Bright Star Nation featuring Carol Wilcox to to Open at the Sioux Indian Museum

RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA:  The Sioux Indian Museum, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Crafts Board, announces the opening of a new exhibition, Bright Star Nation featuring Carol Wilcox.  The exhibition will run May 20 to September 10, 2024. 

Carol Wilcox (Oglala Sioux Tribe)  is an artistic quilter that witnessed her grandmother, other relatives and friends, gather to make unique pieces using what they had on hand in their homes on the Pine Ridge Reservation.  Sewing was often her family’s social and cultural activity. Carol’s process for quilting is a creative journey, and it is as important as the end product. She did not go to a special school, as sewing was a part of her family’s everyday life back to the time of buffalo robes. 

Carol currently teaches at the Artspace Center on Pine Ridge, where she shares her techniques and experiences.  She also extends lessons for those who stop by her home. “Quilts and blankets replaced the buffalo robes not just for warmth and comfort, but also in honoring ceremonies and as special gifts in general. Wrapping a quilt around a person is to honor them and acknowledge those that have gone before. It is a present with depth, an offering of creativity and culture along with acknowledgment to ancestors.” This is why she prefers to make her quilts in traditional ways, by hand, even though there are machines that can do the sewing. 

Carol credits the missionaries that arrived and first taught quilting on the reservation. When these missionaries depicted the lone star on a quilt, it was readily accepted by the Lakota and other Northern Plains Tribes as they identify as the “Star People.” For this reason, Carol specifically named this collection “Bright Star Nation.” 

Prices for the quilts and carriers can be obtained by contacting The Journey Museum at (605) 394-6923.  Purchase inquiries after the closing of the exhibition can be directed to the artist at cjwilcox@goldenwest.net.