The African American Quilt Documentation Study Group is a community of scholars, artists, and cultural preservationists dedicated to documenting and celebrating the rich tradition of African American quilting.
For generations, African American quilters have stitched more than fabric — they have stitched memory, identity, and survival into every seam. These quilts are primary documents of Black life in America: records of the Great Migration, of sharecropping and self-sufficiency, of church communities and family reunions, of grief and celebration. They are archives made by hand, passed down through kitchens and cedar chests, not museums.
Yet this tradition in the African American community has been systematically overlooked. When a quilter passes without her story recorded, that knowledge is gone. When a quilt is sold or given away without documentation, its maker becomes anonymous. The African American quilt canon has been shaped too often by outside collectors and institutions rather than by the communities who created it. AAQDSG exists to change that.
Our work is an act of cultural reclamation. We go into homes, churches, and community centers — wherever quilts live — and we listen. We record African American quilter's lives, their techniques, origins, and the stories that give these objects their true meaning. Because documentation is not just preservation. It is recognition. It is saying: this quilt maker mattered, this tradition matters, and good, bad, or otherwise, this history belongs to us.
Our team brings together expertise in quilt history, museum practice, digital archiving, and community engagement.
Founder & Executive Director
A'donna Richardson is a quilt historian and cultural preservationist. She founded AAQDSG to create a systematic approach to African American quilt documentation that centers around uncovering quilts to document the stories and preserve the legacies.
Museum Liaison
Elaine Yau brings extensive experience in museum collections management and community partnerships. She coordinates AAQDSG's relationships with cultural institutions and ensures that documented quilts are accessible to researchers and the public.
Quilt Historian
Julie Silber is a nationally recognized quilt scholar and dealer with decades of expertise in American quilts. Her deep knowledge of quilt history and authentication brings scholarly rigor to AAQDSG's documentation methodology.
Digital Archivist/Data Management
Lola Sounigo manages AAQDSG's digital infrastructure and archival systems. She develops the metadata standards and cataloging protocols that make the quilt database searchable and sustainable for long-term preservation.
Photography & Visual Documentation
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Photography & Visual Documentation
Eric Galindo is responsible for the visual documentation of quilts in AAQDSG's collection. His photography captures the detail, color, and texture of each quilt with archival precision, creating a visual record that supports both scholarly research and public engagement.
Join our community of scholars, quilters, and cultural preservationists working to document African American quilt traditions.
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