Olivia Joseph can spot the stories in the stitches in their work as a quilt research fellow for the Mingei International Museum at Balboa Park. The fabrics, the patterns, the designs all reveal nuggets of information about the history, the technology, the political and social climate of the times in which they were each created.
“I love how the fabrics in quilts can reflect moments and events from the time they came from,” Joseph said. “You gain an understanding of what may have been important to the quiltmaker or even what big events may have been happening at the time of the quilt’s making. It’s also interesting to see the variety of fabric that quiltmakers use.”
They describe themself as the child of a Mexican mother and a Tanzanian father and believes “it is my mixed-race identity and multicultural upbringing—amongst many other things—that motivates me to seek out stories of those underrepresented and outside the (W)estern lens.” Their work began last year and continues through March, with the goals of creating a quilt show and adding information to the Mingei’s databases through researching periodicals, magazines, speaking with and learning from quilt historians, and from local quilters. Their final project is the production of the “Layered Narratives: Quilted Stories of Gender & Race at the 1876 Centennial” exhibition, scheduled to open May 17 and close Nov. 16, the same months the centennial exposition was open nearly 150 years ago.
Joseph, 23, is a graduate of UC San Diego, was born in Chula Vista, and spent a lot of time between City Heights, Mount Hope, and La Jolla. Today, they live in San Diego’s Mount Hope neighborhood and took some time to talk about their work researching textiles, their personal interest in embroidery, and their skill in multiple sports.
Q: Why quilts?
A: In of my career and my studies, I was introduced to quilts in the museum space. About two years ago, I was a collection care intern, given the opportunity to work amongst conservators and collection management staff. During my time with them, I found myself most drawn to the medium of textiles. The textile conservator I was working with had pulled out several quilts—one being that of Gary Tyler, an African American quilter who had been falsely incarcerated in his youth. While the quilt was gorgeous, I also think that my motivator and fascination to learn more stemmed from my need for context and the personal story which existed behind the object. Aside from this, I have memories of sewing projects I attempted in my early teens, and the encouragement to do so from my family also may have influenced my inclination towards textiles.
Q: Did the presence of quilts or the activity of creating quilts play a role in your life/your family while growing up? If so, what do you about the impression that had on you? What did you see/hear as it related to quilting?
A: I was never actually even surrounded by quilts in my childhood. The textiles/craft I is actually when my mother would make or mend clothing items. Because she engaged with sewing in this way, I was inclined to have my own mini projects. I often trying to sew my own plushies and even now I find myself trying to embroider as one of many hobbies when I get the chance.
What I love about Mount Hope…
I really love visiting the cultural heritage sites here in San Diego. Places like Balboa Park, Old Town, Point Loma (Cabrillo). I constantly find myself drawn to Old Town, but part of me thinks this may be because of all the Mexican influence and culture that is there.
Q: You’ve previously talked about the four types of quilts currently in the Mingei’s collection (child/doll, charm, early, and feed sack) and described them as child/doll quilts being scaled down versions of full-sized quilts, featuring nursery rhyme themes and likely made by children; charm quilts using non-repeating fabrics; early quilts having been created before the mid-1800s, sewn by hand and using imported and less processed fabrics; and feed sack quilts made from the fabrics of cotton feed sacks, entering the picture around the time of the Great Depression when the material from the sacks could be repurposed for these quilts. Can you talk about a few of the things that have stood out to you about some of the quilts in the museum’s collection? What do these specific quilts reveal about the time periods in which they were created?
A: I am quite fond of some of the charm quilts in the collection. I particularly have an interest in fabrics, so being able to see the range of fabrics is amazing. From a research standpoint, it is great because you can see a variety of fabrics which existed in a particular era and even get an idea about any trends in fabric prints. One example is a charm quilt titled “Thousand Pyramids” (c. 1880s, 19th Century, 78 in. x 83 in., Thompson, Maine, Unknown Maker), which is a tied quilt made up of many triangle-shaped fabric pieces. This quilt contains many fabrics with centennial prints, which could help a researcher pinpoint the time the quilt would have been made. People were making centennial quilts up to and shortly after the centennial, and were even influenced by things they would have seen at this world fair. They could have been influenced by international exhibits and with this quilt we know this to be a fact because of the inclusion of a fabric with a geisha-inspired figure.
Q: You also participated in a Latino Museum Studies Program undergraduate internship through the National Museum of the American Latino, where you were placed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. What did that internship entail?
A: Yes, I applied and participated in that internship program during the fall of 2023. In the last quarter of my undergraduate experience, I spent much of my time contemplating how I would tie my interest in the arts and humanities with the social science classes I had taken. I found myself looking toward the museum and happened to find this program, which provided me the opportunity to work alongside several museum conservators and collections management staff. Most of my time was spent in the collection space, working alongside my intern buddy, to help house former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell’s collection. Outside of this, I got to learn several conservation hand skills, how to catalogue items in a museum database, and about the other people who help to preserve and make collections available to the general public. I greatly appreciated being able to gain access into a space that I initially felt was inaccessible to me, and even realized how eager most museum people are to help others’ interest in the career find their way.
Q: The quilt collection at the Mingei mostly features pieces that are European American. What can you tell us-from your time at the NMAAHC and in your general study of quilting-about the place quilting has in Black American culture and other communities of color?
A: Quilting is very prominent in Black American culture, as well as other communities. The sad thing is how much information gets lost due to these stories not necessarily being archived more widely. As far as I know, much of this knowledge seems to be greatly held amongst communities such as guilds or even ed down generationally. However, it’s also amazing to see how the meanings you may find in Euro-American quilts may differ or have other meanings for Black quilters. Take, for instance, the Underground Railroad. In the Black quilting community, Underground Railroad quilts are extremely significant as, historically, they are tied to codes/means of communication. Patterns signified meanings such as, “this is a safe place” or could indicate direction. Another thing I think about often are the fact that these Euro-American quilts could, in fact, be the handwork of Black individuals, but instead credit would be given to the homemaker. There is really so much that can be touched on in regard to Black Americans and quilting.
Q: Tell us about the quilt exhibition you’re working on, “Layered Narratives: Quilted Stories of Gender & Race at the 1876 Centennial.”
A: I started thinking about and working on this exhibit a couple of months after I started my fellowship. The idea to focus on race and gender in the quilt, I think, really stems from a lot of the studies I was doing during my undergraduate experience. Much of what I was learning was about looking outside the western perspective and instead looking through and listening to the stories on minorities (racial, gender, sexuality, etc.). This type of work really stuck with me and has greatly impacted the way I think about aspects of society, culture, and art. Many of the quilts featured in this show come from the museum’s collection, which was donated by Pat. L Nikols and accession into the collection in 2012. The plan is also to loan—or, potentially accession—a quilt by a contemporary Black American quilter, intended to help facilitate this discussion of race and gender at the centennial. In of content, the goal with this show is to take quilts of the era and use them, along with s of Black American centennial experiences, to recontextualize the Centennial. Giving people the opportunity to explore the multiple perspectives and truths which exist at this historical event.
Q: Do you quilt yourself?
A: I do not quilt myself, but it is a practice that I plan to start soon! It is hard not to get invested when you are around so many enthusiastic quilters and surrounded by textiles. As of right now, I only particulate in embroidery and make mini plushies from time to time.
Q: Do you visit quilting groups or quilt shows?
A: I have visited a local quilt guild known as the San Diego People of Color Guild, which has been an amazing way to learn more about Black quilting and quilting traditions. I am there to really just soak in as much as I can about any histories, quilting techniques, and the community aspect behind quilts. Many quilters quilt in community and this guild has been a way for me to both experience and understand how community ties into the practice.
Q: Do you have a particular style of quilt that you’re most drawn to looking at, learning about?
A: I really like observing 19th-century quilts because you can see all of the changes (fabric/dye/technological) happening between the early 19th century into the late 19th and early 20th century. One thing I really enjoyed early on in my fellowship was being able to learn about some of the early natural dyes used in fabric prints, about some of the science behind natural dyes, and the transition of these natural dyes into synthetics.
Q: Are there quilt artists you enjoy that you think others should know about?
A: I really love Bisa Butler’s work. She is a Black American fiber artist who makes amazing, colorful, and vibrant art quilts. She has a lot of portraits in her work-some with prominent figures, such as Fredrick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. I also recommend Gary Tyler, a quilter I mentioned earlier. He also has amazing art quilts. And, amongst many other amazing Black American quilters, I also really encourage folks to look up Christopher Myers and some of the work he does. He also creates art quilts, some of which speak to societal matters and Black experiences.
Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
A: I would say some good advice I received was to not be afraid to reach out to people. Communication with others and listening to the stories of other museum professionals and quilt experts is what truly has helped me in the museum space as I navigate my career and toward my research and learning.
Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?
A: I would say people would be surprised by the athletic hobbies I do/have done. I used to play lacrosse, volleyball, basketball, golf, gymnastics, and have been recently trying my hand at lyra hoop, a circus art. All while I consistently participate in dance related activities.
Q: Please describe your ideal San Diego (County) weekend.
A: My ideal weekend would be spending time in some of the small businesses that exist in places like North and South Park or Point Loma, visiting a cafe with friends for a chatting session, then making my way to any available studio to dance my heart out!
