08/03/2022
While we work hard on our upcoming exhibitions here at WJB, let’s take a look back at Threads: The Quilts of Ms. Gussie Beatrice Arnold Hill, which was open to the public in the fall of 2014.
“Ms. Hill, who lived from 1912 to 1988, was born in Tallahassee to an African-American, Seminole and Spanish lineage. She became a motherly figure in her family after their mother passed away and was nicknamed “Big Annie” by her family. She was married to Reverend Gus Ward Hill and participated in many spiritual and religious tasks around the community.
Ms. Hill designed and stitched each quilt by hand, often working from underneath the materials as they hung from the ceiling. The creation of these quilts was a symbol of strength during the times of hardship, especially since African American cultural achievements and contributions were devalued. For her, there was a spiritual connection in crafting these quilts. According to Maddie Codling, curator of the exhibit and FSU Department of Art graduate student, Ms. Hill used to wrap the quilts around her body and lay still on the ground, allowing people to walk around her.
Anjali Austin, FSU Associate Professor of Dance and Gussie Beatrice Arnold Hill’s granddaughter, directed this exhibition project to share Ms. Hill’s delicate and important art pieces with the public. They were once packed away or used in her home for bed coverings and art, but now she wants them to be recognized as something more significant.”
(photos by Tiffany Fuentes)
