Quilters have had a history of activism, stitching their positions on everything from abolition to women's suffrage into their quilts. And among the art quilts and prizewinners at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, contemporary quiltmakers addressed Black Lives Matter, the Occupy movement, Standing Rock, and more:

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Quilters have had a history of activism, stitching their positions on everything from abolition to women's suffrage into their quilts. And among the art quilts and prizewinners at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, contemporary quiltmakers addressed Black Lives Matter, the Occupy movement, Standing Rock, and more.

The Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival opens Thursday, Feb 23, at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, VA, and features over 500 quilts and works of textile art. It is a 4-day event which continues through Sunday, February 26. Hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday are 10 am - 6 pm, Sunday 10 am - 4 pm.

The quilter notes, "The images are framed by a pattern, and variations, called Courthouse Steps, to remind us of the importance of voting rights to make a change."

Quiltmaker Carol Murdock writes: In a 1992 speech, former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall stated that: "Democracy cannot flourish amid fear. Liberty cannot bloom amid hate. Justice cannot take root amid rage." On that day he observed that our government and our legal system can open doors and knock down walls, but that the task of building bridges falls to us as Americans. In these times of political change, frustration, and skepticism, we must be even more vigilant. We must nourish tolerance. We need to grow into acceptance. And we need to sprinkle all this with unconditional love. That way we can enjoy our flowers of Freedom as they fill our garden with a happy life for all!"

The Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival is open through Sunday.

Authors Website: http://www.OceanViewArts.com

Authors Bio:

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, 2013. In June, 2015, the combined views on her articles, diaries and quick link contributions topped one million. She was particularly happy that her article about Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag was the one that put her past the million mark.

Her art in a wide variety of media can be seen on her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on Creativity and Joy" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGs2r_66QE

A NYC native, her response to 9-11 was to pen an invitation to healing through creativity, entitled, "90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Stitch in an Afternoon" (Krause 2006), which is a bestseller in the craft field. The sequel, MORE 90-Minute Quilts: 20+ Quick and Easy Projects With Triangles and Squares was released in April, 2011. Her popular video, How to Stitch a Quilt in 90 Minutes with Meryl Ann Butler can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShGOQaJQ8

She has been active in a number of international, arts-related projects as a citizen diplomat, and was arts advisor to Baltimore's CIUSSR (Center for Improving US-Soviet Relations), 1987-89. She made two trips to the former USSR in 1987 and 1988 to speak to artists, craftpeople and fashion designers on the topic of utilizing the arts as a tool for global wellbeing. She created the historical "First US-Soviet Children's Peace Quilt Exchange Project" in 1987-88, which was the first time a reciprocal quilt was given to the US from the former USSR.

Her artwork is in collections across the globe.

Meryl Ann is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society and has been building labyrinths since 1992. She publishes an annual article about the topic on OpEdNews on World Labyrinth Day, the first Saturday in May.

OpEdNews Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in "Beyond Surviving: How to Thrive in Challenging Times" at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Beyond-Surviving--How-to-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Anxiety_Appreciation_Coronavirus_Creativity-200318-988.html

Find out more about Meryl Ann's artistic life in "OEN Managing Ed, Meryl Ann Butler, Featured on the Other Side of the Byline" at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/OEN-Managing-Ed-Meryl-Ann-in-Life_Arts-Artistic_Artists_Quilt-170917-615.html

On Feb 11, 2017, Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in Pink Power: Sister March, Norfolk, VA at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pink-Power-Sister-March--by-Joan-Brunwasser-Pussy-Hats-170212-681.html

"Creativity and Healing: The Work of Meryl Ann Butler" by Burl Hall is at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Creativity-and-Healing--T-by-Burl-Hall-130414-18.html

Burl and Merry Hall interviewed Meryl Ann on their BlogTalk radio show, "Envision This," at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2013/04/11/meryl-ann-butler-art-as-a-medicine-for-the-soul

Archived articles www.opednews.com/author/author1820.html
Older archived articles, from before May 2005 are here.