Presented by the Quilt Alliance: "Stories are embedded in quilts. They live alongside fabric, batting, and thread, and convey history, meaning, emotions, and messages. The Quilt Alliance’s mission is to work with you to document, preserve, and share the stories of your quilts and keep them from fading away. This week on Textile Talks, we’ll share some of the inspiring voices and quilt stories we’ve recorded in the last few years. From Bisa Butler to Anna Maria Horner to Carla Hemlock and Tula Pink to the voice of quilters like Asheville NC’s Jennifer Haines, we’ve recorded spotlight interviews with fascinating and accomplished artists in our community." Register today and watch when this episode airs this Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at 2 PM EDT.
If you haven't had heard the name Bisa Butler by now, then are you in for a treat with what you are about to see. Bisa takes moments throughout black history, and creates life-size quilted portraits with vibrant colors that will capture your imagination and attention from a mile away. In this profile from CBS Evening News, Bisa is interviewed about just what makes her quilts so special.
: "Artist Bisa Butler has been called a modern-day Griot – but instead of using words to tell stories, she uses stitches and cloth. Her quilts have graced the covers of magazines and she created the striking illustration for the soon-to-be-released book "Unbound," the memoir of activist and Me Too movement founder Tarana Burke. Nancy Chen reports."
Now that you know that the exhibit has been extended to September 2021, listen to Bisa Butler talk about the inspirations behind some of her work as she tours her own exhibit, Bisa Butler: Portraits, at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Bisa Butler's beautiful exhibit Bisa Butler: Portraits has been extended through September 2021 at the Art Institute of Chicago. Find out why this is a collection that is not to be missed.