My Voice on Cloth: Story quilters of the South Carolina Lowcountry.

摘要

My Voice on Cloth explores the lives and artistry of a group of African-American women art quilters based in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina. The thesis describes how art quilters use textiles to tell stories that challenge social constructs and negotiate identity, transforming a traditional medium into a contemporary art form. My research analyzes story or pictorial quilts as ethnographic narratives that serve to "re-tell" history, to reflect individual experience, to project the artist's voice, and to shape the creator's identity. I argue that story quilts are platforms for invention, re-interpretation, and cultural negotiation. By expanding the boundaries of her art each quiltmaker claims freedom of expression and the power to transform a practical skill into creative energy capable of pushing the world in a new direction.