Arts on the Point will bring an example of its Community Outreach programming to the UMB campus this fall in the form of a hand-made quilt which illustrates scenes from the history of the Columbia -Harbor Point community.

The quilt was created this past spring by an inter-generational group of residents who worked under the leadership of fabric artist Clara Wainwright to record the history and personal memories of early residents of that community. The vibrant 6 x 9 foot work is titled Families in Action, Memories from Columbia Point, and will be exhibited in the 5th floor gallery of the Healey Library from September 17 through October 30 accompanied by archival and contextual material.

A welcoming reception for the quilt’s creators, former and current residents of “The Point,” and interested members of the UMB community, will be held on October 2 from 4:30 – 6:00 PM.

There are plans to follow this project with a second history quilt that will incorporate young people from the Walter Denny Youth Center to illustrate current life at Harbor Point. After being displayed at UMB, Memories from Columbia Point will move to the DeCordova Museum where it will be part of a retrospective exhibition of Clara Wainwright’s individual and collaborative work.

Under the leadership of Executive Director Paul Tucker and Wendy Baring-Gould, director of education and community outreach, and in collaboration with members of the Community Advisory Board, Arts on the Point has focused this past year on creating educational programming which links the surrounding neighborhoods to UMB’s contemporary sculpture park.

The goal of this ongoing effort is to encourage our neighbors to participate in creating art works in collaboration with members of the UMB art faculty and community based artists in order to foster a greater understanding of the importance of art and the role of the artist in contemporary society. These programs are designed to draw on the resources of the university in order to develop collaborative relationships with community institutions that will, over time, be of benefit to both UMB and its immediate neighbors.

In addition to the programs developed with the Harbor Point community, projects are underway with the Dorchester Center for Adult Education, Little House Alternative School, and Little House After School Programs.

For more information, please call Arts on the Point at 287-5347.