Sacred Invocations
Quilts by Sylvia Hernández, Brooklyn, NY

January 12 – March 13, 2021

Virtual Exhibition

Statement by artist Sylvia Hernández:
“I create story quilts to continue to pass the story on to others. These quilts are created in my heart and soul before I make them visible. There are so many hateful, hurtful, and heartbreaking things happening in the world that I feel a need to make pieces that might show them in a beautiful, heartfelt way to take some of the ugliness away for a minute…I pray for a time that I might make only happy quilts.”

About the artist:
Sylvia Hernández is a celebrated and self-taught master quilter, and she creates timeless, handcrafted works that address community and human right issues. Born on the Lower East Side and raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, her love affair with art dates back to high school, when she discovered her talent for drawing and painting. Her works have been featured in national and international exhibitions, including the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza and Journey of Hope in America: Quilts Inspired by Barack Obama, which traveled to Japan. Hernández is currently the president of the Quilters of Color Network of NYC, co-president of the Brooklyn Quilters Guild, and she is a member of the WCQN. She teaches at El Puente Academy of Peace and Justice, MS 50 and has worked with AgitArte, a social justice group that has led community educational and art programs in marginalized communities in Puerto Rico and locally.

Curated by Carolyn L. Mazloomi, this exhibition was part of Textile Center and Women of Color Quilters Network’s We Are the Story initiative. The exhibition premiered at Textile Center from January 12 – March 13, 2021, and it popped up again in Textile Center’s auditorium from May 18 – May 22, 2021. These quilts, along with the artist’s statement, are included in the book We Are the Story: A Visual Response to Racism by Carolyn L. Mazloomi, and it is available for purchase through Textile Center’s retail shop or online. (Click here to order.)

With Liberty and Justice for All?
2018
39″ x 49″
Cotton fabric
Machine appliqué, piecing, and quilting
$4,500

Black Lives Matter
2020
34″ x 42″
Machine piecing, appliqué and quilting
$4,500

Flint Water
2017
35″ x 36″
Cotton, synthetic, and batik fabric, fabric markers, buttons
Machine piecing, appliqué, and quilting
$3,500

Hoodies
2016
71″ x 73″
Batik fabric, fabric markers
Hand and machine appliqué, machine piecing and quilting
Hand appliqué by students of the Peace and Justice Quilters
$4,500

Injustice
2020
43″ x 41″
Cotton fabric, fabric markers
Fabric printing, machine piecing and quilting
Illustrations by Miguel Hernandez Jr.
On loan from the private collection of Spike Lee
NFS

Corona
2020
44″ x 45″
Cotton and batik fabric, fabric markers
Machine piecing, appliqué, and quilting
On loan from the private collection of Spike Lee
NFS