CURRENT SHOW
Kuumba Afrikan American Quilters Guild of Richmond
January 10 through March 1
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday-Friday
11am-5pm
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Ideas Evolve and Hands Create speaks directly to the artistry of this collective of African-American women, whose hands transform ideas into powerful textile expressions. Through fabric and thread, they craft exceptional art quilts that explore cultural heritage, social justice, and personal identity. These works—often imbued with spiritual and ancestral resonance—bridge generations, evolving traditional quilting techniques into bold, contemporary narratives. With each stitch, they shape layered stories that reflect both historical truths and visions for the future. Their innovative use of color, texture, and symbolism is a testament to the enduring power of creative hands guided by evolving ideas. More than art, these quilts serve as living documents—preserving, honoring, and re-imagining heritage in ways that both empower the maker and enlighten the viewer.
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About the Guild
The Richmond, Virginia-based Kuumba Afrikan-American Quilting Guild was founded in October 2012. Founders Esther Ivory, Martha Jones-Carter, Gloria Lewis, and Naima Wares-Akers are the nucleus of a collective of quilters that add their expertise and showmanship when it comes to jewelry, basket and textile weaving, doll making, mixed media and needlepoint, cross-stitch, knitting, crochet, and stain glass artistry. Kuumba is the sixth principle of the African American holiday Kwanzaa meaning creativity. Our mission is to promote appreciation and interest in traditional, contemporary, and new forms of quilting and other textile arts.
The 10th Anniversary commemorating the guild’s founding and repertoire of creative textile art kicked off with an exhibit at The Cultural Center at Glen Allen entitled, Kaleidoscope: Rekindling a History (September 15 – November 14, 2022). Curated by the center’s Lauren Hall, coordination was facilitated by Kuumba members Rosalyn Key-Tiller and Greta Brayboy-Runnels. On October 29, 2022, the 10th Anniversary luncheon was celebrated under the theme Connecting Creative Spirits Through Fabric. Esther Ivory with Angela Hayden, India Ivory, Gloria Lewis, and Hilda Perkins led the anniversary committee. 
The guild has also participated in exhibitions at The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia and the Spotlight Gallery at Pine Camp Cultural Arts Center. Members have also individually represented themselves in the press, a variety of juried exhibitions, competitions and are in private collections throughout The Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond.
In addition, most recently, the guild has presented a beginning quilters workshop at the Henrico County Library, Varina Branch this past spring; as well as a beginning quilters workshop at the Design Studio for the Office of Equity, Diversity and Opportunity for Henrico Public Schools.
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