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Catalog Data

Interviewee:
Mazloomi, Carolyn, 1948-  Search this
Interviewer:
Cubbs, Joanne  Search this
Subject:
Adkins, Minnie  Search this
Benberry, Cuesta  Search this
Cargo, Robert T.  Search this
Connell, Martha Stamm  Search this
Freeman, Roland L.  Search this
Hill, Lauryn  Search this
Johnson, Nkosi  Search this
Miller, Edjohnetta  Search this
Sisto, Penny  Search this
Wilson, Marie  Search this
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
Women of Colour Quilters Network  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Place of publication, production, or execution:
Ohio
Physical Description:
16 Items, Sound recording: 16 sound files (4 hr., 33 min.), digital, wav; 56 Pages, Transcript
General Note:
Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 16 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hrs., 33 min.
Access Note / Rights:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Summary:
An interview of Carolyn Mazloomi conducted 2002 September 17 and 30, by Joanne Cubbs, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in West Chester, Ohio. Mazloomi speaks of growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with a family of self-taught artists; the positive influence of her aunt and teacher Dr. Carter; the generation of African American quilt-makers who followed a gap in quilt-making post-slavery; she describes her previous career as an aeronautical engineer and her transition to quilt-making; how she identifies herself as a craftsperson, not an artist; her experience with Baltimore album and Appalachian quilts; learning to quilt; the Women of Color Quilter's Network and its economic and social development programs; her book, "Spirits of the Cloth"; the positive and negative aspects of travel; the false generalizations of African American quilts in academic circles; the importance of gender, race, and ethnicity in her work; her connection to "praise songs"; she discusses functional vs. nonfunctional quilts; the market for "hand-crafted" quilts; agents and galleries; she describes her working environment; adopting the use of a sewing machine in her work; the importance of community; her technique; her accomplishment of placing African-American quilts in the Renwick Gallery; the influence of magazines, including "Raw Vision;" her aversion to commissions; expanding her use of materials and technology; her exhibitions; her role as an advocate and dealer; finding inspiration in black and white linocuts and her use of color in quilts; and making a connection with her audience. Mazloomi also recalls Marie Wilson, Cuesta Benberry, Edjohnetta Miller, Roland Freeman, Robert Cargo, Martha Connell, Penny Sisto, Minnie Adkins, Nkosi Johnson, and Lauryn Hill.
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Carolyn Mazloomi, 2002 September 17-30. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
Transcript available online.
Funding:
Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America. Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Biography Note:
Carolyn Mazloomi (1948- ) is a quilt maker from West Chester, Ohio.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Decorative arts  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Baltimore album quilts  Search this
African American artists  Search this
African American quiltmakers  Search this
African American art -- African influences  Search this
Women textile designers  Search this
Quilting  Search this
Theme:
African American  Search this
Craft  Search this
Women  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)11504
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)240143
AAA_collcode_mazloo02
Theme:
African American
Craft
Women
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_240143