Mar 22, 2024
Quilts by Khristel Johnson
In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Fiber Historian
Khristel Johnson, who in her own words says:
“As a student of life, mother of two, and educator for over 30 years, I have always celebrated learning. I mastered my subject matter during my years as a teacher and engaged in retelling the story of American history as presented in the assigned textbooks. While I often questioned the universal narrative, I complied with teaching mandates. It would be years later when I was faced with a significant racially motivated challenge as an administrator that I began to seek comfort through the stories and history of my African ancestors. I learned far more than I could have ever imagined. What began with a single discovery about "Pit Schools" quickly transformed into a series of unplanned fabric squares that I later constructed into my first 3-part series entitled, From the Plantation to the White House.
Driven by a growing hunger for knowledge and a desire to answer plaguing questions about American history, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. The more I knew, the more I wanted to know. Soon this singular self-serving mission broadened as I began to share the often-omitted experience of African Americans from the pages of textbooks used in classrooms across America. This was the unplanned beginning of quilts by Khristel Johnson.
Utilizing authentic African fabrics and beads I began experimenting with colors and designs meant to be visually inviting. My acquired knowledge and the integration of three-dimensional handmade art furthered this objective, resulting in a collection of 60 quilts.
It is my sincere hope that I can in some way inspire others to embark on their personal journey and seek amore inclusive, accurate and comprehensive understanding of the African American Experience.”
NAMES OF QUILTS KHRISTEL HAS CREATED:
2020 African Americans Applique African Diaspora Art of the Steal American History Black Cowboys 1 Black Cowboys 2 (lg) Black Excellence Black Experience (plantation to WH) Black Lives Matter Black Minds Matter (BMM) Black Power (Past, Present & Future) Black Veterans
ote (V) Blacknificant Buffalo Soldiers Change (Plantation to WH) Chickasaw Family Qlt Connections Descendents of Greatness Family Tree Freedom Riders Good Hair Herstory Honoring Our Ancestors (V) Hope (Plantation to WH) In My Lifetime Institutional Racism (BLM) Malcom X (Past, Present & Future) Red Summer of 1919 Ghana-Footsteps of our ancestors Quilt Codes (6/1/24) Black Farmers (5/1/2024) What have you got to lose? (Voting Series) We Are One (Gullah and Geechee)Tuskegee Airmen Tree of Wisdom Middle Passage Transatlantic 3/5th The Truth (BMM) Historical Reckoning Student Voices Strange Fruit A Stolen People (slavery) Stay Woke (BMM) Stevenson Family Quilt Resistence (Slavery) Power and Privilege (BLM) Plantations (slavery series) A Different PerspectiveMarketing of Human LivesMandelaHerstoryVote (part of Black vote series)Adinkra (small)
To view Khristel’s work, please visit her website:
Quiltsbykj.com
Email: kjohnson@quiltsbykj.com