Description

This proposed grant would supplement a major 2020 AAP grant to the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) for an expansive project to study, conserve, exhibit and publish an unparalleled collection of 3,000 quilts created by an estimated 400 African American women. The collection was donated by the late Eli Leon, a Bay Area psychotherapist who made his first purchases in the mid-1980s from the celebrated quilter Rosie Lee Tompkins. Leon subsequently traveled throughout the American South to document the lineages, styles and techniques associated with the quilters and their work. Although delayed by Covid and unanticipated conservation challenges, the project work has progressed well. The additional funds will provide continued support for project staff and for conservation treatments. The planned exhibition of collection highlights will open in the fall of 2024.  
 
This grant advances the AAP’s strategic goal 1a: supporting art museums advancing representation and equity in contemporary society through innovative, art-centered projects that spark dialogues about America’s past and present.