The Sesquicentennial 1864 Slave Emancipation Quilt commemorates Maryland’s shared history that holds fast the stories of our collective Maryland contributions for future generations to know. Fiber artist Gaither calls the process used to create this monumental size quilt “quilting from the soul” that utilizes anything and everything necessary to tell the story of the emancipation of slaves in Maryland.

 

With the passage of the 1864 state constitution, Maryland slaves were freed under Article 24. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the end of slavery in Maryland, Dr. Gaither worked with Lydra Pratt Marshall, the Vice Chair of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, the Annapolis 1864 Commission, and over 400 representatives from every county in the state to create a quilt documenting this momentous event. The quilt, laid out like the Maryland State Flag, shares the stories of African Americans in each county as told by residents in those counties.