The Work of Remembering: Story Quilts from Black Threads and The Memory Collectors Storytelling Project

media release: The Work of Remembering

Story Quilts from Black Threads and The Memory Collectors Storytelling Project

On view: April 22 through May 30, 2026

Gallery Hours: Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 12-4pm; Saturdays 10am-4pm

Opening reception with the artists: Friday, May 1, from 5:30-7:30pm. Additionally, the exhibition will be on view during Madison’s spring Gallery Night on Friday, May 8, from 5-9pm. Free and open to all.

Stitch and Chat sessions: Wednesday, May 13, 5-7pm and Wednesday, May 20, 4-6pm

Join us for informal stitching sessions and conversation with artists from The Work of Remembering. Bring your own sewing or stitching project, or use materials provided—either way, you’ll spend time creating in community while engaging directly with the artists and hearing about their stories, legacies, and the role quilting plays in capturing and sustaining memory. All skill levels are welcome. Registration is requested using the links above.

The Stock I Come From: a performance by Catrina J. Sparkman and the Black Threads Quilting Collective Wednesday, May 20, 6–7:30pm

This theatrical performance brings story quilts to life through voice, movement, and textile. Weaving together personal and collective histories, the artists explore lineage, memory, and the enduring threads that connect past to present. This special event expands the exhibition beyond the gallery, offering a deeply embodied experience of storytelling and tradition. Registration is requested using the link above.

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The Work of Remembering brings together a powerful collection of story quilts and legacy quilts created by two intergenerational groups of women in the Madison community: Black Threads and participants in The Memory Collectors Storytelling Project (MCSP). Rooted in shared histories, personal narratives, and collective making, the exhibition highlights the role of textile art as both a creative practice and a vessel for cultural memory.

The Black Threads Quilting Bee, founded in 2015, began as a gathering space for women artists of color to share stories and translate them into stitched form. Many participants were new to quilting, learning collaboratively while building community through storytelling. Their work laid the foundation for what would later grow into The Memory Collectors Storytelling Project.

MCSP expands this legacy through an ongoing, community-centered program focused on the cognitive and emotional well-being of BIPOC women. Meeting monthly, participants reflect on themes such as family, culture, faith, resistance, and lived experience. Through guided storytelling and hands-on instruction, they transform memory into material—creating story cloths and legacy quilts regardless of prior artistic experience. The program emphasizes nourishment in every sense: fostering connection through shared meals, creative expression, and mutual support.

Facilitated by artist-in-residence Alicia Rheal, the project also incorporates portraiture, further honoring each participant’s presence and story. Together, these works form a layered archive of voices that are too often underrepresented or unheard.

This exhibition features deeply personal and visually rich textile works that speak to identity, resilience, and remembrance. Each quilt serves as both an individual narrative and part of a broader communal history. The exhibition invites viewers to slow down, to read, to reflect, and to consider the many ways stories are carried—through hands, through fabric, and across generations.

Participating Artists:

Dr. Fabu Phillis Carter

Carmen Evanco

Julie R. Fagan

Emily Hughes

Edith Lawrence-Hilliard

Evelyn Lockhart-Williams

Cynthia Woodland

Joyce Outlaw

Jodie Pope

Alicia Rheal

Kay Simmons

Catrina J. Sparkman

Wanda Tapp

Sharon A. Walk

Bianca Williams-Griffin

Exhibitions at TAC are generously supported by Paula and David Kraemer, and by Dane Arts with additional funds from the Frautschi and Rowland Foundations, Diane Ballweg, and the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation.

If you are interested in information on supporting TAC’s nonprofit mission, and advancing creative expression through fiber art, please contact us.

on.org to learn more.