Purdue News

January 29, 2003 Black Cultural Center sponsors quilting event WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University Black Cultural Center will sponsor A Day of Quilting on Thursday, Feb. 13. The event, featuring presentations by Bessie Baker, Mary Losey and members of the Old Tippecanoe Quilting Guild, will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the BCC. Katrina Gorman and Letha Anderson, president of the Sisters of the Cloth Quilting Guild in Fort Wayne, Ind., also will speak. Gorman's work is on display at the Orchard Gallery of Fine Arts in Fort Wayne. Donna Hall, BCC program service supervisor, says attendees will benefit from quilting tips and learn the history of quilting. "Quilts are a usable form of art that have been handed down from generation to generation," Hall says. "They speak a special language with their colors, designs, patterns and textures. During the time of slavery, quilts were not only used as a means of keeping warm, but their patterns and designs also were used to guide the slaves as they traveled from point to point on the Underground Railroad making their way to freedom." The underground Railroad Quilt, researched and constructed by Julie Chambers' fourth-grade class at Otterbein Elementary School, also will be displayed. A Day of Quilting is free and open to the public. CONTACT: Donna Hall,(765) 494-3094, dmhall@purdue.edu. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page