Created by
Wells, Yvonne, American
Date
1988
Medium
wool, cotton, and synthetic fiber cloth, polyester batting, cotton and synthetic fiber thread, plastic buttons, rickrack trimming, and acrylic yarn
Dimensions
H x W: 72 × 66 in. (182.9 × 167.6 cm)
Description
A color block pieced and appliqued quilt depicting the biblical story of animals boarding Noah's Ark made by Yvonne Wells. The quilt has a blue sky and a rust-red ground machine-stitched together. The ark, animals, and people are hand appliqued to the background. The animals are lined up in pairs waiting to board the ark, which is in the bottom left facing corner. Noah stands near the ark, while a woman with pink rickrack hair looks out the window and two other people stand on the deck. Two additional people are standing at the right facing side near the seam of the sky and ground backgrounds, with one holding an umbrella. The animals are made from a variety of fabrics and colors including faux fur, sheep's skin, printed stripes, and a Halloween fabric turned with the wrong side facing. The animals have plastic button eyes in a range of colors and sizes, while the people have embroidered faces. The central motif is bordered on the sides with a solid purple and on the top and bottom with a purple and red check. Each corner of the border features a different applique design with a series of diagonal scraps at the top left facing corner, a white cross in the top right, a green polka dot tree trunk in the bottom left, and an embroidered signature in the bottom right reading "YW1P88" in green thread. The quilt contains polyester batting and is backed in a light blue fabric with a small repeating design of white crosses. The backing is turned to the front and hand stitched with white thread, then machine stitched with blue thread to form the binding. The quilting is done by hand in white thread in a scallop or fan design.
Place made
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Textiles and Quilts
Type
presentation quilts
Topic
Art
Christianity
Craftsmanship
Design
Religion
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2013.162.5
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5611adaa9-2bf1-420e-a81f-f125c56fbc73

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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