As part of its 25th anniversary, The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is hosting a new international exhibition, “Visioning Human Rights in the New Millennium: Quilting the World’s Conscience.” Curated by Dr. Carolyn L. Mazloomi, the exhibition showcases 30 narrative art quilts inspired by the 30 Articles of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

In the 1980s, Dr. Mazloomi, already an established aerospace engineer, began advocating for recognition of contributions by African-American quilt artists. She founded the African-American Quilt Guild of Los Angeles and the Women of Color Quilter Network. Since its founding, Dr. Mazloomi has curated 17 extensive quilt exhibitions made by members of the Network. One of those exhibitions, “Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations,” is the largest exhibition of African American quilts ever mounted, visually surveying 400 years of African-American history. In 2014, along with co-curator Dr. Marsha MacDowell of Michigan State University Museum, Dr. Mazloomi presented an exhibition to honor Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa.

An artist in her own right, Dr. Mazloomi’s quilts tell complex stories about family life, women’s rights, political freedom and musical legacy. She mentions, “As an artist, I strongly believe art has the capacity to touch the spirit, engage, educate and heal in ways that words alone cannot.” 

Her quilts have been exhibited over 70 times in venues such as the Mint Museum, the American Folk Art Museum, the National Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Art and Design.

The exhibition will be on view until September 28. Visit ArtsWave.org/Guide for more information.