Tyler’s quilts, which reflect on the time he spent at Angola prison, are on display at Library Street Collective in Detroit. Library Street Collective
During his time in Angola prison, Gary Tyler learned to sew.
He volunteered at the Louisiana prison’s hospice program, which raised money by auctioning off handmade quilts at local rodeos. While several relatives were skilled quilters, the activity was new to him. “My mother and grandmother both used to sew, and it made me feel good to be connected to them like that,” Tyler tells Hyperallergic ’s Jennifer Remenchik.