Meet three 20th century African American superstars – Anna Williams, Rosie Lee Tompkins, and Yvonne Wells. Learn about their incredible quilt journeys over the past 70 years. Anna Williams (1927-2010) was born and raised in Louisiana, and she quietly pieced hundreds of incredible improvisational masterpieces that later influenced many contemporary artists such as Nancy Crow. Her quilts are spread across American museums such as the Brooklyn Museum and the International Quilt Museum. Rosie Lee Tompkins (1936-2006) lived in California and made over 500 quilts. Most of those were collected by Eli Leon and are now part of the Berkeley Museum of Art and Pacific Film Archive. Rosie’s quilts have been shown in major art museums – including the Whitney Museum of American Art. Yvonne Wells (b. 1939 and still actively making quilts) lives in Alabama and her story quilts are rooted in improv, but filled with colorful, poignant applique. Yvonne’s singular vision narrates stories of social injustice, as well as humorous stories and unforgettable moments in American history. The International Quilt Museum holds 24 of Yvonne’s quilts. She is also included in the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and other collections and has gallery representation in New York City.
