Quilting a Future: Contemporary Quilts and

Oct. 6–Jan. 28: Columbus e girls died when a bomb exploded during Sunday services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. e bombing came days a er President John F. Kennedy mobilized the Alabama National Guard to allow Black students to a end nine previously all-white schools in the city.

The quilt features four girls all between the ages of 11 and 14. Carole Robertson, Carol Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley all look to be dressed for church, but the bright nature of Bisa Butler’s composition, “Four Li le Girls, September 15, 1963,” holds a heartbreaking power in the tragic story it commemorates.

Butler made the quilt in 2018, and it is among 50 works that will be featured at the Columbus Museum of Art as part of “Quilting a Future: Contemporary Quilts and American Tradition,” running Oct. 6 through Jan. 28. e exhibition examines the past, present and future of American quilting and how artists use the art form to convey social, political and environmental concerns.

“We had an idea to feature works in conversation with other works by contemporary quilters and some historical quilters to expand on the American story as it speaks to quilts and quilts speak to it,” says Deidre Hamlar, curator-at-large at the Columbus Museum of Art.

Historically, quilts have been viewed as objects of cra rather than works of art, but the medium has evolved to go far beyond the time-honored pa erns and processes. ey now provide a vehicle for artists to make statements about history, identity and the world. e Columbus Museum of Art's exhibition will also include pieces that further push the quilting medium, such as three-dimensional and sculpted works as well as quilt wearables like shoes, jackets and dresses.

“ e fact that all these quilts with all shapes, sizes and dimensions can all coexist within a context of one exhibition, I think that says a lot for our nation and what we can create,” Hamlar says. “It really is a metaphor for what we can be.” 480 E. Broad St., Columbus 43215, 614/221-6801, columbusmuseum.org

Sean Repuyan

music

Guster with the Toledo Symphony

Sept. 20: Toledo

Alternative rock meets the sounds of the symphony at the Toledo Museum of Art’s Peristyle Theater in this one-night-only event. Guster and the Toledo Symphony join forces for a collaborative performance of music from a body of work built over the Boston band’s more than 30 years of creating and performing together. artstoledo.com music

Mary Chapin Carpenter & Shawn Colvin at the Midland Theatre

Oct. 18: Newark

Grammy Award-winning artists Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin take the stage at Newark’s Midland Theatre. As one of only 21 female members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Carpenter’s music focuses on pain, joy, discovery and knowledge. Inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2019, Colvin is known for her captivating performances and storytelling. midlandtheatre.org