Notable Quotable: NEA National Heritage Fellow Carolyn Mazloomi


By Paulette Beete
quote by Carolyn Mazloomi with quilt featuring map with Civil Rights march from Selma to Montgomery and outlined figures of marchers
Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around, a quilt by Carolyn Mazloomi

"I really feel that the creation of artwork is spirit-guided. We as artists are endowed with something from God that propels you to create the work that you do. It’s like a little miracle." — NEA National Heritage Fellow Carolyn Mazloomi

Quilter and quilting community advocate Carolyn Mazloomi received a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 2014. Regarded as the leading authority on African-American quilts and quiltmaking, Mazloomi has fostered and promoted the perpetuation of this traditional art form through her organization the Women of Color Quilter's Network (WCQN). We spoke to Mazloomi for an issue of NEA Arts magazine, which highlighted the various roles that artists play in our communities. Here's that interview, which not only looked at Mazloomi's own work as an artist and advocate, but also illuminated the ways in which quilts function as a tool for community storytelling and connection.