Quilting helped South Jersey woman heal after brain tumor blurred her vision

When Renata Merrill began quilting in 2011, she could barely see out of her left eye after undergoing brain surgery to remove a benign tumor pressing on her optic nerve.

Through quilting, she began a healing process and rediscovered herself as a wife, mother, and community leader. She also turned a hobby into a passion with strong ties to her African American heritage.

Her work, on display through Feb. 19 at the Camden FireWorks art gallery, reflects her personal style, life experiences, and perseverance after a health scare that threatened her vision. Her bold, vibrant quilt exhibit is titled “New Beginnings,” to tell her story.

Merrill, 56, of East Camden, took up quilting several months after her surgery when she joined a quilting group started by her mentor, Chris Butler, at Asbury United Methodist Church in Woodlynne, where she has been a member for 12 years. The group traveled to Kenya in 2015 to teach quilting to young women.

Although her eyesight improved, she needed glasses. She had to relearn basic motor skills, how to cut, how to make a straight line. Her speech was slurred, and her equilibrium was off-kilter. Slowly, she got better and found tranquility in the small group setting.

“Who would think that learning how to quilt would be part of your healing process?” said Merrill. “Each little thing that I did gave me encouragement. I wasn’t the same person that I was, but it recreated me.”

She completed her first quilt a few months later, a piece with vivid stripes of a variety of designs. She calls it “Second Chance.” The quilt is not part of her exhibit.

About 20 of her quilts are on display at the Fireworks, which provides studio and gallery space to resident artists in a restored Victorian-era firehouse that also hosts educational programs. Located on Broadway in the city’s Waterfront South neighborhood, its mission is to use art to create social change.

It is Merrill’s first solo exhibit. She prides herself on sometimes thinking outside of the box with not always perfectly straight lines.

» READ MORE: Carving out an artists' haven in Camden: free studios, residences

“I can see that there is a lot of talent in this city that’s overlooked,” said Asiyah Kurtz, FireWorks’ executive director.

Kurtz said the gallery recently received a $10,000 Challenge America grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to teach quilting this spring to about 80 middle school students in Camden. The students will explore social justice through quilting and learn about environmental racism and food deserts, she said.

Merrill, a community activist and former counselor who was born and raised in the city, tackles a variety of themes in her quilts. Most of her pieces prominently feature African fabrics in vibrant colors. She uses metallic threads, sequins, buttons, geometric shapes, and even coins.

Each quilt tells a story, mostly from her life experiences. There is “The Chief,” in honor of her 83-year-old father, Ollie Bussie, whom she calls the rock in her family. The quilt includes Adinkra symbols from Ghana.

There’s also “A Shield of Faith” and “Sunday Best,” a collection of church shoes, a nod to her spiritual life. Inspired by childhood memories of playing checkers, Merrill created a quilt with black and white squares that bears the game’s name. It includes phrases such as “rejoice” and count your blessings,” and “eat dessert first.”

“My faith is in God,” said Merrill, who is married and the mother of three adult children.

Her husband of more than 30 years, Tim, said quilting has boosted her self-esteem. He converted the family room into a quilting space filled with fabric.

”It’s been great to see her flourish in her art,” he said.

» READ MORE: In Camden, an abandoned firehouse becomes an art gallery

One of Merrill’s favorite pieces is “Imagine,” a labor-intensive quilt inspired by quilts made in Gee’s Bend, Ala., where African Americans have preserved the cultural traditions of their ancestors. Merrill was surprised to learn that she hails from a family of quilters from the South.

The quilts on display line the walls in two rooms at the FireWorks. They include Merrill’s early works as well as several she made in 2021. Also on display is the white, not-so-fancy Kenmore sewing machine purchased by her husband when they married in 1989.

“It gives me inspiration” to make a second quilt, said gallery visitor Zelda Davis, of Ewing. Her first quilt was made in memory of her late husband using his Omega Psi Phi fraternity shirts.

Merrill doesn’t sell her work or accept commissions, although her quilts could fetch hundreds of dollars. She is currently working on a quilt for her first grandchild, who is due next month.

“I have deemed myself an artist and not just a quilter,” Merrill said. “I’m blessed.”

The New Beginnings exhibit runs through Feb. 19 at the Camden FireWorks, 1813 S. Broadway, Camden. It is open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. Merrill will give a talk about her quilting on Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. For more information call 856-338-0400 or visit www.camdenfireworks.org