News & Announcements

Sarah Bliss Wright, a textile artist and quilt historian, held the attention of an Oxford audience during her presentation at the Oxford Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, September 10, 2024.

The presentation was part of the Oxford Arts Council’s Fall 2024 Arts and Culture Series, presented in partnership with The Alabama Humanities Alliance.

Wright’s program centered on the town of Bemiston, now a part of Talladega, and its premiere industry of textile bag manufacturing by the Bemis Brothers Bag Company. Her stories contained details on how those bags went from being a household convenience, to a Depression-era necessity, to works of art.

“I’m going to tell you a story today that will hopefully help you look at your grandmother’s quilts with new eyes,” Wright said. “It’s the perfect convergence of art, industry, and history.”

The next program will be on December 3, 2024, with “Jingle All the Way: Stories, Songs, And Sing-Alongs” featuring storyteller Dolores Hydock and musician Bobby Horton. It will include a blend of happy holiday stories, favorite Christmas songs, and jolly sing-alongs to help jump-start the holiday season. The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. in The Studio at OPAC.

Admission to the series programs is free.