Chicago artist Dorothy I. Burge opens Freedom Fighters on October 2, 2026, a new series of quilts honoring Black veterans whose fight for freedom continued after their military service. The free exhibition runs through October 3, 2027, in the Chicago Cultural Center’s historic Grand Army of the Republic Hall.
Key Takeaways
- Freedom Fighters is on view in the GAR Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., from October 2, 2026, to October 3, 2027.
- The quilt series begins with Harriet Tubman and extends to the Fort Hood 43, a group of Black soldiers connected to the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
- Admission to the exhibition and all Chicago Cultural Center exhibitions this season is free.
- Dorothy I. Burge is a self-taught quilter who began making fiber art in the 1990s and comes from a line of Mississippi quilters.
- She received a 2017 Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Artist as Activist fellowship.
Dorothy I. Burge Turns The Quilt Into A Record Of Black Service
Quilts have long carried family history in Black households, stitched from what was on hand and passed down through generations. Dorothy I. Burge builds her practice on that tradition. For Freedom Fighters, she applies it to a subject that official histories have often left incomplete: Black Americans who served in uniform and then kept fighting for freedom at home.
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events describes the series as quilts honoring Black veteran freedom fighters whose struggles extended beyond the battlefield. Through textiles and portraiture, Dorothy I. Burge connects military service with abolition, civil rights and broader movements for freedom. The city frames the result as a counter-archive of memory, mourning and political education, a way of keeping stories in public view that might otherwise fade.
From Harriet Tubman To The Fort Hood 43
The series opens with Harriet Tubman, best known for guiding enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Tubman also served the Union during the Civil War as a scout and spy. Starting with her sets the terms for the whole series: for these figures, service and the struggle for liberation were part of the same life’s work.
The series extends to the Fort Hood 43, Black soldiers who refused deployment to Chicago for “riot control” during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Including them gives the exhibition a direct Chicago connection and brings a lesser-known local chapter back into a downtown public building. Between those two points, Dorothy I. Burge traces a line of Black service members across more than a century.
The GAR Hall Gives The Exhibition A Fitting Setting
Location matters for this exhibition. The Grand Army of the Republic Hall inside the Chicago Cultural Center was built as a memorial to Union veterans of the Civil War. Placing Freedom Fighters in that room creates a dialogue between the space’s original purpose and the Black veterans whose stories the quilts tell.
The setting also broadens who gets remembered in a veterans’ memorial. Visitors who come for the building’s architecture will find portraits of Black service members in a room once devoted to a narrower account of military history.
A Chicago Artist Rooted In Mississippi Quilting Traditions
Dorothy I. Burge is a Chicago native whose family descends from generations of Mississippi quilters. Her ancestors made quilts from recycled clothing. She showed little interest in the craft as a child but came to treasure the quilts her elders made. She began creating fiber art in the 1990s after the birth of her daughter, Maya. Recognizing that her family’s history and culture were being passed down through quilts led her to use the medium to teach history, raise cultural awareness and inspire action.
Dorothy I. Burge holds a Master of Arts in Urban Planning and Policy and a Bachelor of Arts in Art Design, both from the University of Illinois Chicago. She describes herself as a “quiltivist,” combining quilting and activism. She is a member of the Women of Color Quilters Network, whose exhibitions have included a tribute to Colonel Charles Young, one of the first Black officers to rise through the ranks of the U.S. Army. Her portrait quilts of Ida B. Wells and Richard Wright have been featured by the American Writers Museum.
Her recognitions include the 2017 Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Artist as Activist fellowship and a commission through the Envisioning Justice initiative. She was also a 2022-23 Artist for the People Practitioner Fellow at the University of Chicago.
Freedom Fighters Anchors A Fiber-Focused Season At The Cultural Center
Freedom Fighters is one of several textile-based exhibitions in the Chicago Cultural Center’s fall and winter season. On the second floor, To Be Remembered: Woven Matters of the Heart presents five contemporary textile artists whose work explores memory and cultural inheritance, alongside free weaving, crochet and embroidery workshops through December.
For audiences interested in Black history, the season offers a practical way to engage: a year-long, free exhibition in the Loop, open to families, students and visitors. With a run that extends into October 2027, Freedom Fighters gives schools and community groups time to plan visits.
FAQs
When Does Dorothy I. Burge’s Freedom Fighters Exhibition Open?
Freedom Fighters opens October 2, 2026, and remains on view through October 3, 2027, at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Is The Freedom Fighters Exhibition Free?
Yes. Admission to Freedom Fighters and all exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center is free and open to the public.
Where Is The GAR Hall In Chicago?
The Grand Army of the Republic Hall is inside the Chicago Cultural Center at 78 E. Washington St. in the Loop, across from Millennium Park.
Who Are The Fort Hood 43?
The Fort Hood 43 were Black soldiers who refused deployment to Chicago for “riot control” during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. They are among the figures honored in the series.
Who Is Dorothy I. Burge?
Dorothy I. Burge is a Chicago-born fabric and multimedia artist and community activist who uses quilting to teach history. She is a 2017 Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Artist as Activist fellow.
