Carole Harris has expanded upon traditional quilting methods to create vibrant, improvisational works of fiber art. Her work brings textiles and techniques sourced from across the United States, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean together with visual strategies from modern abstract art and her own intuition and experience. Harris cuts, pieces, stitches, and dyes fabric, intuitively abutting shapes and patterns to form surprising and revealing compositions. 

For Harris, Darkness… Then began as a personal artistic challenge. The artist, who works very intuitively without pre-planning, challenged herself to utilize only black and white fabrics. As she worked, however, bold primary and secondary colors began to find their way into the composition and the quilt quickly went in a different direction. Harris attributes these brilliant bits of color to her feelings of optimism and hope as the world emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. Darkness… Then is an incredible example of Harris’s improvisational quilts and ability to use minimal color for maximum emotional impact.

The purchase of Carole Harris’ Darkness… Then was made possible by the North Star Legacy Group. Named for the guiding star of the Underground Railroad, the North Star Art Legacy Group was created to support the acquisition of art by Black artists.

Contributions of $2,500+

• Khan and Liza Nedd
• Tasha and Will Blackmon
• Bill and India Manns

Contributions of $1,000+

• Hayden Boyce, MD and Marcia Boyce
• Kenyatta and Tracey Brame
• Khary Bridgewater and Jennifer McCormick-Bridgewater
• André and Nicole Dandridge
• Paul and Celeste Doyle
• Stephen and Clarice Drew
• Exploratory Committee for Exemplary Women, Inc.
• Arlen and LaSandra Gaddy
• Michael and Jennifer Hawkins
• Westly A Johnson and Savator Selden-Johnson
• Kyla King & Nathan Kukla
• Dr. Tarence and Mrs. Eva Lauchie
• Brad and Andola Mathis
• Nathaniel and Laura Moody
• Carla Moore
• Bill and Lori Pink
• Daryl and Debra Reece
• Christopher and Kelli Smith
• Stephen and Taylor Smith — Muse GR
• Alex and Brittany Thibodeau in Memory of Claudia Thibodeau
• Robert and Shana Washington
• Daniel and Kaellen Williams

Supporting Contributions

• Clara and Joe Stewart
• Marcus Jackson and Amber Baker
• Debra Hines