American School (19th Century)Civil War Era Star Quilt Top, circa 1860Applique velvet with embroidery75 x 60 inches (190.5 x 152.4 cm)EXHIBITED:The Webber Center Gallery, 2006LITERATURE:African-American Quilts of Florida from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne LeCount Tyson II, Ocala, Florida, 2006, p. 1The following collection of quilts were collected and exhibited by Jean Macarthur Tyson, who was a proponent in the preservation and documentation of African-American quilts. This collection was exhibited at The Webber Center Gallery of Central Florida University, and in the apanying catalogue, Ms. Tyson noted that these quilts were collected at a time when few American museums were devoting resources to this field.Tyson takes note of the artistic similarities present in theposition of color and patterns in the quilts, to modern artists such as Mondrian, Itten, Klee, Albers and others; as well as the relation to Euro-American quilts and Native American blankets. Moreover, the unique tradition of quilt making in African-Americanmunities, in this case in Florida between 1860 and 1980. That tradition, often handed down generation after generation, was built from necessity, and continued as a folk art form. As noted by Carolyn Mazloomi in her book, Spirits of the Cloth: Contemporary African-American Quilts, "Although the African American quilting tradition dates back to the colonial times, contemporary pieces by black quilters are highly valued because of the their astonishingly vibrant creativity. The quilts made today in the African Americanmunity are as diverse as the people themselves, epassing a variety of technique and drawing upon imagery that ranges from vivid African-inspired patterns to sweet childhood memories, from searing social and political issues to the improvisational poetry of jazz."HID01801242017Artist or Maker: American SchoolDimensions: 75in x 60in x 0in