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Get the most interesting and important stories from the University of Pittsburgh.It started with the gathering of fabric. A beloved grandfather’s tie, an old Christmas tree skirt and the first “big girl dress” worn to a semi-formal at school are just a few of the pieces, cut into squares, that will make up Maria McDill’s quilt. The project is more than a keepsake of favorite memories; it connects McDill to her African American heritage and the work of Pittsburgh playwright August Wilson.
McDill is a senior at Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts High School and the recipient of Pitt’s August Wilson Archive Student Research Award, a program facilitated by the University Library System’s Archives and Special Collections that provides financial support, access to the archive and guidance to complete a project informed by Wilson’s writing.
Stitching kinship
McDill was first inspired to sew a quilt after she viewed an archival photograph of actress Phylicia Rashad in the Wilson play “Gem of the Ocean.” The play, set in 1904 in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, is the first entry in Wilson’s ten-play American Century Cycle, a decade-by-decade portrayal of the American Black experience. In the photograph, Rashad, playing Aunt Ester, is holding a quilt depicting a map of the City of Bones, a mythical land where the souls of enslaved Africans who died during the Middle Passage reside.
As part of McDill’s archival research, she reviewed Wilson’s annotated “Gem of the Ocean” script to learn how it evolved through his creative process and to gain a deeper understanding of the play.
She said she sees parallels between the significance of the quilt in “Gem of the Ocean” and the importance of quilts in her own family — and how her quilt project links to Wilson’s legacy.
“August Wilson’s plays will always be remembered, and sewing quilts is a way of making something for future generations to look at and appreciate, too,” said McDill.
For McDill, quilting also honors her grandmother, who taught her to sew, and it serves as a link to enslaved Africans and African Americans who quilted as an act of resistance.
“Quilting was a way for enslaved people to come together in community without being persecuted,” she said.
Educating generations
The intention behind the University acquiring the August Wilson Archive was to share its riches with the public and scholars of all stripes, said Brenden Peifer (A&S ’19), August Wilson Archive Outreach and Engagement Coordinator in Pitt’s Archives and Special Collections.
One avenue to ensure youth interacted with the archive was to launch the August Wilson Archive Student Researcher Award with support from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation and the Heinz Endowments.
Since spring 2023, six local high school students, including McDill, have received $1,000 stipends to support their research. Students have produced various Wilson-related projects, including a play replicating his writing style and exhibitions shown at the August Wilson House.
For Peifer, who administers the student researcher award, seeing students tap into Wilson’s writing gives him hope Wilson’s lessons will live on.
“We have to know who we were to know where we’re going,” he said, paraphrasing Wilson.
“Maria McDill is someone who gives me complete confidence that young people are ready, willing and prepared to take us where we need to go,” he added.
Archival research has deepened McDill’s knowledge and appreciation of Wilson’s writing and reinforced her sense of belonging in theater spaces, where, she said, people with her background are not always represented.
“His work gives me a voice,” McDill said.
She is slated to complete her quilt by this May. It will be displayed in the Hillman Library or in one of the August Wilson Archive’s community partners, such as the August Wilson House or the August Wilson Center.
Students interested in applying for the August Wilson Student Research Award can apply now through April 30, 2025.
Photography by Tom Altany