Creator Record
Metadata
Name |
Taylor, Sarah Mary |
Notes |
Sarah Mary Taylor was an African-American quiltmaker. She was born on August 12, 1916, in Anding, Mississippi, and grew up on plantations in the Mississippi Delta working as a housekeeper, cook, and field hand. Late in her life, Taylor was forced to retire because a lifetime of arduous labor and her failing health had taken their toll. From that time on, she earned income via quilting. Her favorite material was old skirts. Taylor began adding appliqués to her quilts in the 1980s after her aunt Pecolia Warner'sappliquéd quilts gained recognition from University of Mississippi professors in the late 1970s. Soon Taylor received widespread attention for her appliquéd quilts. Taylor's mother taught her quilting basics as a child. For her appliqués, Taylor made cut out templates from images in magazines and catalogs and traced them onto her fabric. She also used her hand to make a template for her "Hands" quilt. Taylor was commissioned to make a version of her "Hands" quilt for the film adaptation of the book, "The Color Purple." Her quilts are held in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Hilliard Art Museum, Lafayette, Louisiana. She passed away in 2000. |
Nationality |
American |
Occupation |
Quiltmaker |
