Family First: Ancestral Quilts with Beverly Y. Smith

Learn elements of quilting that connect you to your ancestors. Create your own ancestral quilt with artist quilter Beverly Y. Smith. Learn to transfer photo images to fabric, sew hand stitches, and add dimension to your quilt top with embellishments. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will have created the start of their own quilts to build upon.

Family First is presented by Novant Health

Beverly Y. Smith is a mixed-media fiber artist, quilter, and educator. For over 20 years, she has drawn on ideas, methods, and materials that are usually associated with her African American and Southern roots. Beverly grew up in Charlotte, NC and has a BS in Psychology and a BA in Art Education, graduating magna cum laude. She also earned a Master of Art Education.

Beverly expresses herself through quilts because of their personal connections to her ancestors. She states, "there are qualities inherent in art made of fabric and thread: the particular depth of the colors, the layers, and the texture of the stitches, that can't be duplicated in other mediums." It is also characteristic of her work to contain nostalgic materials such as re-claimed garments, product advertisements, and figures of people of historical and personal importance.

Beverly tends to focus on themes from the Antebellum South that address past taboos and controversial issues. Most of the characters in her work reflect the people in her life. The subjects are usually honored memories of sisters, aunts, mothers, and other women of valor.