To celebrate Black History Month and Women’s History Month, Westfield on Weekends (WOW) is featuring “Journey Stories: The Quilts of Edjohnetta Miller” from February 20 through April 5 at its Center at 105 Elm Street in downtown Westfield.
Miller is a nationally known fiber artist, quilter educator and activist, who has work in many private and public collections, including Hartford’s Wadsworth Athenaeum, the Nelson Mandela Museum in Cape Town, South Africa and the U.S. embassies in Chad, Benin and Ethiopia. In addition to being a part of the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibits, her art will be featured at the Smithsonian’s Resnick Gallery this coming April.
The expansive exhibit at WOW will spotlight Miller’s extraordinary career as a fiber artist with a wide variety of quilts and quilted hoops that represent her life journey,
Her pieces reflect her social justice views, as well as her love of life as a two-time breast-cancer survivor. According to Miller, many were created with a specific purpose “exemplifying the historic riches of African and African-American people and the struggles they have faced.”
Most of the quilts on display will be for sale with a portion of the proceeds, benefiting the community programming of Westfield on Weekends.
Together with her daughter, Ayisha Kishili Miller, who has inherited her mother’s skill and creativity and is also a fiber artist, Miller has offered workshops on fiber art and creativity within school systems, the Bushnell Center Education programs and at Castle Hill on Cape Cod.
She also continues to offer lectures on her journey as a Black female artist and cancer survivor and as an advocate for social justice.
“Journey Stories: The Quilts of Edjohnetta Miller” can be viewed:
Special group tours and individual showings may be arranged by calling WOW at 413-579-5967.
Sunday, March 9 • 1-4 PM
Saturday, March 15 • 12-4 PM
Wednesday, March 19 • 1 PM
Saturday, March 22 • 1-3 PM
Presented by Edjohnetta and her daughter, Ayisha Kilishi Miller from 1-3 pm. $40 per person. Register here!
Saturday, March 29 • 2 PM
(Mass Appeal) – Westfield on Weekends continues to bring interesting culture to, not only Westfield but the whole of Western Massachusetts. Here to tell us about a fascinating exhibit happening right now is Bob Plasse, President Westfield on Weekends.
The “Journey Stories” programming of Westfield on Weekends is funded in part with grants from the Westfield Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council with in-kind support from Reminder Publications. Westfield on Weekends, a 501(c)(3) volunteer non-profit which seeks to enhance community life through accessible and affordable programming that celebrates the diversity of life in Westfield.
