Throughout history, quilts have held an important and cherished place in our culture, particularly in the American South. From Heart to Hand: African American Quilts from the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts surveys 20th-century African American quilt artists from the South, restoring their identities and drawing in examples that range from abstract compositions to figurative works of cultural icons like Jackie Robinson. 
Sometimes quilts were intended to spread across a bed and provide warmth while others were statements that were to be hung on a wall, like a painting.