pend an hour or two with Jakki Dukes, Gloria Kellon, and Regina Abernathy and you’ll never think of a quilt
or quilt-making the same way again. For these Shaker residents, quilts are the canvas on which they create
visually stunning works of art.
from the deeply personal – such as a quilt by Kellon that features her husband, George, which, like
a Chuck Close painting, comes into full focus only from a distance – to the historical. The latter
includes a quilt by Dukes that features Crispus Attucks, a man of African descent who was the first
American casualty of the American Revolutionary War. The quilt was part of a recent exhibit, “And
Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations,” at the Cincinnati Museum Center.
But a common thread runs through all three artists’ work: to reflect on and preserve the African-
American experience. And as a testimony to the quality of their work, the three were chosen to exhibit original
quilts last summer at the International Quilt Convention Africa in Johannesburg, in honor of Nelson Mandela.
28 SHAKERONLINE.COM | WINTER 2015
ISUAL CONVERSATIONS
The renaissance in African-American
quilt-making, particularly “narrative” quilts,
has reached Shaker Heights ~
with extraordinary plaudits for the artists.
BY DIANA SIMEON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAYDIE HELLER
These quilts range from the traditional patchwork style, often with a twist, to the modern and
free-form quilt and seemingly every variation in between. They use a dizzying array of fabrics. Get
up close to their work and you’ll see hand-stitching, needlepoint, appliqué, and embroidery.
You’ll discover all sorts of materials, including buttons, beads, even shells. Their themes range
Portraits left-right ~ Jakki Dukes, Gloria Kellon, and Regina Abernathy.
Quilt detail used in “start letter” by Cleosene Johnson. Quilt detail used in “border & circle” by Leslie Clarke.