mr. Obama gave the state of Illinois hope during his Senate election and again in the presidential campaign. Finally, the words during the year before the election set our country on fire with a lucidity we desperately needed. The words too, needed to be a central design element. Besides being a studio artist, I am also a veteran public high school teacher with over 30 years of teaching experience. Like a patchwork quilt, my dual lives are interwoven. I brainstormed with ninth and tenth grade students; my question to them was "what words come to mind when you think of the election?" The words the students generated were indicative of the awareness the students had of the importance of this election. Twenty-five of the words were from an autistic student. In January 2009 the world changed. And then there was hope... Special thanks to Fifth Hour Study Support Class, Dylan, James and Jessica

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

2009

Method used to make the inscription:

Ink; Typewriter

Location of inscription:

on back

Describe the quilt's layout:

Pictorial

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Hand-dyed

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

Silk noil, textile pens

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique; Fusible Applique

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand dyeing, fiber reactive dyes, large scale digital printing

Embellishments used:

Cotton thread

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton

How thick is the quilt?

Thin

How are the layers held together?

Machine quilting

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Original to maker

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

Journey of Hope in America

Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:

Journey of Hope: Quilts Inspired by President Barack Obama (exhibit catalog), Carolyn L. Mazloomi, Minneapolis: Voyageur Press, 2010.

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt collector

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)

How was this quilt acquired?

Received as a gift

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

From the Collection of Carolyn Mazloomi

Who photographed this quilt?

Pearl Yee Wong

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum, all rights reserved

Cite this Quilt

Fell, Debora. And Then There Was Hope. 2009. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Women of Color Quilters Network; Quilts and Human Rights; Black Diaspora Quilt History Project. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-6796. Accessed: 03/28/24