PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa
Contact: Kevin Ledgewood
pr@tuscarts.org
205-758-5195, x6
QUILTS BY ARTIST YVONNE WELLS FEATURED AT THE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER DURING FEBRUARY
(Tuscaloosa, Ala.) The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa will host a presentation of work by quilter and artist Yvonne Wells at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center. The exhibit, titled “Civil Rights: Two Decades of Change,” will open with a reception on Feb. 6, 2015 from 5 – 8 p.m. during First Friday and will conclude on Feb. 27.
The exhibit is the compilation of seven quilts created by Wells, all within the theme of major events taking place in the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s through the 1960s in the United States.
Yvonne Wells is a self-taught artist and retired physical education teacher, having taught in the Tuscaloosa public schools for most of her adult life. In 1979, during a major renovation of her home, she decided to make her first quilt. With knowledge of how her mother, many years before, made utility quilts, she made her simple pieced quilt. The experience inspired her to create story and picture quilts that expressed the messages in her heart. Wells refers to herself an artist who makes folk art and her medium is the quilt. She is now famous for her signature picture quilts, which often include Biblical and civil rights themes. The artist sells her quilts at festivals and in galleries. Almost all of her work is displayed on a wall instead of lying across a bed.
Her style has attracted attention far beyond Tuscaloosa, and in recent years her work has been featured in traveling exhibits at museums all over the country. Six of her quilts are now part of the permanent collection of the International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Nebraska. Wells has exhibited her work at Northport’s Kentuck Festival of the Arts for almost 30 years and has received numerous awards, including Best in Show.
Inspired by the talent the CAC’s namesake generously shared, Wells created a Dinah Washington quilt and donated it to the Cultural Arts Center.
The Arts Council Gallery hours are 9 – noon and 1 – 4 p.m. on weekdays and noon – 8 p.m. on First Fridays.
The Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center is located at 620 Greensboro Avenue in Downtown Tuscaloosa. For more information about the CAC, The Arts Council or Bama Theatre, patrons should LIKE the Facebook page “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” and follow tuscarts on Twitter. Call 205-758-5195 or visit tuscarts.org for further information.
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