Tribute to the Civil Rights Movement: Quilted Swing Coats by Patricia A. Montgomery

Patricia A. Montgomery is a textile and installation artist whose work focuses on African American historical and mythical narratives, which are enriched by both intensive research and her own African American experience. Her canvases are constructed from bright West African fabrics, Batiks, and modified traditional quilting patterns, and a multitude of threads serve as her paints. Using these materials, she creates textile stories rich in color and texture that celebrate the rhythms of life and the importance of culture. 

Montgomery initially gained recognition for her narrative quilts – in 2011 The Alliance for California Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program named her a Master Quilting Artist. In 2013, she was awarded a Creative Work Fund Grant in Traditional Arts which supported new work and collaborations with nonprofit organizations. Over time, Montgomery’s “historical story quilts” transformed into swing coats, each representing individuals from the Civil Rights Movement. These swing coats tell the stories of under-recognized heroines and their major contributions to this pivotal movement of the twentieth century.

Now known as the “Coat Lady,” Montgomery has exhibited throughout the United States and internationally. She earned a Master of Fine Arts from John F. Kennedy University in Berkeley, CA and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Holy Names College in Oakland, CA. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi and raised in Hempstead, New York until 1979, she currently resides in Oakland, California.