Broken Treaty Quilt #5

Gina Adams, artist

born 1965

Broken Treaty Quilt #5, 2014

Where object was made: Lawrence, Kansas, United States

Material/technique: calico; quilting; cotton; dyeing

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 210 x 186 cm
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 82 11/16 x 73 1/4 in

Credit line: Museum purchase: Gift of Roger Ward, B.A. 1976 in memory of Ralph E. (“Ted”) Coe; Peter T. Bohan Art Acquisition Fund and Judith M. Cooke Native American Art Fund

Accession number: 2015.0069

Not on display

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In her work, Adams draws from colonial history and the experiences of her Ojibwe grandfather, who was forced to attend the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. Her series of antique, well-worn quilts, overlaid with text from treaties between the U.S. government and Native American tribes, reflect the layered and fractured relationship of European settlers and Indigenous peoples. The quilts juxtapose the idea of comfort and home with harsh treaty conditions that forced Natives from their ancestral lands. Adams wanted the applied text to be challenging to read because the language in the documents was meant to be confusing. She chose calico fabric because it was the first industrialized commodity made in the United States for export, and it financially benefited the white community. Quilting was a skill taught during the boarding school era.