Deciding which pen and ink sketches will be used in the Vicksburg Senior Center quilting project proved to be a difficult one. Working to do that, above, are, from left, Virginia Prevost, Fran Brown, Reiko Flowers, director Jennifer Harper, master quilter Geraldine Nash and Mildred Sumrall.(The Vicksburg Post/MELANIE DUNCAN)

[02/04/02]The history of Vicksburg will be woven into two quilts by newfound artists at the Vicksburg Senior Citizens Center, thanks to the Vicksburg History Quilt Project.

Marcia Weaver, special projects director with the city’s planning department, said the city partnered with local community groups and businesses to offer the program. “The talent of these senior citizens is phenomenal,” she said.

The program was broken down into three phases beginning about three months ago.

Phase I included photography classes in which the senior citizens toured the city taking pictures of historical sites and buildings. In Phase II, the pictures were painted and sketched with acrylic, watercolor, and pen and ink mediums. The artwork was then scanned and, using a heat transfer method, put onto the quilting material.

Phase III began with the actual quilting of the different pieces of artwork into two quilts one will be pen and ink sketches and the other, acrylic and watercolor paintings.

VSCC member Virginia Prevost said no one in her class had ever made pen and ink sketches before meeting their teacher, Lee Grant.

“It was really exciting, learning how to do this so fast,” she said. “You are never too old to learn something new.”

Grant said his students had the basics down in the first week, prompting him to pick up the pace. “I’m crazy about those ladies,” he said. “They don’t give up.”

Along with Grant, local artist Leah Johnson taught the watercolor class and the Rev. Lewis Lassiter instructed acrylic painting.

VSCC Director Jennifer Harper said she was impressed by the artwork made by the members. “It’s like they had hidden talents,” she said.

Beatrice Warnock said her experience with the quilting project has been amazing. “I just couldn’t believe how it all turned out,” she said.

The sketches and drawings ranged from well-known places such as the Old Court House Museum to Fire Station No. 7, antebellum homes in the city and images from The Vicksburg National Military Park.

Master quilter Geraldine Nash with the Mississippi Cultural Crossroads in Port Gibson was hired to help sew the artwork together. Nash will stitch the pieces by machine and the members of the center will quilt the rest by hand. Nash, who has been quilting since 1988, will meet twice a week with the seniors until the quilts are complete.

Harper said there will be an unveiling ceremony in May for the historical quilts, after which they will hang in various tourist locations in the city, eventually returning to the center for permanent display.

The project is funded by the Mississippi Art Commission Arts-Based Community Development Project Grant Program in the amount of $6,100, which was matched by the City of Vicksburg