My aspirations were always to be an artist. At a very young age I would get my allowance and pick up The New York Times. I would take the fashions, and of course there was no one that looked like me, so I would get my crayons out and start coloring in people, making them all colors. I would take their clothing and add colors.

Very, very fortunate to have an Aunt Dora who saw a little spark in me and said, “I really enjoy your creativity. I can just see you blossoming.”

My parents said, “We want her to go to college to have a career. There are so many struggles that white artists have — how is a young African American able to make a living?” I had to put some of my dreams on the back burner.

After I got married, some little spark happened, thinking about my dreams that I put on the back burner. Got a job at a center for pregnant young women. I would get finished with my work and go downstairs where the girls had classes, and say, “How about let’s make some crocheted blankets for your babies.” I started teaching and things just started escalating for me. I joined a weaving class. When we moved to New York City, I was the mom and home a lot so I took a class at Cooper Square Art Center. Our weaving teacher was a very structured European teacher. It was wonderful training for me.

I can remember coming to Hartford after being in New York, and saying, “I don’t want to live here! It’s the country!” The Wadsworth Athenaeum had a weaving center and I took classes, then studied with a master weaver. That just opened a whole new world for me.

I started volunteering at the Blue Hills Senior Center. I said, “How about some kind of art and craft program?” And I did that. I took over as acting director. Moved the program to Oak Hill School for the Blind. We had a studio and people with low vision.

I had started quilting by that time so we brought in a quilting project. That particular place is now called the Hartford Artisans Weaving Center. I started that.

Quilting just emerged. I had no idea it was going to take over my life! My first piece — I was frantic. I was really a weaver, new to quilting, and I was asked to be in an exhibition with these fabulous quilt artists. I had been to Ghana. I wanted to incorporate my woven scraps into some of my purchased cloth. I did a wall hanging with all of that and got international recognition. I said, “This is the way to go!”

I’m in three museums, in private collections, in The Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian. And one of my quilts is now in the National African American Museum.

Quilting has opened up a whole new world for me. I know my Auntie would be very proud.

I’ve got to get in the studio! I have all these ideas. My son John and I are doing digital art. I love it! I play with the visual art. Then I print it out on cloth and quilt it. It’s so exciting! I’m forever a student. I’m forever learning. I really love it. One of the things I always say, never ever give up on your dreams.

Press [CMD left arrow - Mac] or [CTRL left arrow - Windows] to return to image