Since the beginning of the European slave trade, Afrikans have found overt and covert ways to resist physical enslavement and retain their humanity. Art has always been a means of subversive opposition to injustice. African Americans used every available method of defiance to affirm themselves, organize revolts, plan escapes, and pass coded communications back and forth between plantations. The enslaved Afrikans passed escape plans and messages through music, hairstyles, and quilts, among numerous other creative approaches.
Quilts were an incredibly creative communication tool in that they were as regular and mundane an item as any other functional household belonging during America’s 246 years of federally sanctioned slavery. A bow tie image meant that one should disguise themselves, bear paws signaled ways to find food, and log cabins signaled a safe place for shelter.
According to Tobin and Dobard's 1999 book, Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, quilt makers hung their messages from clotheslines, windowsills, and railings to signify to those who knew the codes where the stops on the Underground Railroad were, they gave directions, warnings, and other such messages through what became known as the "quilt code."
Tapestry is a four-movement tone poem inspired by four pieces in Johnson's Tapestry series. Each piece serves as a graphic score interpreted by the ensemble. The Trio's performance draws parallels between the music and Johnson's visual representation of our most fundamental desire to communicate the truth of our humanity. In the tradition of our Ancestors, contemporary artists continue to attach meaning to our work. These messages range from political calls for equity, justice, and freedom to wholistic expressions of our collective humanity focused on spirit, love, life, and happiness. This work is our expression of the connection we feel to the lineage of brilliant artists who have paved the way for us all, and the hope that the world will soon come to appreciate how important the beautifully complex tapestry of humanity truly is!
Love & Light, MLII
2022
