Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 25" x 36 1/2"
Materials: #3-, 4-, and 5-cut wool on cotton linen backing
Adapted from a historic photograph and hooked by Donna Hrkman, Dayton, Ohio, 2009.
Featured in: Celebration XX

"Dunbar was the first African-American poet to have his work published as a book. He was from my hometown of Dayton, Ohio, and the rug was commissioned by the curator of the Dunbar museum here. She had seen my work in a gallery and hired me to make the rug for her to use as a teaching tool when she did talks to schoolchildren about his legacy.

She provided his high school graduation photo, and we laid out the design to include some lines from one of her favorite Dunbar poems. We agreed on the sepia tone monochromatic for a sense of age and authenticity. I wanted this rug to pay tribute to a true pioneer in poetry and African-American history."
- Donna Hrkman, Celebration Hall of Fame 2018