Quilts made by members of Arkansas's black community from 1880 to the present are a major collecting focus of the Old State House Museum. The collection is nationally and regionally significant. Through quilting, both men and women expressed their creativity and personal pride; scholars are now interpreting these works in new ways. The Old State House Museum owns approximately 90 of these quilts, some of which were shown in the recent exhibit, A Piece of My Soul: Quilts by Black Arkansans.
The current trend in historical interpretation of quilts made by blacks focuses on African traditions of the makers. This ignores, however, the power of black culture as a force in its own right. Culture is a product of community. Slaves from various parts of Africa - with differing customs, languages, and religions - were thrown together. The culture they made is as old as America.
Though blacks could emulate traditional European-based quilting styles, they rarely chose to do so when quilting for themselves. Instead, they re-defined quilting in terms of black sensibilities. Blacks brought to the art of quilting a new sense of color and an improvisational approach to pattern creation. The result is a uniquely African-American art form.