Cecilia Pedescleaux

Cecelia Tapplette Pedescleaux, also known as Cely, (born August 6, 1945) is an African-American quilter of traditional and art quilts, Her quilts have been shown in China, France, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, and in other locations in the United States. A solo show of 75 of her quilts were shown at the Le Musée de Free People of Color in New Orleans (2013–2014).

Career Pedescleaux's interest in textile arts began as a child when she began to crochet and knit. In the late 1960s, she began creating quilts based upon traditional designs. As she read design and other books about American slaves, her designs became Afro-centric.

About her work, she said, It is almost like a memorial to my ancestors. Every time I work on a traditional pattern, my thoughts go back to older days and how hard it was to get fabric, to find the time to stitch, and how many uses the quilt had to accomplish. Then the joy of life meets the hardships, and the traditional pattern takes on a whole new wonderful life.|Cecelia Pedescleaux A quilt that she made of the revolt on La Amistad is held at the Amistad Research Center.

Nine of her quilts were shown in "A Patchwork of Cultures: Traveling Exhibit from Louisiana to France," an exhibition sponsored by the French Patchwork Association at the U.S. Embassy in Paris in 2008 to 2009. The DAR Museum in Washington, D.C. exhibited the quilts in 2010 at the "Honoring Lafayette Contemporary Quilts from France and America" exhibition. Her work was included in "The Sum of Many Parts: 25 Quilt makers in 21st Century America" held in Beijing at the U.S. Embassy (2012–2013) and later at the State Historical Museum of Iowa (2013–2014). A one-person show, "Why I Believe: An African-American Perspective of Quilting" of 75 of her quilts were shown at the Le Musée de Free People of Color (2013–2014). Jewels of Faith, representing "the complexity and simplicity of the people of the world, and their faith", was shown at "Imago Mundi—Reparation: Contemporary Artists from New Orleans" exhibition (2014–2015) at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Drawings made by children at the Reliance Center in Houston, Texas were used in Katrina Kids Quilt, which was displayed at The New York Arts Club in New York City. Her work has been shown at galleries and museums, including Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), New Orleans African American Museum, Ashe Cultural Arts Center, Jazz & Heritage Foundation Gallery, Contemporary Arts Center, and Stella Jones Gallery. Her work has also been shown at Southern University, Tulane University, Southeastern University, and Xavier University.