By Betsy Lehndorff
Rocky Mountain News

An intricate, colorful quilt is a tangible example of American ingenuity through the decades. These blankets, made from scraps of worn-out clothing, came West with pioneers and decorated many a farmhouse and mine shack. In the south, they launched a tradition that today is full of vitality.

For a look, visit Sunday's exhibit, Quilting and the Quest for Freedom at the Stiles African American Heritage Center. More than 15 quilts by members of the Rocky Mountain WaShonaji Guild will be displayed by the group, which was formed in 1994 by locan women interested in quiltmaking from a black perspective.

"Basically my focus is to make sure all students know the history of America," says Grace Stiles, a retired Denver Public Schools educator who founded the museum in 1998. "Because when you look at African-American history you are looking at American history."

A book, Hidden in Plain View - a Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad by Jacqueline Tobin and art historian Raymond Dobard tells about the slave quilts and the secret symbols they contained. Tobin, a Denver writer will be at the museum at 2 pm to talk about the book.

Quilts decorated with secret symbols were draped in plain sight on fences. Since it was common to air bedding, no one paid attention - except those desperate for freedom. A quilt with a monkey wrench design would tell slaves to gather tools they would need in the North, the authors write. A wheel pattern would tell them to pack things in a wagon; a pattern of tumbling boxes would signal it was time to leave.

The autobiographical quilt emerged in the following years. Denver artist Dawn Boys will display a quilt she created that was inspired by the work of New York quilting artist Faith Ringgold.

The quilt's first scene shows the funeral of her 94-year-old grandmother, Dovie Hill, who died in Atlanta in 2000. Using cotton fabric, felt and beads, Boyd re-creates a group of women and their husbands gathered in front of a flower-covered coffin.

"Oh yes, they are distinct personalities," Boyd says, pointing to her mother and aunts. "They are Atlanta women, and they are very conscious of style."

lehndorffb@RockyMountainNews.com