Quilt 

Ashton Meade 
Circa 1950 
Cloth, thread, cotton 
Fun fact: Quilts were a necessity rather than a luxury, which is why we don’t see them as often. 
African American quilting was started when African enslaved were forced to take on Western gender roles and women took over a neutral craft. 
As it is now, African American quilting is the combination of Caribbean, Central American, and Southern US traditions, though key elements were carried from the past. Bright colors, bold patterns, symbolism, and storytelling are large parts of this art form.  
Displayed here is a quilt, used functionally as a means to keep warm, because quilting was a necessity. Very few are still intact today.