When Juneteenth became a national holiday, I decided to add quilts that reflect this period in our history to my collections “Follow Me to Freedom” is my version of an Underground Railroad quilt. I understand that the factual validity of whether quilt blocks were a code that helped enslaved people escape to freedom remains controversial among historians, I choose to believe.
“Follow me to Freedom” features 6 inch Underground Railroad blocks in red and white. I placed the blocks in a landscape setting to portray a vision of travel. The blocks are surrounded by houses and trees. So that it is clear what journey we are on in this quilt, I appliqued the words “Follow Me to Freedom” and “Harriet Tubman”. Buttons, yo-yo’s and silk flowers add dimension to the quilt.
It was machine quilted by Maxine Moore.
There is a hanging sleeve on the back for easy display and a label that documents the quilt. I signed it on the front. This quilt is one-of-a-kind and ready for future Juneteenth exhibits.
“Follow Me to Freedom” is part of the traveling exhibit of O.V. Brantley’s solo exhibit of her red and white quilts entitled “Long Time Coming: A Retrospective of O.V. Brantley’s Red and White Quilts”. The exhibit premiered in Atlanta, GA November 19, 2022 and will be featured at the 2023 International Quilt Festival in Houston November 2-5. The original quilt is quite large at 64 X 85 inches and is currently not for sale.
The unframed archival pigment print (AKA Giclee) is printed on 100% cotton rag museum quality paper and framed with a white mat. Giclee prints are the state-of-the-art museum quality print medium today. The size of the matted print is 20 X 24 inches.
I signed the print on the front. It will be shipped with care and delivered in a clear plastic bag ready for framing.