Susan Hudson’s Long Walk of My Ancestors, Coming Home, 2018 Appliqué Quilt, generously loaned by the artist. Courtesy photo
ART News:
You have never seen quilts like this before! Navajo artist Susan Hudson, the first Indigenous story quilter in the United States and a 2024 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Heritage fellow, is joined by her community members from the multi-generational Navajo Quilt Project (NQP) in this vibrant exhibition at the Millicent Rogers Museum. From Hudson’s figural appliqué quilts, which act as historical records, to colorful pattern quilts made by members of the NQP, multiple generations of Navajo artisans are included in this community-centered show.
Quilted Survivance is an exhibition that simultaneously creates a safe space for the viewer while presenting them with the intense imagery of historic truths associated with the treatment of Native Americans, specifically the lived experiences of Hudson’s Navajo Ancestors, from contact until now. The term survivance has emerged in the field of contemporary Indigenous art as an active sense of the Ancestors’ presence and a present understanding of artists’ obligation to future generations within the work they produce. Survivance is the exuberant celebration of culture and an act of resistance to colonial violence. While Hudson’s detailed imagery of the Navajo people and their sacred lands actively calls out the atrocities endured by her Ancestors, the pattern quilts made by youth and elders of the NQP are a reminder to all that joy, community, and culture have not only survived, but they are thriving.
Co-founded by Susan Hudson and Karri Meng of French General Fabrics in 2016, the NQP serves multiple generations at several chapters of the Navajo Reservation. Through generous donations from people around the world, elders and youth come together to learn the skill of sewing and the art of quilt work. This skill offers layers of support, first by bringing generations together in spaces where stories, language, and tradition can be shared in community. Then, by fostering a skill that allows them to create quilts for community giveaways or as an avenue to support financial stability through the sale of their works. Through the NQP, Hudson has been able to provide impactful programming to her community for nearly a decade.
In addition to being a congressional awardee of the NEA Heritage Fellowship, major institutions, including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and the Heard Museum in Arizona, as well as important collectors like Scott Allocco and Douglas Clark, have collected Hudson’s award-winning quilted wall hangings. Hudson’s storied quilts are gestures of remembrance to the artist’s grandmothers and mother, featuring figural imagery and southwestern landscapes that depict their lived experiences. Highlighted stories include enduring The Long Walk, surviving the Toadleana Indian Boarding School, and calling attention to the continuous Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives crisis. This is not simply a textile exhibition; it is a historic event you won’t want to miss!
Exhibition Programs
A public opening reception will be held from 5–7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 15. This is a rare opportunity to hear the stories behind the work and meet Susan Hudson in conversation with featured artists from the Navajo Quilt Project.
Co-curator Bio
Annie Drysdale is an independent curator specializing in contemporary Indigenous and Chicana/o/x art. Drysdale is the primary expert on the work of Indigenous story quilter, Susan Hudson (Navajo), with whom she has a close collaborative relationship. She holds both her B.A. in Art History and her M.A. in Art History & Museum Studies from the University of Denver, where she curated more than a dozen exhibitions for the DU Davis Art Gallery, including the recent Spectators, a solo exhibition by Tonio LeFebre (Piro/Tiwa). In addition to her curatorial pursuits, Drysdale is Co-Founder and Co-Director of Storytellers of the Ancestral Road (SOAR), a women-led collaborative of Indigenous teachers and allies promoting cultural wisdom and cross-cultural community healing through creative expression. SOAR has brought more than 150 programs and 10 public artworks to southern Colorado, reaching over 3000 community members since 2022.
Supporters
This project would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. We would like to thank New Mexico Arts, the Taos County Lodgers Tax, and Scott Allocco and Douglas Clark.
Located at 1504 Millicent Rogers Road in Taos, New Mexico, the Millicent Rogers Museum (a 501c3) partners with communities of the Southwest to share their stories, arts, and cultures. Museum hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Thursday through Tuesday. General admission is $20, with $15 admission daily for veterans, students, and seniors (65+). Taos County residents receive free entry to the museum every Sunday. Free daily admission for children under 6, museum members, and tribal members. Please check www.millicentrogers.org for updates about this exhibition and for winter hours.