Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites

It runs the length of a city block — measuring 426 feet long, 18 inches wide and weighing 80 pounds. The stunning size as well as the intricate details and powerful narrative all make “redLINES” a truly captivating piece of textile art. Visitors have a unique opportunity to explore this one-of-a-kind quilt and meet some of artists who made it during Walk the Block, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Aug. 9-11, at the Indiana State Museum.

Created by Indianapolis artist LaShawnda Crowe Storm and a collective of community quilters, “redLINES” explores the history of redlining in Indianapolis, its impact on the city as a whole and the development of those neighborhoods today. Redlining was a discriminatory nationwide practice that began in the 1930s and was used to deny financial and other services to certain neighborhoods based on the residents’ race or ethnicity. The term comes from red lines that were used on maps to indicate the boundaries of neighborhoods deemed to be highest risk.

The “redLINES” quilt was commissioned in 2019 by the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields for At the Crossroads: A Community Meal, which was a collaborative event with Minnesota-based artist Seitu Jones. The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, which has an internationally known quilt collection, acquired “redLINES” in 2023.

“LaShawnda’s process of creating art is based in the community, includes the community, and is for the uplift and change in community,” said Kisha Tandy, Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites’ curator of social history who first saw “redLINES” at the community meal. “We are very excited to have her piece.”

Walk the Block will mark the first time the Indiana State Museum has showcased “redLINES,” which will extend nearly the entire length of the museum’s third floor. Although exhibited at various locations following At the Crossroads, this event will also be the first time since 2019 that the public, including Crowe Storm herself, has seen the quilt in full.

Crowe Storm was an accomplished sculptor and painter before she began quilting more than 20 years ago. She developed a nationwide network of quilters and community supporters while working on her acclaimed Lynch Quilts Project, and it was with their help that she completed “redLINES” in just more than five months. Crowe Storm, along with several members of her quilting collective, will be at Walk the Block to engage with visitors and share her inspiration and perspective of this unique piece.

“We’re talking about the histories that are hidden and creating an opportunity to gather and dive into these histories as a collective and find a way to look and move forward,” said Crowe Storm. “The arts are the bridge to help us translate our histories and create the link between the past, the present and the future.”

Due to its massive proportions, the quilt was created in 8- to 12-foot sections of pieced fabric sewn by the collective of quilters. Each section was then quilted with prominent red lines of stitching in various patterns before the full work was joined together and finished. Also highlighted throughout the quilt, Crowe Storm created custom fabric from a 1937 map that indicated redlined neighborhoods across Indianapolis.

Walk the Block is free for members and included with museum admission, which is $20 for adults, $14 for youth (ages 3-17) and $18 for seniors. Visitors can save on admission by purchasing their tickets in advance online.