(Black PR Wire) NEW YORK—Award-winning Quilter Michael Cummings will be among four quilters featured in “Quilts,” the premiere episode of “Craft in America” airing December 27, 2019 on PBS stations nationwide. This episode celebrates the work of contemporary quilters from diverse traditions as it describes the important role quilts have played in our country’s story. Along with Cummings, the show features Susan Hudson, Victoria Findlay Wolfe, Judith Content, the International Quilt Museum, and special guest Ken Burns.

Michael A. Cummings is a nationally recognized quilter who lives and works in the historic Sugar Hill neighborhood of New York, N.Y. Self-taught, Cummings brought years of painting and collage skills to his quilt making. Inspired by jazz and working in the narrative tradition, Cummings and his sewing machine tell stories of the African American experience across historical, cultural, philosophical and mythical realms. 

Through a career spanning thirty years, Cummings’ work has been commissioned by Art in Embassies, DC, the City of Knoxville, Tenn., Home Box Office, N.Y., The White House, D.C., and Absolut Vodka, N.Y., among others. His work is included in the public collections of the Brooklyn Museum, N.Y., the Museum of Arts and Design, N.Y., the California African American Museum, Calif., the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, N.Y., the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, D.C., and in notable private collections.  He has received numerous prestigious awards.

“Craft in America,” an original PBS series, documents and advances original handcrafted work through programs in all media, accessible to all. The series is dedicated to the exploration, preservation and celebration of craft, the work of the hand, and their impact on our nation’s cultural heritage.