Created by
Garner, Steven, American
Kelly, Vashon, American
Mathews, Robert, American
Meyers, Scott, American
Turner, Isaac, American
Zapata, Diego, American, died 2014
Subject of
Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, American, founded 1835
Date
2009
Medium
cotton and linen with batting and thread
Dimensions
H x W x D (2018.54.2a): 81 × 67 × 1/4 in. (205.7 × 170.2 × 0.6 cm)
H x W (2018.54.2b): 19 11/16 × 28 3/8 in. (50 × 72 cm)
Caption
The chain links name all the hospice volunteers from 1998 until the present. The links represent the interconnectedness of our role and commitment to the process.
The locks in the corners represent our unity and that our position in the circle is secure in love, peace and oneness.
The chain links with burgundy thread are the word “Butterfly” in 27 languages. We chose the butterfly because of its universal symbolism: the birth / life & death processes…the evolution of life – from light to life…and back to light & life eternal.
The great arch represents the “Final Threshold” – or when we make our journey to the “other side” - a crossing over.
The word “HOSPICE” is placed on the pillars as a symbol of stability and an erect structure of hope, love and compassion. It also affirms our motto. We created our own acronym and it means:
Helping Others Share their Pain Inside Correctional Environment.
The hearse is a funeral procession. The men walking behind are singing songs in honor of the deceased as they accompany him to the burial ground.
The symbol in the center of the arch is the LSP Hospice emblem. The hands symbolize compassion and one’s willingness to offer self in helping others. The hands emblem of the quilt and the binding which completes the edges are constructed from retired Hospice Volunteer T-shirts. The T-shirts were utilized as the center emblem and the outer binding to reflect the program’s origins and its current growth. The volunteers remain the program’s core as well as its periphery. The Monarch and Morpho butterflies were chosen because they are widely known.
All the quilters associated with the quilting shop responsible for this quilt are listed in the chain links on each side of the corner locks.
Description
A quilt (a) with bag (b) titled “Traveling On” created by Steven Garner, Vashon Kelly, Robert Matthews, Scott Meyers, Isaac Tuner, and Diego Zapata, prisoner-volunteers of the hospice center within Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly called “Angola." The pictorial quilt has one large, central design against a deep burgundy background and a yellow border with a black chain link design. The names of hospice volunteers from 1998 to 2008 are embroidered in yellow on the chains. A padlock appears at each corner. Just inside the border, across the top of the design is a large scroll embroidered with columns of names arranged by year. The central design depicts a funeral procession with a horse-drawn hearse carriage traveling through a large stone arch, followed by singing mourners. Each column of the arch reads [HOSPICE] in yellow and across the top is [EST. 1998 / N. BURL CAIN / WARDEN]. The hearse appears black entering the arch, while the horses on the other side are a ghostly white. Clasped hands holding a monarch butterfly are at the center, just below the top of the arch. Additional butterflies are embroidered around the hearse, starting small and black and becoming larger and more colorful as they ascend. Black silhouetted figures march behind the hearse, with musical notes above them. Along the bottom is a strip of green grass and yellow and white daisies. At each bottom corner is a fan design with the words “Hospice” and locations of the prison embroidered in burgundy.
The back of the quilt has a burgundy floral pattern. The quilt is in a handsewn fabric bag (b). The bag is yellow satin and has two black strips of cloth sewn two it. It has two black buttons. The border of the bag is hemmed with black fabric.
Place made
West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Textiles and Quilts
Type
quilts
Topic
Art
Craftsmanship
Design
Funeral customs and rites
Health
Prisons
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Lori Waselchuk
Object number
2018.54.2ab
Restrictions & Rights
© Steven Garner
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5869f7a1e-60ee-4938-b09c-a5280595c914

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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