community quilt project
From 2022 to 2023, I served as the inaugural Racial Justice Leader-in-Residence at the Colin Powell School at CUNY City College of New York. During this sabbatical, I researched American quilting traditions and their ties to abolition, indigenous sovereignty, women’s rights, and other social movements. Inspired by the work of Bisa Butler, Terese Agnew, and Carla Hemlock, I led a community quilt project to share those traditions with undergraduate students. Over the course of 12 weeks, students designed their own mini-quilts that reflected their pandemic experience, their aspirations for after graduation, and/or their wishes for future City College students.
Video Credit: Ana Maldonado, City College Class of 2023. All pictures are courtesy of Jose Alvarado.
Vicky Zhang, Class of 2023 (she/her)
I wanted my last semester at CCNY to be something memorable and fun, so I am glad this project existed. My quilt has a Chinese character in between two Koi fish. The Chinese character is usually seen on Chinese calendars and it means “good luck,” Koi fish also symbolize good luck and good health. I am a Pisces, which also explains why there are 2 fish! I hope this quilt encourages students to work hard in whatever path they want to be in, and to leave space for fun memories at CCNY.
Rachel Ferretti, Class of 2023 (she/her)
I came up with this design while looking toward Convent Avenue from the North Academic Center (NAC). I spent most of my class time since the spring of 2022 in the NAC and it started to feel like home. I wanted to commemorate the place where I learned the most and felt the most comfortable on campus. The quilt features a cherry blossom tree, one of my favorite parts of City College’s campus especially when in bloom. The shapes behind the tree mimic the pattern on the ground in the NAC’s entrance.
Ramatoulaye Diarra, Class of 2023 (she/her)
I don’t consider myself an artistic or creative person, so I joined this project to change that. My quilt design is inspired by a barn star quilt. I like the straight lines and shapes, and the simplicity of the design. The fabrics I chose had floral and plant designs, as well as green and brown stripes. Even with the distinctive patterns they don’t clash. I hope future CCNY students are able to find community in fun projects like this one in the future.
Lorena Modesta, Class of 2023 (she/her)
I chose to make a quilt about the CCNY Dream Team, the first safe space and community I found on campus. The Dream Team is a group led by undocumented students who engage in outreach, activism, and education around issues relevant to immigrants. I joined in this project because this is my last semester and I wanted to explore new artistic skills. For students who are busy bees, quilting is a creative way to feel productive while designing items for yourself or someone you care about.
Olivia Bambara, Class of 2024 (she/her)
Last semester I was in a class called Art and Community Engagement where we developed an art project to give back to the City College community. We made affirmation cards as an end of semester pick me up, and had keys where people could write down what was weighing on them and let it go. The development and execution of this project will definitely be one of my lasting memories from my time at to City College.
Lisne Bautista, Class of 2023 (she/her)
I love to sew. I make clothes and bags, and tailor items for myself and others. I was looking for a creative outlet in CCNY because my degree in business is not in the arts: this project was perfect. I picked these symbols to represent the next stage of my life: following graduation, I plan to incorporate my creative side with future business endeavors.
Alba Suarez, Class of 2026 (she/her)
I designed this quilt to resemble the Hell’s Gate bridge in Astoria Park at night. I see this view on my commute home every day, and I grew up in the area so I have a lot of good memories in that park. I joined this project to step out of my comfort zone and learn a new skill. This project also inspired me to learn more about the amazing history of quilting in the U.S. It has been an amazing experience overall and I’m so grateful for all of the patience and help I received.