West Chester woman organizes exhibit featuring quilters from around the world

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

To mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights, Carolyn Mazloomi of West Chester has curated a 90-piece exhibit of artistic quilts — three for each of the declaration’s 30 articles.

The exhibit is starting at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts, and will be open during the center’s party to launch its 25th anniversary season. It later will spend two years traveling the world.

Mazloomi, an artist and curator for 40 years, was Ohio’s first Heritage Award winner and also received a national heritage award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

“For me as an artist, I strongly believe that art has the capacity to touch the spirit and engage people, educate and heal in ways that words cannot,” she said.

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

To highlight that anniversary, she invited artists around the world to create quilts: Three quilts for each of the 30 articles. Because the Fitton Center could not exhibit all 90, only 30 are on exhibit there.

The declaration defined four core freedoms all people should have: Freedom of speech, freedom of belief, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. The Cincinnati Museum Center is handling the tour’s logistics when the collection leaves Hamilton.

A panel will discuss the exhibit from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Fitton Center, during the season launch party. Artists from the UN exhibition and from a 25-person exhibition of local artists’ works, called “25” (one for each year of the Fitton Center) will participate.

“Here’s an opportunity to have a dialogue about human rights,” Mazloomi said. “And what we could possibly do as individuals in our own small way to advance human rights — and what we can do to open our minds as to what’s going on in other countries, and be aware, as world citizens.”

Credit: Nick Daggy

Credit: Nick Daggy

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