Table settings that reveal a deeper understanding of what life was like for Black women in Colorado throughout different periods of history.
That concept is the core of a traveling History Colorado exhibit on display in Leadville, called 12 Tablecloths. Artist and historian Chloé Duplessis, who specializes in fabrics and textiles, created the show, which has traveled to several cities around the state.
The exhibit tells the stories of Black women who worked as domestic servants at a military outpost in Fort Garland or in a wealthy Denver household, as well as the story of Jessie Barton Randolph, the first Black child born in Leadville.
And Chloé, who is legally blind, incorporates non-visual aspects that people can touch, like garments and tablecloths.
Chloé joined Erin O'Toole to share stories of some of the women who inspired her art.
12 Tablecloths is on display at the Healy House Museum in Leadville through Oct. 24. This is the show's final appearance in Colorado.
