Milwaukee quilter is subject of exhibit

“Rosemary Ollison: Know My Heart” is the newest exhibit at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts in Cedarburg.

The exhibit, which runs from Aug. 15 to Dec. 7, features the complex textile oeuvre of Milwaukee-based artist Rosemary Ollison, who has been making art for 30 years. 

The exhibit, Ollison’s first solo museum exhibition, will be accompanied by an illustrated catalog featuring her unpublished writings and scholarly essays by Sharbreon Plummer and Debra Brehmer. 

Ollison is a elf-taught artist and storyteller who grew up in the segregated Jim Crow South and spent her earliest years on a plantation in Arkansas. Living under conditions she describes as being one or two steps away from slavery, she left the plantation at 16. 

In 1996, while healing from an abusive marriage, she began to make art. For four years, she drew incessantly, creating more than 1,000 drawings. 

She describes her art as a spiritual calling. Her work is often about healing and self-definition. It addresses her identity as a Black woman and celebrates themes of power, individuality and the mystique of women.

Ollison collects glass, leather, bracelets, beads, bones and jewelry and repurposes them into sculptural works of art. 

She has redesigned her small apartment with layers of pattern, duct-tape sculptures, curtains of beads and woven leather, improvisational quilts and inventive drawings. She also makes her own clothing and is a prolific writer. 

The exhibit focuses on Ollison’s fiber practice, including rugs, tapestries, wall hangings, quilts, garments and beaded objects.

A discussion and book signing by Ollison and Plummer will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13.

Following the discussion, there will be a signing of the exhibition catalog.

The cost is $10 for museum members and $15 for nonmembers. Advance registration may be done at https://tinyurl.com/bdeyc8vx.

The museum at N50 W5050 Portland Rd. is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.