TMQ6
Response to Lynch Quilts Project
TMQ6 evolved from the residency of visiting artist, LaShawnda Crowe Storm, as well as an exhibition of selections from her work, The Lynch Quilts Project. Bib & Tucker Sew-Op received support from the Jefferson County Memorial Project (JCMP - a grassroots coalition that formed to do research and education for the placement of historical markers at lynching sites) as well as UAB's Department of Art and Art History. Shortly after Ms. Storm's visit to Birmingham, the Covid-19 pandemic took full effect and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery shook the nation. It was decided that since in-person programming had been indefinitely canceled, and Ms. Storm's residency proved particularly relevant to societal issues in the summer of 2020, the best TMQ theme would be one that responded to The Lynch Quilts Project and the workshops conducted by Ms. Storm. Participants of those workshops were asked to contribute blocks for TMQ6.
47" x 77"
During her residency, LaShawnda Crowe Storm engaged participants in a workshop that touched on the traumas of lynching. Some participants were reminded that modern versions of lynching still occur, while others shared and spoke about personal traumas.
Afterwards, participants created blocks for the eighth quilt in Ms. Crowe Storm’s project named “Lawrence and His Sisters.” Fabrics which evoke boyhood in the 1910’s were used to form a border around the main subject, the lynched body of 12-year-old Lawrence Nelson.
Shortly after Ms. Crowe Storm’s visit came the murders of Ahmad Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Their deaths reiterated the vast inequalities across safety, policing, and economics. Furthermore, the Covid-19 crisis underlined inequalities within healthcare.
Participants of Ms. Crowe Storm’s workshops drew upon their experiences or what they witnessed across the country to create blocks for TMQ6. A color palette mimicking the one chosen by Ms. Crowe Storm was used to assemble TMQ6. Because the projects are directly linked, the letters “LQP” were pieced and placed in the corner of TMQ6.
*The TMQ6 logo, designed by Lisa Nguyen for The Modern Brand, is a subtle nod to The Lynch Quilts Project (note the "L" and the "Q").