Storied Threads

To some, quilting is simply putting together pieces of fabric in a unique way to create a pattern. But to the Hancock sisters, quilting is a unique language to tell their family history.

Living far apart in Cincinnati, Louisville and Taos, NM, the sisters — Terrie Mangat, Pat Sturtzel and Becky Hancock — send hand-dyed fabrics and intricately stitched squares back and forth between their homes to create their quilts.  Each has a distinctive style.What the sisters have in common is that, like generations of quilters before them, they tell stories through their handicraft — stories of parents and siblings, of birth and death, of recovery  and spirituality. This is the premise of Storied Threads , the art of quilting as a reflection of life.

The Hancock sisters’ creations will be among those featured in Storied Threads, a new exhibit at Behringer-Crawford Museum celebrating of the contributions of regional textile artists, including Villa Hills resident and Stringtown Quilters Guild president Larry McKenney, who specializes in photo quilts, and the late Pat Statzer, who was well-known for her vivid patchwork quilts and whimsical cloth dolls.  Other pieces from the museum’s and Covington resident Linda Carter’s collections are also on display.

The exhibit opening on Saturday, February 10, will be free to the public as part of ArtsWave Days. Visitors will have a chance to meet the artists during a reception from 1 to 4 p.m.  At 1:30 p.m., McKenney will share how traveling throughout the world with his camera allowed him to capture images that he can translate with fabric. At 3 p.m., local artist Cedric Cox will debut a layered mural and invite museum visitors to be a part of an interactive art demonstration.

For free tickets to the reception, RSVP to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/storied-threads-tickets-42939354766.