Understanding

Discovery, Transformation, and Healing: Works in Paper by Maya Freelon

By Karl Cole, posted on Oct 29, 2026

Freelon’s godmother and namesake, poet Maya Angelou (1928–2014), described her tissue paper artworks as metaphors of the human condition: delicate yet resilient. Tissue paper is non-toxic and easy to use and recycle. When she creates Tissue Quilts or Tissue Sculptures, she often collaborates with community members, in the spirit of traditional African American quilting bees. Freelon perceives her tissue paper art as a tribute to her grandmother, and the African American community’s history of never letting any available material resource go to waste.

View this article in the digital magazine.


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