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Why is Harriet Powers important?
Powers, born a slave in Georgia in 1837, created the quilts after she was emancipated. She made use of appliqué techniques and storytelling often found in the textiles of Western Africa.
Who were Harriet Powers parents?
One is in the National Museum of American History collection at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and the other is in the Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston, Massachusetts. Harriet was born into slavery on October 29, 1837, in Clarke County, Georgia, on a plantation owned by John and Nancy Lester.
How did Harriet Powers impact the world?
Harriet Powers had a legacy. Her legacy was her quilts. People today can benefit from her quilts because they tell folk stories on them and they also tell stories from the Bible. Instead of writing out a bunch of words, she quilted pictures that told the stories.
How many quilts did Harriet Powers make?
She actually references several other quilts that she made – indicating that she made at least five quilts. Powers mentioned that she made one of her quilts as early as 1882: “I composed a quilt of the Lord’s Supper from the New Testament.
Where did Harriet Powers live?
Clarke County
Harriet Powers/Places lived
Powers was born into slavery near Athens on October 29, 1837, and lived more than half her life in Clarke County, mainly in Sandy Creek and Buck Branch.
What is the medium used in the work of African American folk artists Harriet Powers?
cotton quilts
The cotton quilts consist of numerous pictorial squares depicting biblical scenes and celestial phenomena. They were constructed through applique and piecework and were hand and machine stitched.
How did music help slaves?
Music was a way for slaves to express their feelings whether it was sorrow, joy, inspiration or hope. Songs were passed down from generation to generation throughout slavery. These songs were influenced by African and religious traditions and would later form the basis for what is known as “Negro Spirituals”.