If the African American tradition of quilting has begun to find its place in the contemporary art world, it's thanks in no small part to Carolyn Mazloomi, a self-taught quilter who has been a champion of the medium for over 55 years.
Since founding the Women of Color Quilters Network in 1985, Mazloomi has worked tirelessly to promote other Black women making quilts, curating exhibitions of their work at no less than 35 museums and publishing 15 books. A strong sense of ethics precluded her from ever including her own quilts-although they've been shown over the years in 35 institutions, largely at universities and museums dedicated to textiles, craft, or folk art.