Centered Around Culture: Quilts by Cely Pedescleaux

7th Ward native Cely Pedescleaux grew up surrounded by talented seamstresses, watching them artfully hand-work lace, crocheting, beading, and tatting into decorative textile arts. Now she, a self-taught artist herself, has expanded her love for quilting through fashion. In 2009, she debuted her designs on Worn Again, a New Orleans fashion television show where organizers provide old clothing to local artists, who then transform them into unrecognizably stylish garments. 

Today, Pedescleaux teaches quilting and the history of African American quilting through public programs at museums, galleries, universities, festivals, and quilt shows all around Louisiana. Her contemporary works have been displayed in France, Italy, and China. 

See Pedescleaux's work on display at the West Baton Rouge Museum this month in the exhibition Centered Around Culture: Quilts by Cely Pedescleaux. westbatonrougemusuem.com.