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Almine Rech

Phyllis Stephens

Phyllis Stephens (b. 1955, American) is a fifth-generation quilt maker who lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia. She is considered to be a master of African-American story quilts and has quilted professionally for more than thirty years. Her work has been shown at museums such as The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky—considered to have one of the world’s top quilt displays—as well as the National Museum of Ghana in Accra. In 2010, Stephens was awarded a resolution by the Georgia House of Representatives for her print portfolio, For Crying Out Loud, a tribute to the Children of the Civil Rights Movement.

Notable collectors of Stephens’s work include Ric Lewis, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Oprah Winfrey, Arthur Lewis, Samuel L. and LaTanya Jackson, Denzel and Paulette Washington, and Aretha Franklin. Her work is in the corporate and museum collections of, among others, New York; Citicorp Group, New York; the National Museum of Ghana.

Selected artworks

  • Phyllis Stephens,                                      Majestic, 2020

    Phyllis Stephens Majestic, 2020

    Quilt with sustainable fabric
    198.1 x 101.6 cm
    78 x 40 in (unframed)
    213.4 x 116.8 cm
    84 x 46 in (Framed)

  • Phyllis Stephens,                                      Victory Dance, 2020

    Phyllis Stephens Victory Dance, 2020

    Quilt with sustainable fabric
    198.1 x 162.6 cm
    78 x 64 in (unframed)

  • Phyllis Stephens,                                      The Royal Court, 2020

    Phyllis Stephens The Royal Court, 2020

    Quilt with sustainable fabrics
    177.8 x 172.7 cm (unframed)
    70 x 68 in (unframed)
    190.5 x 185.4 cm (framed)

  • Phyllis Stephens,                                      Stepping into Destiny, 2021

    Phyllis Stephens Stepping into Destiny, 2021

    Quilt with sustainable fabrics
    127.3 x 94.3 x 3.2 cm
    50 1/8 x 37 1/8 x 1 1/4 in
    54 5/16 x 41 5/16 x 2 in (framed)

  • Phyllis Stephens,                                      Perfectly Flawed, 2021

    Phyllis Stephens Perfectly Flawed, 2021

    Quilt with sustainable fabrics
    88 x 52 in
    94 x 58 in (framed)

  • Phyllis Stephens,                                      My Life is a Bed of Roses, 2021

    Phyllis Stephens My Life is a Bed of Roses, 2021

    Quilt with sustainable fabrics
    52 x 82 in
    58 x 88 in (framed)

  • Phyllis Stephens,                                      Redeemed, 2021

    Phyllis Stephens Redeemed, 2021

    Quilt with sustainable fabrics
    88 x 52.5 in
    94 x 58.5 in (framed)

  • Phyllis Stephens,                                      About Last Night, 2021

    Phyllis Stephens About Last Night, 2021

    Quilt with sustainable fabrics
    52 x 82 in
    58 x 88 in (framed)

  • Phyllis Stephens,                                      Raw Sugar, 2021

    Phyllis Stephens Raw Sugar, 2021

    Quilt with sustainable fabrics
    223.5 x 132.1 cm; 88 x 52 in (unframed)
    238.8 x 147.3 cm; 94 x 58 in (framed)

  • Phyllis Stephens,                                      Jungle Fever, 2021

    Phyllis Stephens Jungle Fever, 2021

    Quilt with sustainable fabric
    208.3 x 149.9 cm; 82 x 59 in
    221 x 162.6 cm; 87 x 64 in (framed)

Selected press