Hystercine Rankin

Hystercine Rankin (September 11, 1929 – February 10, 2010) was an African-American quilter from Mississippi. Several of her quilts are held in the permanent collections of the American Folk Art Museum, the Mississippi Museum of Art, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles.

Early life Hystercine Gray was born on a farm in Jefferson County, Mississippi; she was the third child of her parents.

Rankin began working with Mississippi Cultural Crossroads to take orders for quilts, and she put the money she made towards her children's college tuition; all seven children eventually graduated from Alcorn State University. She helped found and do teaching for Crossroads Quilters, a loose collective of women quilters who displayed their work through MCC.