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Challenge Quilts displayed and voted on!
15 April 2026
ELLEN BLALOCK
Art, Artists and Activism: Quilts
This lecture gives a brief history of artists that use the quilt medium to produce art quilts that address social, political and current affairs in their community and the world. I discuss the story development of several quilts I produced from two or more quilt series that address violence, racism, identity, trauma and mental illness. The narrative of these quilts show connections to my life as a journalist and documentarian. For quilt groups I cover my journey to adapt quilting techniques to my work. I pick several quilts and explain construction and problem solving with a theme.
BIO I am an artist with a mission. I believe my job is to be a conduit to listen and tell the stories of people that need to be heard and represented; the ones whose lives and experiences have been marginalized. I am particularly interested in the African American experience in the United States. Through my art I have dealt with issues around African American teen fathers, slavery, female identity and power, LGBTQ families, “Deaf” children, mental illness and trauma, and the ancestors. My job is to listen, to record, to make available the voices and stories of what is missing. The Fathers’ Project, Beyond Boundaries in Ghana, The Quilt Project, Know Me, the WHOLE Me and CAGE have all grown out of my need to help give voices to people and communities that need their stories told. I work in many media. The main ones are photography, video, drawing, and fiber. Some of my projects have been collaborations with other artists for performance art and installation pieces. I have taught courses in art, art history and photography at several colleges and universities. My signature studio course is The Visual Narrative. I have a BFA from Tyler College of Art, Temple University and a MFA from Syracuse University. I am originally from Philadelphia, PA and live in Syracuse, NY.
Click here to learn more about Ellen Blalock