Connecting Through Quilts - "We Gather at the Edge" Is Now on View at SAAM's Renwick Gallery

We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists
On view through June 22

Renwick Gallery
Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006

The artists featured in We Gather at the Edge honor the Black story quilt tradition with work that envisions a more just and connected world. The selection of quilts featured is remarkable in its scope and groundbreaking in its representation of Black history and culture as told with needle and thread. The exhibition highlights SAAM’s recent acquisition of quilts from the collection of Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi and celebrates her legacy as the founder of the Women of Color Quilters Network.
Mazloomi, who holds a doctorate in aerospace engineering, is a prolific artist, curator, and scholar. In 1985 she founded the Women of Color Quilters Network, fulfilling the desire of isolated makers to connect and continue Black textile traditions. In 2023, the Smithsonian American Art Museum acquired 35 quilts from the Mazloomi collection, 33 of which are featured in the exhibition.

We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Generous support is provided by The Porter Family Charitable Foundation, in memory of Amelie “Lee” Wallace Porter. Major support is provided by Nedra and Peter Agnew and The James Renwick Alliance for Craft with additional support from Chris G. Harris, The Share Fun, and Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell.
Image Credits: Myrah Brown Green, In My Akuabaa Form, 2000, cotton fabric and cotton batt, 95 × 86 in. (241.3 × 218.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2023.40.19, © 2000, Myrah Brown Green
Installation photography of We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2025; Photos by Albert Ting

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