(Updated)"Quilts for Obama: Celebrating the Inaugration of Our 44th President"

NOTE: I am updating this post whenever someone involved in exhibition sends me a link or an image if they don't have an online reference. Thanks to all participating and to all those who keep checking back to view the work.

This is Bisa Butler's piece "One Vote Can Change the World". Bisa and I had the pleasure of meeting at the Textural Rhythm's opening in Baltimore last year and she is the most memorable woman...so congenial and beautiful and talented. Bisa is one of the best portrait quilters ever. Charlene Hughes graciously sent me these images of her quilts included in this exhibition. She writes, "This first quilt (Kuu Maui Aloha) is an example of what is considered true Hawaiian-style quilting. Two colors only, strong value difference (red and yellow) , echo quilting, symbolic."

"The second quilt (Kapa Apana) demonstrates what Hawaii is all about, showing the ethnic and cultural differences of the quilting ladies---all working together in harmony."

Thanks for the images, Bisa and Charlene. I can't wait to see the work in person.

Above, is my piece "The Path of Unyielding Hope". It will be included among the 60 pieces honoring Barack Obama at the Washington D.C. Historical Society from January 11-January 29, 2009 (however, a quarter of the work in the show will be taken down in the main lobby during the week of the inauguration...so try to visit before or after the date, if you are planning to see it or call ahead).

Roland Freeman, the curator, put this show together in record time, with WCQN leader, Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi. I must add that I completed my piece in record time, also. I prefer to mull over every detail to the full extent possible, but that wasn't happening if I wanted to be included. At first, when invited, I thought I should decline, but then I slapped myself back into reality and made myself a work schedule in order to finish it. Thankfully, our size requirements were under 40"square (although many quilts included in the show are larger).

Some of the quilts will, of course, be narrative, but luckily for me emotions and experiences don't necessarily have a graphic to go with them (if you exclude those email smiley faces). Trish Williams has work in the exhibition also (not narrative) and I was humbled by her blog post noting that my work had influenced her. Thanks, Trish. Some of the other wonderful exhibition participants have their Obama piece on line. Check out the work of Edna Patterson-Petty and Deborah Grayson Bailey and Lawana Holland. Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi provided a link to the Women of Color Quilt Network gallery displaying not only her quilt for the exhibition, but also the work of Gwen Aqui, Valerie White (or as I refer to her "the lovely Valerie White"), Cookie Washington, Denise Campbell, Viola Burley-Leak, Rosalyn Thomas, Carolyn Crump, Adrienne Cruz, Marion Coleman and Marlene O'Bryant Seabrook...I'm on there too. I'm everywhere lately, eh? (If you have work in this exhibition and have a picture of it on your blog or website, please send me an email at sonjisays@yahoo.com, so that I can link it to this post).

As I've noted numerous times, hope is what gets me through. Optimism with a plan I like to call it. The President-elect used the term "unyielding hope" in his acceptance speech, which is where the title came from. Hope is action to me and it has a varying path. It makes us better, makes our relationships better, our country and government better...makes our world better. Simple idea. If we can only put it into action...a little bit at a time.

And an additional note, Textural Rhythms is still traveling and is now at the State Museum in Albany, New York. Check out the great publicity for ME!!!! I mean for my work in the show. Uh, oh. The fame whore is raising her ugly head. BTW, Trish and I were yacking on the phone and surfing the web at the same time and she found this.