About The Artist
My work is an expression of the way that I feel about family, community, political views, and relationships between men and women. These pieces are used as a means of encouragement to others. Through them, I can tell my stories in hand-made quilts, paintings, textile collages, and printmaking that speak of the wisdom and strength of my ancestors.
Each piece depicts aspects of my cultural traditions. Most of my works include the use of bright colors and African materials to represent my African American Heritage. My works are inspired by my dreams, visions from GOD, and everyday life. Quilt making played a big role in the development of the culture in the rural area of South Carolina. As a child, I watched my grandmother use old worn-out clothes to make beautiful quilts to keep us warm at night. She is the reason I am quilting today and has greatly influenced the way I express my feelings.
LaToya C. Thompson
Look into the Eyes of Artistic Vision
LaToya Chanel Thompson sees her work in visions, often from a dream or past experiences. These visions help her to tell these stories in the rarest form: quilting. Born to the late David and Mary Lee Wilson Thompson in the Bronx, New York, and raised in Nesmith, South Carolina, LaToya credits her art of quilting back to her grandmother, Mrs. Sallie "Pet" C. Wilson. LaToya credits her love of art to her big brother Duane, the first artist she knew and wanted to be like, and her godmother/ Aunt Annie who took her to cultural events and museums at an early age in New York City. Back in her younger days, LaToya could be seen making pillows and potholders, all by hand. Quilting also became a way for LaToya to express her vision.
LaToya says that an elementary art teacher also opened her eyes to the world of art. She gives that credit to the late Mr. John Blackwell, who was a teacher at Battery Park Elementary School in Nesmith, South Carolina. LaToya is a 1994 graduate of Hemingway High School, a 2004 graduate of Benedict College with a degree in Art Studio, and a 2022 graduate of Southern University at New Orleans with a master's in Museum Studies. During her studies at Benedict, she participated in several art shows, including the well-known MOJA Arts Festival (2003, 2008, and 2021) which is held every fall in Charleston, South Carolina. Since then, her work has made local news. The quilt entitled “Queen” was selected to go on a statewide tour of South Carolina’s Gullah corridor before making its way across the Atlantic Ocean to Bridgetown, Barbados in 2008. The tour was called “Connections.” The exhibition aimed to show the correlation between South Carolina and the West Indies. Her work has also been shown at the African American Museum of Dallas and the Embassy of South Africa in Washington, D.C.
LaToya's work has been honored with the Art Flow Jurors Choice Award 2015, 2010 Palmetto Conference National Women’s History Month Honoree in Literary Arts, Emerging Artist at the Penn Center Heritage Days (2007), and MOJA Arts Festival Honorable Mention in 2003.
Asked about her success in the art world, LaToya gives credit to Mr. Tyrone Geter and Mr. John Wright, both professors at Benedict College. She states they were the ones who gave her the extra push she needed to expand her art career. Although LaToya is an artist whose work has been seen nationally and globally, she has not forgotten her down-home roots. She still lives within South Carolina’s Gullah Corridor and teaches art in Florence County School District 3. Thompson is a Greater St. Mark AME Church member and an active participant in various community and social organizations. She is a member of the Delta Tau Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and a member of the Association of African American Museums. She is the mother of two college graduates, Sallena and Hakeem.