Students’ narrative story quilts created this fall will be included in an exciting new group exhibit titled “Young Visionaries” at The Little Loomhouse Gallery from January 11 to February 8, 2025. Students researched the work of pioneering female mixed-media/fiber artists such as Harriet Powers, Bisa Butler, and Faith Ringgold and designed narrative quilts exploring their own stories and identities. This project was made possible with a grant from Little Loomhouse and Louisville Metro.
“Women of Africa” Artwork by Lydia Ndayiragije, 12th My work is a reflection of my country/continent. I created my artwork by using irregular designs that are usually found on an Igitenga (African cloth). The big idea behind my artwork was to shine light on my community, and in particular, African women. Coming from an African community, I know that African women endure a lot. I tried to recognize every African country in my artwork. I created this artwork by myself with some good pointers from my art teacher. Everything came out nice. Creating this artwork, I learned about interesting cities in Africa that I didn’t know about. 
“Personal Quilt Story” Artwork by A’Neres Osborne, 12th My artwork is very colorful and abstract, but yet very in-place. The subject matter represents me and my unique name. This reflects my story by showing what makes me, me. I first used fabric markers to display my pictures or symbols that represent me. Afterwards, I used the sewing machine to attach my fabric back to the front, and leaving overlap along the edges to give it a slight border. Something that inspired the idea of my quilt is a quote that said “My name makes you want to tell me the truth. My name doesn’t allow me to trust anyone who cannot pronounce it right.” I used thorns and vines to symbolize the prettiness yet danger of my name. My goals as an artist is to be unique and try new styles. In this project, I used more of an abstract style. I’ve never tried that style before. I learned that telling a story doesn’t always have to be with words. The final piece came out differently than I imagined. I just winged it. This piece will influence future artworks by learning to use more color. 
“My Childhood” Artwork by Keyla Sosa Torres 11th My artwork reflects my childhood in Cuba before I moved to the United States. It’s very vibrant and playful. I used fabric markers and hand-stitched all the sides together. I used two layers of white fabrics to not show the intensity of the blue patterned fabric on the back. Cuba inspired my quilt. I used it to describe my journey there as a kid and my memories of it. My goals were to make my design pop and look like what was intended. I think I reached that goal. My teacher helped me create it by helping me with the arrangement of fabric pieces and learning to sew the pieces together. I learned that everything is a learning process. Overall, I really happy with how it turned out. 
“The Things I Love” Artwork by Alyssa Robinson, 12th The title of my work is called “The Things I Love” and this reflects my story because everything I drew or wrote on my quilt is something I like doing or being around. I started with pencil and sketched things out, and then I took fabric markers and colored and outlined the images on the fabric. I was inspired by the examples my teacher showed in class and my artwork expresses emotions that are personal. 
“Sally’s Story” Artwork by Layla Hendrickson 10th I made this story artwork as a narrative quilt dedicated to my MeMe. All of the elements in the piece represent the things that were important to her. This is what I see when I think of her. I created this quilt to tell her story. I used a variety of media, including fabric, fabric paints, beads, plastic mesh, fabric markers and embroidery floss to create my design. 
“My Home” Artwork by Arcene Ishimwe, 12th My artwork is about my home country of Rwanda. First in the making of my artwork, I thought about what my country went through, and that gave me a head start. I used markers and different types of fabrics to complete my quilt design. I tried to tell a story that is known but yet new to so many people. The genocide occurred in Rwanda in 1994, and I hoped to reach as many people as I could, and for people to know the story behind it. While creating my artwork, I learned how to sew by hand, and with the sewing machine. The final piece is exactly how I imagined it. 
“Story Quilt” Artwork by Avery Wilson, 12th My story quilt features a dove in the middle of the design, and it represents my great-grandma. I also included my mom’s favorite flowers and a bible verse to show my religion and what it means to me. I used fabric, fabric markers, sharpies and thread to create my design. My great-grandma inspired my story quilt. I added her favorite things to show the love and emotion I feel when I think of her. I learned how to pick symbols and add them into my artwork to tell a story, and also learned how to sew with this project. 
“Scott Pilgrim” Artwork by Lance Basham, 11th My artwork shows me and my boyfriend with yellow stars in the background. I first used fabric pens and used paint on top of them to have more colors. I started off printing the digital version I made of my sketch on the iPad. I printed this out and used it to trace my design onto the fabric. After painting, I started sewing on the border fabric, stars and patches. The show “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” inspired this artwork. I tried to show happiness but being separated from society. I made this artwork by myself, and learned that painting on fabric was harder that I thought it would be, but I had fun making it. 
“Wynorrific” Artwork by Brooklyn Smothers, 11th My artwork is a centipede, a semi-harmless creature, with spider lillies around it, which are poisonous flowers. I used these images to represent morals and how people see things. I used pencil, sharpie markers and prismacolor pencil to create my artwork. I started with an idea, made the centipede, and went with it. I wanted to draw a bug, and built an idea around that evoked emotions. I learned how to draw on a new medium (fabric), and now I have more confidence on how to combine materials to create something new. My work turned out as I imagined it. 
“I Will Shock the World” Artwork by Mark Mendoza-Newton, 11th 
“My Story” Artwork by Charlee Goff, 12th My artwork shows images of everything I love and surround myself with. I started with sketching, traced my designs onto fabric and used sharpies with fabric markers to finish my design. I picked a floral fabric for the back of my Memory Quilt, and sewed it on by hand-stitching. My goal as an artist is to be a better painter. Although I did not use any paint on this project, it did boost my confidence in my work. I create this work by myself, but the whole class worked together collaboratively on the project. I’m happy with how my quilt turned out and learned that when I really try, I will get good outcomes. 
“Blooming into Life” Artwork by Emma Bunny, 12th I used fabric, fabric markers and a sewing machine to create my artwork. I used my own life as inspiration and tried to show emotions of acceptance and understanding. I learned to push through to come up with creative ideas, even when I’m not always excited about a project. I’m happy with my final result. 
“Self Portrait” Artwork by Gracie Jeffries, 12th I created this artwork for a narrative quilt project and used acrylic painting on fabric. My design is a representation of my childhood into where I am now and my struggle with religion. The skeleton represents me at my barest. The current self-portrait represents me as I am now and how I have moved away from most things religious. The portrait of me as a child holding a rosary represents who I was. The rotten apple core is meant to represent biblical stories and the negative ways it affected me. The pomegranate represents current spiritualism and the dandelions and worms are strong reminders of my childhood. The heart and teeth represent me and my humanity. I learned how to use the sewing machine on this project, and hope connect future works to the themes represented here. 
“Be Kind” Artwork by Gabriela Arias Alpizar, 12th My work is entitled “Be Kind” and represents a message of kindness. It includes elements such as the flag of Cuba, a map of the island, hearts, flowers and symbols of family union, which are important aspects of my life and identity. My artwork expresses my connection with my roots, and my love for my family. I made this work using drawing and painting techniques on fabric. I chose bright colors and simple shapes so that the message was clear. Each element was planned to represent something meaningful in my life, such as the importance of kindness and cultural roots. The idea behind my work is to share a message of kindness and love, both towards one self and towards one another. My family inspired me and the culture where I come from. I wanted my work to convey a message of love, unity and pride in my cultural roots. Creating this work was a great experience because it allowed me to reflect on who I am. The end result is exactly as I imagined it: a portrait full of color and personal meaning. 
“My Life, My Story” Artwork by Gracie Corum, 12th Spread out all over the quilt are drawings of important things in my life, showcasing different things I’ve been through. I used pencil and fabric markers to do my designs. Once I did that, I found my materials and used the sewing machine to assemble the pieces of fabric. My inspiration for my story quilt are things I have been through in my life and certain memories I have. I wanted to create something that looked inviting, and I think I achieved this. I worked by myself with feedback from my table mates. It turned out just as I imagined. The vibrant colors mixed with some of the pastels to create a nice contrast. 
“Sweet Home” Artwork by Izabel Tindall, 11th My artwork is colorful with pops of green and pink. It subjects my 6 cats, Tigress, Shifu, Viper, Bear, Lionel, and Dodger. My title is “Sweet home” because it resembles my home. I always loved cats and all of mine are strays we fostered. One unfortunately passed, but the other five still live on. Most are at the peak old age of their life, while one is young. I have loved them all my life and they mean the world to me. I used fabric markers, fabric, and a quilt. I started with sketches on notecards of my cats, then traced them to the best I could. I did not like how it first turned out so I changed them to outlines. I then colored and added details to my artwork like flowers that me and my mother have always shared a liking to. My goal was to convey my emotions and love and I feel like I met that. I enjoyed sewing as a first experience and making this piece as a whole. It reminds me of them every time I look at it and makes me smile. I learned how to sew, it was a new experience to me and it was really fun. My final piece is almost what I imagined, I’d take my time and make a few tweaks if I could, but overall I love the fabric choice and pop color. This piece will influence future artworks with an open mind to new things and definitely more excitement and color. My parents and grandmas really enjoyed this piece so I’d like to create more for them. 
“Lilly of the Valley” Artwork by Jade Couch, 11th My artwork is a combination of things and people I love as well as some of the stages of life. When I first began the project, I didn’t like the outline we were supposed to do, so I made up my own. After searching for images, sketching, transferring the sketches and adding color to my design, I started sewing everything together. I had to learn how to sew on the machine, and hand sew. I have strong interests so I put my favorite things on the design, and then added symbols representing people I care about. I worked on my quilt alone, and the process was fun. I really just wanted it to look good, so I’m really happy with what did. I really liked everything about the project other than starting off because getting ideas is hard. But I’m excited to use my new skills on future projects. 
“Mya Life” Artwork by Ka’Mya Hadley, 11th My artwork titled “Mya Life” and is colorful and filled with all the things I like. I used index cards and a piece of sketch paper to plan my design, and then transferred it to my fabric. I used a pink fabric for the back of my quilt panel. I thought about my life, and wanted to show everything I like and love. This is one of my best artworks, and I’m happy with how it turned out. “Better Things are C 
“Who I Am” Artwork by Kaelyn Abbott, 11th My artwork looks like how I grew up, my history and the things I like. I learned how to sew while working on this piece. I sketched, restarted, and looked at examples to get my perfect piece. 
“Better Things are Coming” Artwork by Natalie Medina, 12th My artwork is mostly stuff that I like. For example, it has flowers and my favorite number. The tools I used for my quilt are a sewing machine, fabric, fabric markers and thread. My goals as an artist are to learn more about art, and this piece helped me reach this goal as I learned about quilting and the history of quilts. 
“A Look in My Life” Artwork by Nevaeh Carrothers, 12th My artwork looks colorful, the subject matter is things I like, and the title is “A Look in My Life.” I used fabric markers, sewing, photo transfer and paint pens to create this piece. My favorite part of this artwork is the inkjet photo transfer of a picture of my brother and I. I had to experiment with the printer and different mediums to get it to work. Events in my life inspired me, and I wanted to show the emotion of happiness. 
“My Favorite Things” Artwork by Shelbi Dunn, 10th My artwork has a lot of colors and shows images of all the things that I enjoy. It reflects how I love/enjoy music and listen to it in my day-to-day life. I looked up the records, lyrics and patterns to help me draw them. I sketched/traced and tried different things to get my final product. My inspiration was the artists of the albums. It expresses my love for music and how I talk through it. My goals for this artwork were to inspire people to use it as a creative outlet. I learned to never stop trying to bring my vision to life. 
“The Cycle/Womanhood” Artwork by Jaelynne Nolan, 12th My artwork looks super patchy and handmade (this is on purpose). The subject matter is about women. I used symbolism to represent the cycle of womanhood. As you look across the rows, my quilt tells a story. I mostly used hand-sewing as well as techniques like embroidery, which took a long time to complete. I was inspired by the artist Frida Kahlo and her work. My artwork represents both personal and social issues, and I tried to show the emotions of anger and growth. My goals as an artist are to make people leave my artwork always thinking about it and questioning themselves more deeply about what it could mean. As I explored and research the work of Frida Kahlo, I found that she had similar ideals. On this project, I learned that it’s not hard to sew paper. The final piece is what I imagined. I knew I wanted to incorporate a real teddy bear into my quilt. This piece will influence my future pieces as I continue to explore themes with deeper meaning. 
“Jellycat” Artwork by Angelie Urbano 
“Infected” Artwork by Damien Spencer, 12th My artwork is based around “Infected” from a game on Roblox called Regretavator. I used acrylic paint and a fine tip permanent marker to create my artwork. I chose “Infected” from Regretevator because he’s a favorite character of mine, and my current art style is inspired by him. A goal I have is to draw more dynamic poses and a small part of my piece did help me with this goal. I learned how to use a sewing machine on this project, and was also able to see how different materials work on fabric. 
“The Fulfillment of Nature” Artwork by Lilly Zagula, 12th This piece was created to show the healing abilities that nature holds. It’s titled “The Fulfillment of Nature” because the quilt’s symbolism is a lively anatomical heart surrounded in parts of the earth. The literary attribute of this piece tells a young girl’s story and how she forgets her trauma when surrounded by nature. I used fabric markers and a vision to display the symbolic message carried throughout the quilt the poem is my own, and was handwritten. The stitching was done by hand. My goal for this piece is to give hope to those going through rough patches and inspire them into believing there is light at the end of the tunnel. My intention was to create something that combined both a visual and poetic representation of nature’s healing properties. I feel like I made something that not only I see my reflection in, but others will too. 
“Story Quilt” Artwork by Kenyon Harbin, 12th My artwork looks different because it has a smiley face with two different quotes and the subject is about what represents me/something meaningful to me. The process I used to create my artwork is starting off with creating what I wanted to do on paper and then taking the artwork and putting it on my quilt with fabric markers. Then I selected fabric for the borders and quilt back, and I used the sewing machine to stitch the parts together. My artwork shows that life should have meaning and you should always count every second. I tried to express the emotions of appreciation, gratitude and happiness. My goals as an artist is being able to make an artwork thats personal and I did that because I created something that is about me and represents myself. I learned that creating a personal piece of artwork can get you thinking about what to do and can get you to make a piece of artwork that’s unique. 
Artwork by Rachel Smith, 12th 
Artwork by Jayden Moriera 
“Pressure” Artwork by Maverick Ashcroft, 11th My artwork is a quilt based on pressure. I used marker to make a design based on my favorite game. My goals for this artwork were to get it done.
PRP Visual Art + Design / Ms. Webb 