What is the Legacy Quilt Project?

When MOFAD opened African/American: Making the Nation’s Table, from February - August 2022, the Legacy Quilt greeted all visitors in our lobby, standing 14 feet tall and nearly 30 feet wide! Each of the 406 blocks on the quilt represents an African American person who made important contributions to our national cuisine. Learn more about the Legacy Quilt and how it helps tells the story of American food here.

How can I participate?

Students and families around the globe can contribute to a digital version of the Legacy Quilt by submitting a photograph of their own home made quilt block. Your quilt block can be made out of any materials and does not to be sewn. Click on the button at the bottom of this page to see a few ideas for making quilt blocks from paper. Your quilt block and submission form will be available to the public so that anyone can view it and read about it. The theme of your quilt block will be My African American Culinary Hero.

Who is an African American Culinary Hero?

Any African American, past or present, who has contributed to making American food what it is today can be your culinary hero. If your culinary hero has some African heritage, no matter how recent or long ago, we want to hear about them! Your quilt block can show anything you like about your African American culinary hero. It can be an image of them, the food they make or sell, a cooking tool they use, an invention they have created, or any other food-related subject you choose. Your African American culinary hero can be a family member, a person in your school or community, or someone that interests you on MOFAD’s Legacy Quilt.

QUILTS BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER

Throughout history, quilts have been made by people in a community working together, often to celebrate a special occasion like a wedding or the birth of a child. We hope your participation in this project will bring people together as well. Watch this video of African American women in Gee's Bend, Alabama, working on a quilt together. What materials do you see them working with? What else are they doing while they work? How does this strengthen their community?

QUILTS HOLD MEMORIES

Quilts are made from pieces of fabric sewn together. Often, the fabric comes from something that isn’t being used anymore, like a pair of torn up jeans or a baby blanket. When the quilt is sewn together, whenever the quilter sees it, they can enjoy the memories these pieces of fabric create and share the memories with others. It’s literally a scrapbook made from scraps!

QUILTS TELL STORIES

Quilters can also make words, patterns, and pictures from fabric. The images sewn from fabric can tell a family or community story or even the history of a country. The stories can be happy or sad. Some people believe that quilts in African American history were used as signals to enslaved people who were running away from bondage and following the Underground Railroad. When they saw a quilt hung over a clothesline or windowsill, they could read clues in the quilt’s images to lead them to their next stops or warn them of danger. Can you guess what clues might be hiding in this quilt?