Sheryl E. Sims is a German-born American quilter. She was appointed as the Commissioner for the Arts of

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

in 2022.

Early life and family

Sims was born in Germany, where her father was stationed as an officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. She spent part of her childhood in Thailand. Sims is the sixth-great-granddaughter of Andrew Cox, an American

patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

. She is also the fourth-great-granddaughter of Calvin Leary, a Louisiana planter, and a woman named Mariah, who was enslaved on his estate, Sunnsyside Plantation. Sims is a 10th-great-granddaughter of the Irish

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

colonist Valentine Hollingsworth, who was one of the signatories of

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

's Great Charter. She was presented as a

debutante A debutante, also spelled débutante ( ; from , ), or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and is presented to society at a formal "debut" ( , ; ) or possibly debutante ball. Origin ...

in her youth. She graduated with a degree in environmental design from the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

. Sims has three brothers and a sister. She is divorced and is the mother of an adult daughter, Amber Wihshi, who is a resident of Alexandria, Virginia.

Career

Sims is a professional

quilter Quilting is the process of joining a minimum of three layers of textile, fabric together either through stitching manually using a Sewing needle, needle and yarn, thread, or mechanically with a sewing machine or specialised longarm quilting ...

. In November 2023, she gave a presentation on her work at her exhibit, titled ''Ancestry Through Art: Discoveries Revealed in Story Quilts Inspired by Family and Faith'' at

Pope–Leighey House The Pope–Leighey House, formerly known as the ''Loren Pope Residence'', is a suburban home in Virginia designed by :American architects, American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The house, which belongs to the National Trust for Historic Pres ...

on Woodlawn Plantation in

. Sims' art focuses on her family history, both enslaver and enslaved. She was appointed as Commissioner for the Arts in Alexandria from 2022 to 2024. She serves on the advisory committee for the Virginia Quilt Museum. She also works as a legal secretary in Washington, D.C.

Personal life

Sims joined the Nelly Custis Chapter of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

in 2022. She was the first person of color to be admitted as a member in her chapter. In November 2022, she received the Community Service Award and the Women in the Arts Award from her chapter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sims, Sheryl Living people 20th-century American textile artists 21st-century American textile artists African-American historians African-American women artists American debutantes American genealogists American quilters American women historians American women textile artists Artists from Alexandria, Virginia Daughters of the American Revolution people University of Houston alumni Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people)