We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists at SAAM’s Renwick Gallery. Final day to visit is June 22.

Image of colorful quilts in a museum gallery with a link to the "We Gather at the Edge" exhibition web page.

Culture as Told with Needle and Thread

We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists

On view through Sunday, June 22
Renwick Gallery
Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street, NW

Don’t miss your chance to explore this collection of visually stunning and powerful quilts. The artists featured in We Gather at the Edge honor the Black story quilt tradition with work that envisions a more just and connected world. The exhibition highlights SAAM’s recent acquisition of quilts from the collection of Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi and celebrates her legacy as the founder of the Women of Color Quilters Network.

Plan Your Visit

Screenshot of Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi with a red play button in the center and a link to YouTube.

Meet the Artist: Carolyn Mazloomi

“I love art. I want to be surrounded by it. I want to be involved in the making of it. I want to be involved in the lives of the people that make it in my network.”—Carolyn Mazloomi

Scholar, artist, and curator Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi shares the role of quilt making in her life—from memories of growing up surrounded by her grandmother's quilts in the segregated American South to her own artistic practice.

Watch Now

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is able to create and share experiences like these thanks to funding from generous supporters like you. Thank you for ensuring that American art is available to all. Donate to support SAAM.

Exhibition credit: We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Generous support is provided by The Porter Family Charitable Foundation, in memory of Amelie “Lee” Wallace Porter. Major support is provided by Nedra and Peter Agnew with additional support from Chris G. Harris, The Share Fund, and Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell.

Image credit: Installation photography of We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2025; Photo by Albert Ting