Phyllis Stephens: Fifth-Generation Quiltmaker Weaves African-American Stories in Fabric

Phyllis Stephens, a fifth-generation quiltmaker, creates African-American story quilts that blend history and personal experience. She begins each piece with a prayer, acknowledging her heritage in the African quilting tradition. For three decades, Stephens has produced vibrant compositions using careful fabric selection, color, and pattern to shape narratives. Her work covers the Black experience, from honoring children of the Civil Rights Movement to celebrating modern life. Figures in her quilts engage with urban or suburban settings, always referencing the past. Stephens states she is sensitive to her surroundings and current culture but always includes the past to honor those who shaped her life. She describes quiltmaking as a forever-changing learning experience, invented and reinvented. Her work is represented by Richard Beavers Gallery. She shares her art on Instagram under the handle @little_shepard_girl.