PUTNEY-An exhibition of "Robot Crew" by Marge Barrett-Mills is on view at the Putney Public Library, 55 Main St., through Aug. 31.
On display are 12 quilted panels crafted in three-dimensional applique of original patterns of robot figures by Amy Bradley.
Barrett-Mills began work on them in early 2023 and has been exhibiting these quilts in Massachusetts libraries. Additionally a number of art quilts have been shown in various venues in support of nonprofit organizations, including the Massachusetts Coalition For the Homeless, the Franklin County Child Visitation Center, and the Veterans Education Project.
After Barrett-Mills graduated with a degree in social work in 1975, she worked with a small community-based housing organization for intellectually disabled adults and at-risk youth. Since 2000, she and her family have helped re-settle refugee families from Kosovo, Syria, Eritrea, and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Beginning in 2006, they have worked with local homeless groups, shelters, and community meal programs such as Friends of the Homeless (Amherst/Northampton, Mass.) and Community Meals (Turners Falls, Mass.), as well as Groundworks in Brattleboro.
Barrett-Mills calls herself a "quilter/photographer"; in addition to quilting, she photographs local working farms as a hobby. In 2009, she and a team interviewed several local Pioneer Valley farm families and recorded their oral histories.
The exhibit can be seen during regular library hours: Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.