Art is often used as a tool for people to comment on issues that speak to them on a deep level. Because art comes in so many different forms, many different interpretations of the same message are often created. One woman is using quilting as a tool to spread the message of a well-known cause. According to BBC News, a woman people are referring to as the ‘Angry Quilter’ is using her work to support the Black Lives Matter movement. The artwork is catching the attention of many people across the country.
The woman who is creating the art is named Nedra Bonds. BBC News reports that Bonds has been a long time quilter and has always been an advocate for social change. Nedra Bonds is 68 years old and told reporters that she came from a family of quilters. Bonds uses the quilts as a way to express messages that show issues that the United States and the black community has dealt with in the past, or is dealing with at this very moment.
The images on Bonds’ quilts are very powerful. BBC News has also released some images of her work that show how she has intertwined the recent killings of black males by the police with the effect these shootings are having on the youth of the nation. The quilt shows the hands of black men raised up along side the hands of young school-age children. Bonds’ other quilts showcase notable African American figures like Barack Obama, Rosa Parks, Colin Powell, and more.
Art has and will continue to be a way people express their feeling about what is going on in the world. The work of Nedra Bonds will not only serve as her feelings but as a reflection of the feelings of many during this trying time. As the world continues to battle these issues, artists like Bonds will continue to capture these ever changing circumstances in their art.
