Traveling exhibition coming to Vicksburg as artists use quilts to tell Mississippi’s stories
Published 10:28 pm Sunday, March 9, 2025
- Pictured is an example of quilts made to help tell the story of Mississippi. (Submitted photo)
The Southern Fiber Artist’s Mississippi Quilt Challenge, a traveling exhibition showcasing the talents of quilters from around the state, will be on display from 1 to 4 p.m. March 12-15 at the Constitution Firehouse Gallery, 1204 Main St. The Vicksburg exhibition is being sponsored by the Vicksburg Art Association.
VAA member Jean Blue said show coordinator Leanne Green will speak Tuesday, March 11, at the VAA meeting, which will also be held at the Constitution Firehouse Gallery. The event is free and open to the public.
The Southern Fiber Artists (SFA) was formed in the 2014-15 timeframe as a result of a spark of inspiration by Brooksville artist and quilter Julia Graber, who hoped to find like-minded individuals interested in creating outside the traditional bed quilt. Upon doing so, the SFA now has a history of challenging its members to make art pieces around a specified theme.
And because membership is primarily from Mississippi, it was decided Mississippi would be the theme.
The challenge began with 11 artists, Green said, with each taking a letter from the word Mississippi and making a quilt of the same size and font with anything related to the state. That resulted in a quilt approximately 126 feet wide, which spells “Mississippi.”
“After the challenge was completed, the quilters then decided to expand the theme and make 18×20 inch or 16×25 inch quilts that depict some aspect of the state with the goal of it representing all areas of the state with an art piece, which would bring attention to both art quilting and Mississippi,” Green said.
Because there was so much to highlight about Mississippi, Green said other artists were asked to join in.
“We invited youth, non-quilters with a background in art and traditional quilters who were willing to give art quilting a chance to join in,” she said. “We found topics to make pieces that represent the people, places and things that our large and small towns across the state are known for. We have highways represented such as the Natchez Trace and the Blues Trail. There are musicians such as Sam Cook, B.B. King, Jimmy Buffett, and Elvis. There are artists represented such as Alice Mosley, Walter Anderson, George Ohr and Jim Henson.”
Before the showing in Vicksburg, the traveling exhibit was at the William Waller Craft Center in Ridgeland; The Gulf States Quilt Association in Gulf Shores, Alabama; The Mississippi School of Arts in Brookhaven; The Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum in Starkville; and The Mississippi Quilt Association Spring Gather in Hattiesburg.
About Terri Cowart Frazier
Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”
Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.
Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.
Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.
“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’
