Still We Rise, Marla A. Jackson (born 1952)

Led by artist Marla Jackson, eight high school students researched Quantrill's Raid, which occurred in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1863, and created Still We Rise. The students began by seeking a deeper understanding of the perspectives underlying the conflict on both sides of the Kansas/Missouri border. Then, in order to translate their discoveries into an original narrative quilt, the young artists learned fabric dyeing, painting, and textile design techniques to communicate their findings.

This narrative quilt project, part of Jackson’s Beyond the Book literacy initiative geared toward middle and high school students, was made possible through an interpretive grant from Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area.