HAMILTON -- Artist Carolyn Mazloomi may live in Forest Park, but her quilts are collections of fabrics, images and stories from cultures around the world.
An exhibit of her work, In the Spirit of the Cloth, opened Sunday at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton.
One quilt, "Daughter of the Great Goddess," uses fabric from Senegal, Thailand and Nigeria, along with quilted squares made by Hmong people of Cambodia.
"I collect materials in my travels and deal with importers," Ms. Mazloomi said.
Her quilts are shown and sold worldwide. Two of the works on exhibit, part of her "Goddess" series, were displayed at the United Nations Conference for Women in Beijing.
"I wanted to do this series to show the power of women," she said.
When she's not quilting, Ms. Mazloomi helps women express themselves artistically. In 1983, she founded the Women of Color Quilters Network, which has 1,700 members nationwide.
Ms. Mazloomi also collects and promotes the work of other artists. Her book of contemporary African-American quilts, also called In the Spirit of the Cloth, is to be published soon by Random House.
The show continues until June 5 in the handicapped-accessible second-floor galleries of the Fitton Center, 101 S. Monument Ave. Admission is free. Information: 863-8865.
