Last Fall I was asked to do a presentation about my work to the Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild. One of the attendees was a librarian who remembered my artwork when she was tasked with finding a way to brighten the walls of a new temporary branch that opened in a high traffic location in Uptown Charlotte. She reached out to me in January 2022 to see if I would be interested in showing my artwork in their library space. This was a great opportunity to introduce my work to a new audience and I quickly agreed. Our conversation led to 10 of my images being displayed in the branch for the entire month of March. Along with the display, I was able to provide library patrons with information about my website and social media accounts. Event publicity included the following description: “Just as an author builds a story, local artist Linda Keene builds her exquisite quilts by layering figures and story elements to achieve the right perspective and tell a visual story. The unique hand-stitched backgrounds in her art are tribute to the generations of African-Americna quiltmakers in her family. Check out a selection of her beautiful quilt art during March at the Founders Hall library.” Thanks to social media posts, a number of friends have gone to see the exhibit and left positive messages of support. Exciting times!
UPDATE: A follow-up exhibit is planned for the month of June at the Allegra Westbrooks Library which is located in a heavily African-American neighborhood in Charlotte. The exhibit will open with an artist’s talk on June 2.