Kyra Hicks became a believer in quilts as storytellers upon seeing a traveling exhibition of Eva Ungar Grudin’s “Stitching Memories: African-American Story Quilts” in 1990.
“That (very) afternoon in the museum,” she remembers, “I found my voice.” She then taught herself to create her own quilts that document personal experiences along political, religious, family, and romantic themes. Among other venues, Hicks’ work has been shown at The American Craft Museum in New York City and The Smithsonian Institution’s Renwick Gallery in Washington DC.
In addition, her “afternoon in the museum” fostered a passion to learn others’ stories through historical, investigative research, rediscovering the lives of quilters past. Hicks has authored several books, including Black Threads: An African American Quilting Sourcebook (2003) and a children’s book, Martha Ann’s Quilt for Queen Victoria (2007). Her book Franklin Roosevelt’s Postage Stamp Quilt: The Story of Estella Weaver Nukes’ Presidential Gift is the subject of the Virginia Quilt Museum’s first lecture of the Inaugural Christopher C. Grandle Lecture Series on Saturday, March 12.
The lecture will be held at St. Stephen’s Church, 358 S. Main St., Harrisonburg, Virginia, starting at 1:30 pm. Following the lecture, Ms. Hicks will sign books at the Museum. (Her books will be available for purchase in the shop.) The event’s cost is $10 for students, $15 for museum members, $20 for nonmembers, and includes the lecture, book signing, and admission to the Museum, where visitors may view a brand new postage stamp quilt exhibit developed in coordination with this lecture. Tickets may be purchased online by following the link at http://www.vaquiltmuseum.org/events or by check mailed to the Virginia Quilt Museum no later than March 8. Checks should indicate “Kyra Hicks” on the note line, include the names of all ticket holders, and be sent to 301 S. Main St., Harrisonburg, VA 22801.
The Virginia Quilt Museum was founded in 1995 and exists to celebrate quilting in Virginia. The Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit funded solely through private donations, memberships, and revenue from admissions and museum shop sales. The Virginia Quilt Museum receives no federal or state funding.
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