Road Scholar to speak at DPL Lunch and Learn
Sarah Bliss Wright, a member of the Alabama Humanities Foundation’s Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, will present “Alabama Cotton and Bemis Bags, Pieced into History” on Thursday, Sept. 29 at noon at Demopolis Public Library.
Feedsack quilts represent the artistic expression of American women in a distinctive textile era, 1930‒1960, when such bed coverings were created from colorful, patterned fabrics that started out as feed or flour sacks. Many of these textile bags had their genesis in the cotton fields of Alabama because Bemis Bro. Bag Company, the largest textile bag manufacturer in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century, operated a cotton mill and bag plant in Bemiston, Alabama. In this presentation, we trace the evolution of cotton bags from a rural-household convenience, to a Depression Era necessity, to a wartime way of life, to an urban re-purposing fad. This progression, steered by the textile bag industry and its extensive research and development, led to improvements in cotton bags and to changes in marketing psychology and advertising strategies. By virtue of the fact that it was the largest textile bag company, Bemis led the way, capitalizing on ideas that would boost sales, make a profit, and keep the textile bag a viable choice in the packaging industry―resulting in millions of yards of free fabric in the hands of creative women. The availability of feedsack prints undoubtedly encouraged the making of pieced quilts. By placing these quilts in the historical context of the textile industry, we examine the role that Bemis Bro. Bag Company and Alabama cotton played in providing feedsacks, and ultimately feedsack quilts, for the nation.
To read about more Road Scholar Speakers Bureau presentations, visit http://www.alabamahumanities.org/programs/road/.
About the scholar
Alabama native Sarah Bliss Wright spent 30 years in performing arts before quilts captured her attention. Though she grew up surrounded by quilts, it was not until 2006 that the idea of turning her talents to textile art was born. A crazy quilt that she made from her late father’s silk neckties ignited a desire to add quilting to her creative pursuits. Serious study of quilt history began after a serendipitous meeting of fellow Alabamian Mary Elizabeth Johnson Huff, well-known author of numerous quilt books.
Wright holds a BA in Psychology from Samford University (Birmingham, Ala.) and studied at the University of Exeter, England as a Rotary International Fellow. She is curator for “Our Quilted Past,” an exhibit of Alabama feedsack quilts and Bemis Bro. Bag Company, and her research on the subject is published in Uncoverings 2013. A member of the American Quilt Study Group, Sarah lives in Mobile.
The library will have poppy seed chicken plates from Simply Delicious Bakery available for$ 7 or you can bring your own lunch. Drinks and dessert will be provided by the Friends of the Demopolis Public Library.
About the Alabama Humanities Foundation
The Alabama Humanities Foundation fosters learning, understanding and appreciation of our people, communities and cultures. As the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, AHF supports humanities projects through grantmaking and conducts statewide programs including Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, SUPER Teacher Institutes and PRIME TIME Family Reading Time. For more information on AHF and its programs, please visit alabamahumanities.org or call (205) 558-3980.