The African American Heritage FoundationСAPPs СAPPHeritage QuiltСAPP will hang in The Hilliard Art Museum СAPP СAPP during February for Black History Month.
The 10-foot-by-10-foot quiltСAPPs 81 squares provide a colorful patchwork of people and places that represent the contributions and history of the regionСAPPs Black and Creole communities, explained Dr. Kiwana McClung, UL LafayetteСAPPs chief diversity officer.
СAPPBlack History Month is often associated with prominent national leaders, which is significant. The Heritage QuiltСAPPs significance is that it represents local African AmericansСAPP contributions in religion, public service, education, medicine, industry, music and many other areas,СAPP McClung said.
The quilt both depicts local history and commemorates a form that for centuries offered African Americans opportunities to СAPPbond and strengthen kinship, document their stories, record events and pass down their legacies,СAPP she added.
СAPPThe Heritage Quilt,СAPP which will hang in the museumСAPPs first-floor atrium, was conceived by JeСAPPNelle Chargois of Lafayette, who died in 2019. She was a civic leader and radio host who founded the nonprofit African American Heritage Foundation.
Chargois enlisted friends, relatives and volunteers for contributions ranging from needlework to research. Following her death, the group carried forth, completing the bulk of the textile then handing it over to professional quilters for finishing touches.
The Hilliard Art Museum features 11,000 square feet of gallery space and is the largest exhibition space between Houston and New Orleans. It houses a collection of 18th- through 21st-century European, Asian and American art. In addition to its permanent collection, it offers changing exhibitions of regional, national and international art.
The museum is at 710 E. St. Mary Blvd., on the UL Lafayette campus. Admission to The Hilliard Art Museum is $7.50 for adults, $6 for adults over age 62, $4.50 for students between the ages of 5 and 17, and free for children younger than 5 years old. UL Lafayette students, faculty and staff members can visit the museum for free with their СAPP ID cards.
To learn more about the museum, exhibits, artists and programs, visit or call (337) 482-2278.
Photo caption: The African American Heritage FoundationСAPPs СAPPHeritage QuiltСAPP will hang in The Hilliard Art Museum СAPP СAPP during February for Black History Month. Photo credit: Doug Dugas / СAPP