DAVENNPORT, IOWA (December 1, 2025) — Azubuike African American Council for the Arts proudly announces Story Keepers: African-American Legacy in Cloth, a story quilt exhibition featuring community quilts from The Strongest Threads project alongside Advancing My Craft, a new solo quilt series by artist and Azubuike founder Gaye Shannon Burnett. The exhibition will take place on Sunday, December 14, 3–6PM, at the Azubuike Studio. This event is free and open to the public.
The Strongest Threads is an intergenerational quilting initiative focused on preserving African-American culture through the timeless practice of quilting. Throughout the year, local residents gathered in workshops to create story quilts that reflect their heritage, lived experiences, and cultural memories.
These pieces illustrate themes of resilience, identity, and the enduring creativity of the African-American community.
Featured quilters include Marie Christian, Anita Green, Alisha Hanes, and sisters Nicole and Natalie Bacon.
The exhibition also débuts Advancing My Craft, a new body of work by Gaye Shannon Burnett that reflects her evolving artistic practice as she deepens her use of quilting as a vehicle for storytelling, ancestral memory, and cultural preservation.
Attendees will enjoy refreshments, a short video presentation, and a Q&A with the quilters.
Azubuike invites the community to celebrate the art, heritage, and storytelling woven into every quilt on display.
Projects funded by: The Bechtel Trust, Iowa Economic Development, and Quad City Arts Dollars.
