For the past thirty-plus years, my family and I have been involved in the preservation of Pasaquan, a visionary art site near my hometown of Buena Vista, Georgia. I encourage you to read about this unique site, and view some eye-popping photographs, available by clicking on the link.
Our involvement with Pasaquan has afforded us opportunities to meet other folks involved in the preservation of visionary art sites around the country. One of those sites is Margaret’s Grocery in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and one of those people is Suzi Altman, who has worked tirelessly for many years to see to it that Margaret’s Grocery is preserved. Here's a sneak peek of part of Margaret's Grocery, but I encourage you to click on the site to see more images:
Last year I was approached by Suzi’s partner, Nancy Anne Branton, with the idea of my creating, as a 2017 birthday and Hanukah surprise for Suzi, a quilt inspired by Margaret’s Grocery. Nancy’s one request was that I include an image of this piece, a “home-made Menorah” (my quotes) that is an integral component of the much larger site:
Photo by Suzi Altman.
With great pleasure I accepted Nancy’s commission and immediately set about trying to create a quilt that would recognize the importance of Margaret’s Grocery and of Suzi’s devotion to the site. Here’s the result:
Suzi's Grocery 48" x 76"
Here are some close-ups and some photos of the work in progress:
