Artist Reception: Heritage Quilters “Evolution of a Tradition Quilt Exhibition”

“Evolution of Tradition,” centers social justice themes, perspectives on historical events, and cultural representations.

It includes representations of women in church hats, work hats, and traditional quilt covers. The exhibition highlights quilting as a material culture with no right or wrong approach or competing aesthetics. The quiltmakers in this exhibition hope viewers leave inspired and curious about quilts as conduits for creative expressions connected to the complex times in which we live.

About the Heritage Quilters. The Heritage Quilters operate to support, encourage, and document quilting traditions and activities. The group includes women and men, mostly older adults (one young person) from Warren and Vance Counties. All the group members have strong connections with their community.

Although each member brings their unique touch, the group prides itself on the level of hand quilting expertise it possesses. While some members utilize machines,
handwork is always present. Those same stitches have shaped several projects that bring together a spectrum of skills and amplify their love of community and
engagement. The Heritage Quilters have enjoyed math and quilting lessons with Warren County fourth graders for over ten years. President Belinda Mack Alston
proudly recalls how moved she was by the group’s civic engagement, stating, “I learned a lot more about being involved because they would sit and discuss things that
were actually going on in the community. It made me more aware of my surroundings and how people from all walks of life can be active.”

The Heritage Quilters occupy and maintain the Historic Aaron Hendrick House in downtown Warrenton, North Carolina.