Doris Prouty was a resident of Gloucester for nearly 50 years, a self-taught African American quilter, a beloved member of the community, a teacher and a mother. Her quilts explore many traditions of American quilting, from familiar patterning to elaborate appliqué. Together they narrate the stories of her life, her imagination, and her community here on Cape Ann.
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Prouty settled in Gloucester’s Lanesville neighborhood in 1972. In 1978, while her children were still young, she began commuting to Boston University becoming the first person in her family to receive a college degree. She took up quilting with her sister in the 1980s and was a founding member of the Ebony Quilters of Queens.
For Prouty, quilting was a means of creative expression, and a way of building community. She experimented with- and mastered- new techniques and color strategies, creating pieces that ranged from small studies, to bed quilts, to elaborate appliqué scenes. Over time, her work became increasingly complex, and themes emerged, such as imagined scenes of Africa, and images from Gloucester. This hand appliquéd quilt shows Lanes Cove on the north side of Cape Ann. It is a piece that Prouty worked on for a number of years between other projects. Her design and sewing talents are reflected in the careful piecing of the granite blocks that make up the breakwater.
