Our founder and president was exciteed to be a part of a new exhibit at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art chronicles the contributions of Black people to the historical American West, and beyond.

Black Pioneers: Legacy in the American West is a collection of unique pictorial quilts, each hand-fashioned by members of the national Women of Color Quilters Network (WCQN).

The museum, located in St. Petersburg, FL, hosted an opening weekend for more than 40 artists from across the country on Friday, September 9th –  Sunday, September 11th and will be on view through January 8, 2023.

Dr. Tony Jean Dickerson’s quilt in honor of Mattie Bell Bost Castner celebrates an entreprenuer who left North Carolina immediately after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and died the largest land owner in Belt, Montana. With its emphasis on the landscape of Montana, Dr. Dickerson’s quilt will be the first quilt that students in St. Petersburg will encounter on their tour to understand the terrain of the West the pioneers encountered. 

Dr. Carol Mazloomi, the award-winning quilter and historian, curated the exhibit and served as the editor of the exhibits catalog of quilts. The catalog will soon be available on Amazon, but until then it can be acquired by contacting the James Museum directly at 727-892-4200.