Jazz Storm quilt, Viola Burley Leak

Exhibition Label:
“Quilting Time and Space,” Jun-2010, Natalie Svacina
This quilt serves as a tribute to the musicians of New Orleans who were affected by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. References to the landscape of the city are present through silhouettes of the Superdome, a Bourbon Street
sign, and a Mardi Gras harlequin figure. The quilt included symbolism that relates both to the city and to Hurricane Katrina. The line of musicians that stream from the notes of a saxophone player represent the march of musicians at a jazz funeral. Above the saxophone player, a phoenix is included as a symbol of hope for rebuilding the community after the hurricane. The second line of silhouettes with musical instruments in the middle section of the quilt embodies the notion that musicians carry their music inside of themselves wherever they travel. This belief is important particularly after the hurricane since many of the musicians abandoned New Orleans after the hurricane and resettled in
neighboring states. These sites of displacement are pictured within the lower half of the quilt while the floor water that connects the upper and lower halves of the quilt acts as a path to the other states for the musicians to follow. The far left section illustrates two musicians attempting to keep their heads above water as their instruments float next to them.