OHR in Conversation...With Dr. Eugene Poole, Jr.

OHR in Conversation... highlights social justice people, places, and spaces in Prince George's County and around the region. Set a reminder to join the Office of Human Rights on YouTube at 9 am on September 14th as we talk to extraordinary quilter, Dr. Eugene Poole, Jr. His remarkable quilts, featuring historic Black jockeys, were featured at this year's Preakness!

Dr. Eugene Poole, Jr., is redefining contemporary textile art with remarkable precision, passion, historical significance, and purpose. A self-taught artist with no formal training, Poole has, since 2021, emerged as a compelling force in the world of fine art quilting. Guided by the inherited DNA legacy of craftsmanship and the tailoring artistry of his grandfather, Poole has elevated fabric, thread, color, and texture beyond traditional boundaries, transforming them into vivid visual narratives. Through his distinctive textile language, Poole celebrates shared human experiences while preserving the resilience, struggle, dignity, and triumph of the African American diaspora, weaving history, memory, invention, and cultural legacy into every meticulously crafted stitch and work of art.

Poole reimagines historical narratives by breathing life into his subjects through masterful compositions of richly colored textiles, intricately layered stitching, and dimensional fabric surfaces. Drawing inspiration from the great artistic visionaries who came before him, his work echoes the creative excellence of pioneering and contemporary textile luminaries such as Harriet Powers, Bisa Butler, Faith Ringgold, and the celebrated artists of Gee’s Bend, whose groundbreaking artistry continues to redefine portraiture and storytelling through the transformative power of fabric and thread. His quilted tapestries are bold, unapologetic, and deeply personal functioning as reflective surfaces that explore identity, history, and the complexities of the modern world.