Stitching Joy into History: Steven Towns' Quilts Reclaim Black Leisure as Power

1 day ago7 min read

A vibrant counter-narrative is unfolding at the Wichita Art Museum, where Steven Towns' exhibition 'Safer Waters: Picturing Black Recreation at Midcentury' transforms fabric into a powerful testament to joy. On view through June 14, Towns' meticulously crafted quilts capture scenes of Black leisure—picnics, dances, and swims—with a radiant specificity that challenges historical erasure.Moving beyond trauma-centric frameworks, the artist posits these communal moments of rest and play as profound acts of resilience. The exhibition’s titular focus on aquatic scenes is particularly potent, reclaiming pools and lakesides as spaces of safety, freedom, and generational joy.Each quilt functions as a tactile archive, where vibrant colors and intricate patterns build a world where Black happiness is not peripheral but central to the historical record. Towns' work, rich in texture and narrative, offers a crucial reframing: by celebrating the ordinary bliss of midcentury Black life, he underscores joy itself as a form of resistance and preservation. This is not merely art to be seen, but history to be felt—a warm, compelling invitation to witness the enduring spirit and beauty that define community.

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#Steven Towns

#quilting

#Black joy

#art exhibition

#Wichita Art Museum

#textile art

#Safer Waters