STITCHING STORIES: The First Thread
Juneteenth Special Activation
June 19th, 2025
Celebration and Arist Talk
Chicago, IL - As the Stitching Stories series came to an end, the Heritage Museum of Asian Art hosted a final pop-up exhibition from June 14th-22nd, featuring both projects done within the series and some of the artists' chosen pieces! During the weeklong exhibition, we were lucky enough to host a special event alongside the Needles and Threads Quilters Guild on June 19th, celebrating Juneteenth.
Juneteenth became a federally recognized holiday in 2021 and is celebrated to commemorate the anniversary the last enslaved African Americans were finally freed in Galveston, Texas in 1865, over two years after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. We continue to celebrate the day that chattel slavery finally ended within the US today as a commemoration of freedom and resilience throughout history but also as a way to recognize the continued fight for justice globally.
With our Stitching Stories series, we looked to celebrate the relationship built on solidarity between the Black and Asian community, which is exactly why we found it necessary to hold our Juneteenth celebration this year especially. Although this year's celebration took place in the middle of the week, many guests took the time out of their busy weeks and were lucky enough to get a personal tour of the exhibition from the many artists of the Needles and Threads Quilters Guild.
Within our special activation for this Juneteenth, we were able to host two wonderful and talented performers who gave us a glimpse into the indigenous practice of stilt arts-- or Chakaba. Alongside the Chakaba, Baba John Chapman played the drums, bringing the practice truly to life on the street outside of our museum!
Stitching Stories: The First Thread was able to grow out of the collective efforts done throughout the six community workshops dedicated to storytelling through textile arts. Displayed at the exhibition was, for example, the quilt blocks done by participants during the first workshop as well as some of the artists from the Needles and Threads Quilters Guild. The quilt blocks surrounded the theme of friendship, which was a large enough theme to give participants basically free range on their choices.
Although the exhibition has come to a close, we at the Heritage Museum of Asian Art are still passionate about bringing together the communities that were highlighted within this series. This Juneteenth celebration served as an incredible end to our months of collaboration and hard work. We are excited to continue to see our community grow and will continue to serve as an institution that really cares for its people.
This celebration was a part of the Stitching Stories project, where we look to bridge the Black and Asian communities together through the art of textile works, supported by Healing Illinois. Healing Illinois is funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services in partnership with The Field Foundation of Illinois.
About the Artists
Chakaba, Indigenous Stilt Artists
Stilt artists are a staple in many indigenous communities-- particularly to West African, Caribbean, and many South American cultures. Chakaba has gained greater exposure and popularity as these ritual artists bring visualization of traditional folklore, and dance styles to the public.
The Chakaba and drummer's presentation goes to signify the importance of the holiday which commemorates the legal ending of chattel slavery in the United States.
Traditionally, the chakaba remains anonymous for the performance. The Chakaba at our Juneteenth celebration was a Muntu Dance Theatre Masquerade artist. Alongside him, we also had Baba John Chapman, the director of the Azania Drum Ensemble!
The Chakaba and drummer were a part of Needles and Threads Quilters Guild's JUNETEENTH celebration which it celebrated as part of its Stitching Stories project with the Heritage Museum of Asian Arts.
EVENT PHOTOS
