Sarah Bliss Wright, a member of the Alabama Humanities Foundation’s Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, will present “The Mt. Ida Quilt Project:  One Community, Two Quilts, Three Centuries” on Jan. 18, at noon, at the Demopolis Public Library.

“The Mt. Ida Quilt Project:  One Community, Two Quilts, Three Centuries” weaves together the stories of two quilts and the women who made them, connected by land but separated by three centuries. Each 21st century woman adopted the square of the 19th century woman who lived closest to her present home and, through replicating the old quilt, came to know the original quiltmakers, the history of the community, a greater knowledge of Alabama history, and, in the end, created a sense of community that existed 163 years ago. The Mt. Ida Quilt Project is a history lesson, quilting tutorial, and introduction to valuable research tools easily available to novice researchers.

To read about more Road Scholar Speakers Bureau presentations, visit http://www.alabamahumanities.org/programs/road/.

About the scholar:

Alabama native Sarah Bliss Wright spent thirty years in performing arts before quilts captured her attention.  Though she grew up surrounded by quilts, it was not until 2006 that the idea of turning her talents to textile art was born.  A crazy quilt that she made from her late father’s silk neckties ignited a desire to add quilting to her creative pursuits.  Serious study of quilt history began after a serendipitous meeting of fellow Alabamian Mary Elizabeth Johnson Huff, well-known author of numerous quilt books.

Wright holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Samford University in Birmingham and studied at the University of Exeter, England as a Rotary International Fellow.  She is curator for “Our Quilted Past,” an exhibit of Alabama feedsack quilts and Bemis Bro. Bag Company, and her research on the subject is published in Uncoverings 2013.   A member of the American Quilt Study Group, Sarah lives in Mobile.

Call the library to reserve a plate lunch for $7 or bring your own lunch. The Friends of the Library will provide drinks and dessert. Call 334-289-1595 for more information.

The Alabama Humanities Foundation fosters learning, understanding and appreciation of our people, communities and cultures. As the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, AHF supports humanities projects through grantmaking and conducts statewide programs including Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, SUPER Teacher Institutes and PRIME TIME Family Reading Time. For more information on AHF and its programs, please visit alabamahumanities.org or call 205-558-3980.

(This article originally appeared in the Saturday, January 6 issue of the Demopolis Times.)