Artworks (from left to right) Emily Hughes , Cynthia Woodland, Evelyn Lockhart-Williams, Catrina J. Sparkman, Joyce Outlaw
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, 6-8pm. This event is free and open to all.
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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
Edith Hilliard
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.