Inspirations…it’s December…already…? by Barbara Hull
First, let me share my favorite (and seasonally appropriate) quilting book. Red & White Quilts: Infinite Variety which documents the American Folk Art Museum exhibit of (one of) the quilt collections of Joanna S. Rose. I would take this weighty work to a desert isle and be happy forever! The exhibit, eleven years ago, was Joanna’s 80th birthday present. It totally changed my concept of quilt history. I am eternally grateful to the three ESQ quilters who yanked me out of work to “play hooky” with them. Do a search on YouTube, especially if you did not see it. Joanna passed a few weeks ago at the age of 91. She has promised 50 quilts from her enormous collection to the AFAM. I cannot wait to see how they will be shared with the public in coming years. Thank you, Joanna S. Rose for your extraordinary gift that still moves my mind and heart today!
Cherrywood Challenge is on for 2022! Theme: Graffiti. Specifications are very detailed. Take a look at previous challenge themes. https://cherrywoodfabrics.com/pages/graffiti-cherrywood-challenge
Textile Study Group of New York has a new gallery of members’ work in fiber arts, including quilts and quilting techniques. Many were produced during the pandemic. www.tsgny.org
New at the Museum of Modern Art, just arrived from Europe. Sophie Taeuber-Arp: Living Abstraction. Over 300 textile works and objects. Through March 12, 2022. Bring your sketchpad to this one. https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5206
Gratitude is the word of the season. If your budget allows, consider contributing to museums, societies, and non-profit organizations that support quilting arts. They enrich and sustain our art form and our lives. A few suggestions:
International Quilt Museum in Nebraska (University of Nebraska Foundation) at https://nufoundation.org/give/university-of-nebraska-lincoln/international-quilt-museum/
The National Quilt Museum in Paducah at https://quiltmuseum.org/national-quilt-museum-fundraising/
The Quilt Alliance at https://quiltalliance.org/support/
The American Quilt Study Group at https://americanquiltstudygroup.org/support-aqsg/
The American Folk Art Museum, NYC at https://folkartmuseum.org/support/
and many others, small or large, that you treasure…
Last, I am grateful for the quilters in this world who amaze and inspire me, who have brought so much kindness, comfort, and fun during these years of pandemic. Have a wonderful holiday and stay safe!
Barbara
November 2021: Links and looks for the fall… by Barbara Hull
Showstoppers: Spectacular Costumes from Stage and Screen has been extended to the beginning of December. Located at 234 W.42 St. Wednesday through Sunday viewing. Website posts a list of demos by members of the Costume Coalition each week. Tickets in advance. https://www.showstoppersnyc.com/
Craft Front & Center is at the Museum of Arts and Design through February 13, 2022. Key works in their collection reveal the history of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and other movements in the creation of craft. Organized by theme. Fiber included in section What Can You Do With a Thread. Video: https://madmuseum.org/video/what-can-you-do-thread Columbus Circle.
Now at Fashion Institute of Technology, Mandela: The Inspirational Style of a Revolutionary Statesman and World Leader through November 7. Origins and contemporary use of the Madiba shirts he wore on the international stage. http://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/exhibitions/mandela.php FIT has a wealth of exhibitions to enjoy on their website.
Suzie Zuzek for Lilly Pulitzer: The Prints That Made the Fashion Brand. Zuzek created over 1500 designs for Key West Hand Print Fabrics in Key West Florida. Major contribution to an iconic style. (And I remember buying some to make my own…) through January 2, 2022.at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. www.cooperhewitt.org
Ongoing exhibits in NYC: Dior at the Brooklyn Museum; In America at the Met; Ravishing at FIT, among many…
R O A D T R I P
Fibers of Change: Contemporary Quilts from the John M. Walsh III Collection includes 11 commissioned artists’ views of social change. Arnot Art Museum, Elmira NY www.arnotartmuseum.org (thank you, TSGNY)
Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. “The exhibition invites visitors to celebrate the artistry and intricacy of quilts and coverlets and the lives they document, while also considering the complicated legacies ingrained in the fabric of American life. The exhibition brings together the only two surviving quilts by artist Harriet Powers, displaying the MFA’s iconic Pictorial quilt (1895–98) alongside the Bible quilt (1885–86), on loan from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, for the first time.” And so much more…https://www.mfa.org/exhibition/fabric-of-a-nation (Thank you, Anna)
Check details before venturing out to any events…Happy Holiday…Barbara