Needlework

Creator:

Beatrice Clay

Creation Date:

1980

Accession Number:

I-0232d

A scene of flowers surrounding a sun rising over the mountains, composed of fabric appliqué and embroidery on a field of black grosgrain, mounted behind glass in a black wooden frame. This piece was created and donated by Beatrice Clay, a lifelong civic activist in San Antonio and Houston.

Beatrice Clay spent most of her adult life in San Antonio and Houston, where she was active in church and civic organizations. While living in Houston in the 1960s, she offered her home as a way station for the Freedom Riders, young civil rights activists from across the United States who rode buses throughout the Jim Crow South to protest against racial segregation. Upon returning to San Antonio, she operated a hotel and antique shop and continued her political activism, supporting Henry B. Gonzalez and serving as president of the San Antonio chapter of the National Council of Negro Women.