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Ravin Lovett, an artist and art therapist, says she became fascinated with quilting at a young age, watching her “Big Mama” make magic from scraps of cloth. It was her grandmother that taught her to quilt. And it was this loving grace that eventually sent her on a journey of self-realization and self-healing.
“I was fascinated by quilting,” said Lovett. “Watching my grandmother… the technique, the patience and the beautiful results of a process created from these simple pieces of cloth was magical to me and over time, brought me a special kind of peace. It’s been a journey of peace and self-discovery.”
Lovett, 42 of Jackson, has created her quilts on a professional level since 2000. It was during harder times in her life that she went back to an unfinished quilt that she and her grandmother worked on in the mid-90s.
This discovery awakened the artist in her.
Lovett went back to school to further her education. She has degrees in art education and English, and a Master of Art in Biblical and Theological Studies. She credits her Big Mama, God and quilting for the healing she wants to share with others.
“I want to share my knowledge, my skills, with others. I want to teach them to quilt and help them find peace, too. Being an art therapist, a quilter, I can do that.”
Lovett’s 18 pieces are on display in an exhibit titled, “Freedom,” at the Smith Robertson Museum in Jackson until the end of November.
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Ravin Lovett, healing quilter and art therapist
by Vickie King, Mississippi Today November 12, 2023
Vickie King has experience as a professional photographer spanning 35 years- from childhood purchasing her first camera by selling flower seeds to neighbors, as a stringer for Associated Press in Des Moines, Iowa, a freelancer shooting an album cover to your loved one’s wedding, and your kids and pets at a J.C. Penney portrait studio. She joins the Mississippi Today team as a photojournalist.
A native Mississippian and resident of Jackson, Vickie was born in Laurel.
You know her work from years as a staff photographer for the Clarion-Ledger. Her award-winning photography has appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Editor & Publisher Magazine, People Magazine, in national news broadcasts, and books depicting the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to the glory of Ole Miss football.
Most recently, she is the former photographer, Special Projects Officer IV, Staff Officer I, videographer, and online content producer for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. She is also a Pulitzer Prize nominee for Spot News.
Vickie is a graduate of Simpson College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Relations.