February 28, 2022 Kudos to our facilitators who guided insightful and thoughtful classes in celebration of the many cultural and artistic contributions of Black Americans. “The geometrically patterned quilt art was created by the WAE Center’s ‘Make Use, Make Art’ class after studying the quilts made by African American women during slavery. Each pattern was considered to be coded information for planning an escape for the enslaved people. Each member in the class made their own panel, then the group worked together to make the overall design of a quilt.” Faye Graye – Art Facilitator Art Facilitator, Yvette Lucas, focused on the artwork of Jerry Pinkney, an African American illustrator of children’s books. His work won acclaim in bringing more than 100 children’s books to life, many with Black characters or images of Black history and culture during a time when there were few stories where Black children were represented. Members in the class were shown his images from the book called “Back Home”, a story about a young girl learning about her family from the south. Everyone was encouraged to try Pinkney’s technique of using pencil and watercolors, while exploring their personal cultures and families. Montclair Art Museum is currently exhibiting Pinkney’s work through June 26!
