Los Abuelos Padilla

Los Abuelos Padilla was created by Latinx artist Sylvia Hernandez, who works in her home studio in the Williamsburg neighborhood area of Brooklyn. Trained in drawing and painting at the High School of Art and Design, Sylvia Hernandez taught herself how to quilt two decades ago. Her work was soon recognized within quilt and fiber art circles for its strong imagery and master craftsmanship, as well as how it addresses community and human rights issues. President of the Quilters of Color Network in New York City and an art teacher at El Puente Academy of Peace and Justice, Sylvia Hernandez's work encompasses her need to work toward social justice while reinforcing deep familiar ties across the Puerto Rican diaspora. 

Made from printed cottons, this small quilted work of art features a photographid portrait of the Padillas of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, known affectionately in their extended family as Don Berro and Abuela Moncha. Related to the artist's husband, Miguel Hernandez, through his uncle Hilario Padilla, the Padillas were revered throughout their community in Williamsburg, even though Don Berro and Abuela Moncha Padilla lived in Puerto Rico their entire lives. One of a series of "memory quilts" made by the artist for family members, Los Abuelos Padilla includes 14-appliqued bird figures representing each of the Padilla's children. Placed on a floral ground symbolizing a garden, the composition honors in the artist's words, "[how] this wonderful family that has grown and expanded all over the world."