The UUC Art Committee is pleased to present "Fabric Altars: Threaded Black Narratives," which opens in the UUC chapel on Sunday, October 26. All are invited to meet fabric artist Brenetta Ward at 12:15 p.m. immediately following the second service, or at the public Art Reception from 1–3 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

This solo collection represents a quilted timeline that honors seven periods in African American history from the Pre-colonial Era to Black Futures. Ward explains, “Our ancestors were not indigenous to this land. They did not arrive on these shores voluntarily. Their strength, knowledge and skills were simultaneously revered and feared. I wanted to create visual documents of African American history; tell our stories through cloth and piece together our collective Black narratives.”



The design of the Fabric Altars is inspired by the Egungun, an African ceremonial masquerade garment traditionally worn by the Yoruba peoples of Nigeria and Republic of Benin. An Egungun is worn to celebrate the relationships between the living and their ancestors. The selected fabrics are reflections of culture, time and place. The stitches symbolize the threads of community. The embellishments serve as touchstones to the past, present and future.

Ward is a Seattle-based fabric artist, third generation quilter and oral historian. Her work has been exhibited at local, regional and national venues. Selected pieces have been included in public, corporate and private collections. The Fabric Altars collection was created after she received a two-year grant as a Seattle CityArtist. The award was given to support the creation of a new body of work for exhibit within the Seattle city limits. This exhibition will be its first public showing. 

This exhibition is supported in part by grants from the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture. It will hang in the UUC chapel through December 5.