Upcoming events.
Onyx Patchworks: Homecoming (Solo Exhibition)
Presented by the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, Onyx Patchworks explores Black Kentucky history through art quilts and artist book pages inspired by archival and historical records. The exhibition illuminates hidden stories of Black Kentuckians, inviting visitors to engage with history through memory and textiles.
Come witness my collection of textile artworks inspired by Kentucky’s histories!
July 16, 2026 - August 27, 2026
Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, 137 N Broadway St, Berea, KY 40403
Artist Talk: Onyx Patchworks Series
Artist Talk with Dr. Jaleesa Wells, August 13, hosted during the 5-7 pm reception for Onyx Patchworks at the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen.
Dr. Wells shares how family quilt traditions, archival research, and game‑based learning shaped this series of textile art quilts focused on Black Kentuckians throughout history.
Reception and Artist Talk
August 13, 2026, 5-7 pm
137 N Broadway, Berea KY 40403
Onyx Patchworks Opening Reception & Artist Talk
On January 29, Berea College Special Collections and Archives hosts the opening reception for Onyx Patchworks: Exploring Black American History in the Berea College Archives at Hutchins Library. During this event, Dr. Jaleesa Wells shares how family quilt traditions, archival research, and game‑based learning shaped this series of quilted memory games and art quilts focused on Julia Britton Hooks, Henry Allen Laine, and Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Guests are invited to explore the exhibition, view the original quilted games and wall quilts, and play printed game sets in the gallery alongside students, archivists, and community members.
Onyx Patchworks: Exploring Black American History in the Berea College Archives
On view January 29–February 26 at Berea College Special Collections and Archives in Hutchins Library, Onyx Patchworks invites visitors to “play through history” with quilted memory games and new art quilts drawn from underexplored Black histories in the Berea archives.
Onyx Patchworks is an interactive exhibition at Berea College’s Hutchins Library that turns Black American histories in the Berea archives into quilted memory games and symbol‑rich art quilts, highlighting figures like Julia Britton Hooks, Henry Allen Laine, and Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Visitors can handle printed game sets, explore wall quilts, and reflect on how Black Kentuckians sit at the heart of American and Appalachian history.