Curator’s Talk | Hidden in Plain View—Art in Southern Appalachia
*Limited capacity—preregistration is required*
Co-curator of Warp, Weft, and the Grid, Kathleen Curtis Wilson
Curator Kathleen Curtis Wilson will present a series of photographs and share personal stories about her collection of bed coverlets woven by women in southern Appalachia, 1850–1930. An appreciation of Appalachian weaving was hindered by stereotypical images of Appalachia as a poverty-ridden, art-poor region. These images and a lack of women’s material culture studies in the region once made it easy to dismiss Appalachia as void of objects of art, creativity, and design worthy of national attention.
Today, graphic artists and laypersons will appreciate the simple designs of early coverlet patterns for the straight lines, accuracy, and bold color choices of this distinctive artistic tradition.
The woven coverlets images presented during Wilson’s presentation make it apparent that many southern Appalachian weavers did not put away their looms in the nineteenth century but made a conscious decision to continue to weave and preserve beautiful objects for their own pleasure, as gifts for family members, or in celebration of important events.
Kathleen Curtis Wilson is the author of five non-fiction books: The Quiet Work of Women (2001, reprinting 2026); Uplifting the South—Mary Mildred Sullivan’s Legacy for Appalachia (2005); Irish People, Irish Linen (2011); Dancing at the Warm Springs Hotel (2022); and Adventurous Max Flax (2023), an educational children’s book. Her first novel, The Fabric of Wishful Thinking. (available 2026).
Wilson served as honorary fellow at both University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, and Virginia Humanities, Charlottesville, Virginia. She has given scores of public speeches and lectures at professional conferences in the United States and abroad. Born in Michigan, Wilson studied weaving at The Cranbrook Schools. She established and operated Old Abingdon Weavers in Southwest Virginia from 1983–1993. She lives in Blacksburg, Virginia.
