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Slow Blogging

Greetings All You Mavens of Cloth, Art, and Wonder,

Welcome back to BLOCK! I'm just back from the Old Pueblo - Tucson, Arizona. It was a short trip, just three days, and I was so steeped in the seasonal magic of March that I found myself stuffing orange blossoms into my car's air conditioning vents on the long drive home - just to make it all the sunshine and sweetness last a little bit longer. 

I saw friends and held their new babies, I ate meals deserving of the city's recent and remarkable status as Capital City of Gastronomy by UNESCO, I attended the Tucson Festival of Books, where I had the chance to, once again, experience "literary badass," Luis Alberto Urrea, present. And - best of all - I made new friendss in the realm of quilts and quilt-based activism (more on this in future posts).. 

Driving home along the two-lane highway between Wickenburg and Wikieup, I rolled down the driver's side window and flew my hand on the wind behind the wing mirror of the car. Urrea's voice was with me once again, via audiobook, telling the true stories of men, women, and children crossing the boarder along The Devil's Highway (the migratory route for which his 2006 book is named), and I marveled over the contrast between their experience in the desert and my own. Dry, stabbing, desolation. Globemallow, Poppy, and Lupine. The brutal indifference of the summer sun, and the geo-politics of poverty. The softness of wildflowers born out of winter rains, captured like a picture-quilt on my smartphone's camera roll. How am I complicit?  I wondered with each passing mile.

By the time I pulled in to Wikieup, the sun was setting and Urrea's bone-chilling account had reached its disturbing conclusion. I stopped for some bad coffee and fuel, and was shocked (for better and worse) how quickly my mind drifted back to the people and tasks, responsibilities and projects, all waiting for me when I got home.  

I pulled out into the new night and went through my to-do list, one by one, until my mind I fell upon BLOCK like a bumble bee on an orange blossom. And I felt a new confidence in my decision to make BLOCK a slow blog - a place for original exploration and research, adventure and storytelling.

So, with this in mind, today's post marks my shift away from BLOCK as a weekly blog, the way it has operated for most of the last five years. Instead, I'm hoping to produce an even more meaningful, original, and creative space, by doing away with arbitrary deadlines.  Posting every Tuesday will instead be swapped for non-fiction, long-form, pieces posted every time I complete one (which are in the works mavens!).

I sincerely hope you'll continue to join me for this exploration of quilts and quilt culture, and I'm looking forward to the new wave of creativity this change will hopefully inspire.

Peace & love mavens,

A-

Thanks for visiting BLOCK!

First published March 14, 2017. Edited for type on August 10, 2021.

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BLACK & WHITE

Quilt produced by Angola prison quilters, who volunteer and raise money for the prison's hospice program. Source.

Greetings you mavens of cloth,

Prison-based art therapy and rehabilitation programs are taking place around the country. And the focus of today's post is on one in particular, at the maximum security prison known as Angola, in Louisiana.

According to the Atlantic, "There are more than 6,000 men currently imprisoned at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola—three-quarters of them are there for life, and nearly 80 percent are African American." Plus, the state has the highest incarceration rate of any other in the country.

I came to learn about the quilt-makers of Angola prison specifically, through the work of Lori Waselchuk, who's acclaimed book of photography, Grace Before Dying. Against the backdrop of having just watched this weekend's Oscar nominated documentary, 13th, about mass incarceration and the legal framework that supports it, I have a new framework for understanding some of these issues and think it’s wrong - and that more should be done to change the policies that result in mass incarceration of African Americans.

The work of two notable artists are also worth mentioning here. And they are Hank Willis Thomas, who's quilt, Angola Bound (2014), was created from decommissioned Angola prison uniforms. As well as the new graphic work by street artist Shepard Fairy, who's murals on prison reform speak to the benefits of art therapy for inmates, and advocates for rehabilitation vs. indefinite incarceration.

May you find meaning and goodness in the expression of these individuals. And as always, thanks for visiting BLOCK.

Resist,

A-

Quilt, created by volunteer inmates of the Angola prison hospice program. Source.

The incarcerated hospice volunteer quilters with their piece, Travelin' On, 2009.  The auction of these quilts made by volunteer quilt-makers, "allows volunteers to buy coffee machines, radios and books for the isolation cells now serving as hospice rooms. Purchased items such as sweatpants, specialty foods and slippers provide the same small comforts we’d all hope for at our hour." From the book review of Grace Before Dying, by Lori Waselchuk, at Prison Photography.

A quilt by the volunteer quilters of Angola prison, photographed by Lori Waselchuk for her award-winnng book of photography, Grace Before Dying. The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities awarded Grace Before Dying a "Publishing Initiative Grant" which supported the writing of the book.

“The Quilt” made by members/ inmates and caregivers in the Angola Hospice program, 201. Photograph by Keith Calhoun.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

-Emily Dickenson

ALSO WORTH MENTIONING: ART & GRAPHIC DESIGN, ON PRISON REFORM

Hank Willis Thomas, Angola Bound, 2014. Quilt made out of decommissioned prison uniforms from Angola prison, installation view. STUDIO LHOOQ/ THE ARTIST AND JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY, NEW YORK. Sourced at ArtNews, here.

The famous street artist, Shepard Fairey was invited to participate in the Open Source project, through the Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Philadelphia Mural Arts program. You can download a copy of your own prison reform graphics by Fairey, here.

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New Shapes of Meaning

I'm excited to share a new curriculum I designed for this year's Nevada STEAM Conference, hosted by Nevada Museum of Art & the Desert Research Institute

New Shapes of Meaning

It was my 2nd year developing curriculum for the event and presenting a workshop. 

Furthermore, a quick announcement for any of you Nevada educators out there: I'm pleased to report that the Nevada Governor's STEM Advisory Council has just made the STEAM working group, Integrating Arts & Culture in to STEM Education (for which I serve as Chair) a new permanent sub-committee on the council. Yay! 

All that said, I thought I'd also showcase a few artists inspired by STEAM-related subjects. Consider it an homage to the interdisciplinary intersection of art and science; where fibers meets physics, climate change is real, and math is something worth stitching (i.e. caring) about.

Peace my friends. And resist. 

A-

Thanks for visiting BLOCK.

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In Honor of Dr. King

Repeat his words with me now, aloud.

"All we say to America is, 'Be true to what you said on paper.' If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. And so just as I say, we aren't going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on. Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop."  -- Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. from his "Mountaintop Speech," delivered April 3, 1968, Mason Temple, Memphis, TN.

Yesterday: Civil Rights in the South,

by Wells, Yvonne, 1989-90.  Source, IQSCM

Quilt Meaning, Making, Metaphors, and Murals

               Per NPR: "Holding Grandmother's Quilt" spans two walls in the West Philadelphia neighborhood of Mantua. Click here to see the other wall of the mural, which depicts the grandmother sewing.                                                                                                        Jack Ramsdale/Mural Arts Program            

For more information: NPR Story: On Philly's Walls, Murals Painted With Brotherly Love

PS.

The Spirituality of Peacemaking produced by PRX as part of their series, The Power of Non-Violence. Talks about SoulForce - is nothing short of a gift.

Banner Image: The New Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. 

Thanks for visiting BLOCK.

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Laughter is the Best...

With only one more week until the inauguration, I thought some serious humor was in order. Because for me, this feels like the calm before the storm - the waiting game before a big prognosis, the scene in The Return of the King when Gandolf and Pippin are looking out towards the horizon at Mt. Doom - just ten days before he's unleashed.

Too dark? Too morose? Okay, as I was saying about humor, it's definitely in order around here! So enjoy the post, and stay tuned for next week's patriotic salute to the one and only leader I'll be following with any real moxie the next four years - Lady Liberty. 

A-

Superior Threads is a pilgrimage for many quilters out here in the West - a good excuse to take a road-trip with friends, or make an intentional stop on your way somewhere else. Check out this comical parody they made back in 2014.

Jon Stewart Says, "You Had Me at Quilt."

I'll fully admit that this clip isn't a knee-slapper, as much as it is extremely humorous to see the reverence these two have for a good quilt in old fashioned storytelling! Watch the snarky and wonderful Sarah Vowell on Stewart's old Daily Show. She even references her visit to Lolani Palace in Hawaii, and seeing first-hand The Queen's Quilt, created by Queen Lili'uokalani during her internment after the overthrow of the monarchy.

Post on The Daily Show

Who's More Tired?

NEW TV LISTING/ TLC

9 p.m. EDT / 8 p.m. CST

A mom in Akron who's trying to get the kids school clothes bought, finish her part of the church quilt, and lose 10 pounds. Versus Scott, a guy who just got back from a double shift washing dishes at Perkins while hungover. 

Originally published by The Onion

11 Old Lady Hobbies That Are Perfect to Try in Your Twenties...

Orignally published on Bustle/ By JR THORPE

#7: QUILTING!

Amish Woman Knew She Had Quilt Sale the Moment She Laid Eyes on Chicago Couple

LANCASTER, PA - Repeatedly referring to them as "easy money," Amish quilt shop proprietor Mary Stolzfus, 43, said Monday that as soon as she noticed Tom and Helen Foreman's matching Chicago Cubs baseball hats, she knew she'd be able to move three, possibly four quilts. "One look and it was 'Choo choo! Here comes the money train, right on schedule," said Stolzfus, adding that she ordered her daughters to "put on a little dog and pony show" for the easy marks by having them sing the traditional Amish song, "In Der Stillen Einsamkeit." "These rubes are all the same: give 'em a little 'no electricity' this, and some 'butter churn' that, and cha-ching, you've got enough barn-raising money to last you a month." 

Originally published by The Onion

Header image: I Love Lucille Ball, fabric by Loom Showroom.

Thanks for visiting BLOCK!

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Sweet Land of Liberty

Greetings You Mavens of Cloth,

Welcome back to BLOCK! There are some wonderful things to share this week:

First, I'm delighted to announce that an article of mine featuring quilter Chawne Kimber, has been published in The Modern Quilt Guild's new publication, Modern Monthly!  For those of you not already familiar with Chawne (pronounced, Sean), she's a force in modern quilting, who's identity politics quilts and precision piece work are profoundly relevant, calculated, and inspiring works of art.

This past week also marked a profound moment in U.S. history, with the largest peace protest ever staged in support of women's rights, i.e. human rights. The event, as you well know, took place the day after the Presidential inauguration, and joined together millions of people across America (and the wider-world).

I couldn't have more proud to have attended the sister-event in Las Vegas, to have marched along side dear friends, and to have stood in solidarity next to people like the Paiute artist and activist, Fawn Douglas. I found my faith in America renewed by the experience, and gained greater clarity of that which divides us as a nation. Not surprisingly, these ideas came to me as the old epigram about weaving cloth:

Like warp and weft, two distinct types of thread are weaving the American cloth at present. And while the needs, hopes, and wants of one thread of opinion has always laid atop the other, throughout each moment in American politics, we have managed to find common ground where they intersect, since our nation was first founded. What was clarified for me last Saturday however, is that the fight we are embarking on from this point forward, with the election of new POTUS and his toxic team of cabinet appointments, with the infiltration of fake news (especially where Russia is concerned), with the normalization of rape culture (#monumentquilt), and so on - is that we are now in a battle over which threads of opinion (and therefore which set of values), wins the right to be the warp.

The warp, after all, is the yarn held under high tension. It's unyielding and reliable, the structure upon which the weft freely floats across, and weaves itself throughout. Progress is made by both types, no doubt. But what the Women's March demanded, and what it will continue to demand, is that the common threads of equality, freedom, justice, and so on, are the warp upon which we weave our own liberty.

A-

Quilts in Honor of Lady Liberty:

Modern Monthly: Feature Article!

'Enlighten the Cloth' Summer Workshop @  Haystack Mountain School of Crafts

Thanks for visiting BLOCK!

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Copy of In Honor of Dr. King

Greetings All You Mavens of Cloth,

I hope you enjoyed a long, creative, holiday weekend, and were able to soak in the spirit of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in some way, shape, or form. I mentioned that this week's blog post would be dedicated to Lady Liberty in the run up to the inauguration. But I failed to factor for the MLK holiday at the time.  So, I'd like this post to pay homage to Dr. King. And that's what it's going to do (blogs are nice this way: you really can be the queen of your own domain).

So, Lady Liberty will be on-hand next week, with some truly wonderful examples of her influence stitched in cloth, along with a feature on the upcoming Million Women March in D.C. (this Saturday, January 21), and marches happening in sister-cities across the U.S. that same day. 

In the meantime, enjoy this collection of art in honor of Dr. King. And a few other quilt-related gems in solidarity with and celebration of our African American brothers and sisters. 

See you on the way to the mountaintop.

A-

In Honor of Dr. King

"All we say to America is, 'Be true to what you said on paper.' If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. And so just as I say, we aren't going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on.

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop."

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. from his "Mountaintop Speech," delivered April 3, 1968, Mason Temple, Memphis, TN.

Two Artists: One in Her own Words, The Other in Cloth

Quilt Meaning, Making, Metaphors, and Murals

One Final Note:

For anyone who missed the opportunity to reflect on Dr. King yesterday, I recommend meditating on this thought provoking episode, "

The Spirituality of Peacemaking," produced by PRX, as part of their series, The Power of Non-Violence. It aired yesterday on my local NPR station. And I was so grateful to find myself at home hand-quilting an old top when it came on. The act of stitching while listening to people speak on the transformative power of what Dr. King referred to as SoulForce, was nothing short of a gift.

  Banner Image: The New Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. 

Thanks for visiting BLOCK!

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Particles, Waves, and Plus Size Art: The Dual Nature of Quilts

Hi Everyone! Happy Tuesday. Happy holidays.

I breezed through San Francisco for a couple days, and managed to squeeze in a visit to The de Young (the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco). But unfortunately failed to hit the new SFMOMA. Big sigh there....

Images: Grand Cairo, 1962; Jasper’s Dilemma, 1962; and Damascus Gate (Stretch Variation III), 1970, by Frank Stella.

Worth noting is the Frank Stella retrospective currently on display, which is also surrounded by three, somewhat small, seemingly tertiary, exhibits on textiles. And while the Stella show had a couple of bright moments, the conversation taking place in the satellite galleries - that which was woven, dyed, quilted, knotted, embroidered, painted, printed, and pieced - felt considerably more dynamic and culturally influential. 

Images: Woman’s skirt panel, collected in 1979, Senegal; Amish Quilt, 1900, United States, Indiana, displayed alongside a piece of indigo dipped banana fiber by Hiroyuki Shindo, 1984; Wrapping Cloth, 20th century, Korea.

Also, somewhat distracting, was how often the associated text throughout the galleries felt compelled to remind me of their position on art vs. craft, at times as if on loud speaker. As if to say: Don’t forget Aimée - for all that is holy, esoteric, and intellectual - these textiles, this Amish quilt among them, are not works of art - they’re craft. They’re beautiful pieces of well designed cloth, certainly - some made decades if not centuries before Stella’s ‘post-painterly abstraction’ or Duchamp’s toilet, which we believe largely created the philosophical standard for what constitutes ‘legitimate’ art. But because these pieces were intended for everyday purposes - you know, things like sacraments, prayer, sex, commerce, commemoration, and so on - they are what inspire art. These are not. Sure, we think it’s important to debate this point. But in the meantime, you’ll notice that the way we describe these objects doesn’t shine too bright a light on the debate beyond our basic preface. So it’s best not to confuse the two, craft vs. art, until there’s some consensus. Because, as we’ve tried to point out, real art is premeditated. And real art is made primarily by men - white men. Which these are not. Nevertheless, don’t touch these textiles because they’re extremely valuable. Real artist refer to them, quite often.

Examples of this type of pseudo-intellectualism were everywhere. The picture above is actual text from the exhibit. While the pic below, is one of several quotes from the Frank Stella retrospective. As a result, the effort to deemphasize the intentions of makers vs. artists in how the two exhibits were framed felt nascent in its understanding, childish even.

It’s perfectly natural and even appropriate to think that one’s intention for creating something shapes its context, and therefore its classification. What remains disappointing however, is how much value is placed on objects intended for a such a skinny dress size as the modern ideals that support western art - significantly prized above all other intentions and contexts of meaning. It’s just so borings when museums do this.

So, why post about this, when previous editorials here on BLOCK have expressed disinterest in general discussions of art vs. craft? Because this type of framing will continue to have implications for quilts. 

We’re familiar with how often curators describe certain works of art as ‘quilt-like.’ And yet it’s still a stretch to ask for a substantive discussion about quilts from art museums. Exceptions are made, of course, for those quilts that reflect an aesthetic ‘resembling’ abstract art. But even this loose association with ‘real’ art doesn’t reflect a foothold in the realm of art couture. Quilts remain an outlier. Quilts remain a craft - a by-product of lived creativity. But art?

MoMA’s own Glossary of Art Terms, for example, illustrates the point. The online learning resource does not currently recognize quilts or quilting as an artistic medium or process. From A-Z,  the letter “Q” is missing altogether, with ‘quilt’ and ‘quilting’ outperformed by such key artistic vocabulary as ‘ball bearing’ and ‘screw.’ Which means, there's still considerable unwillingness to formally acknowledge that quilts are enormous influencers upon art, let alone an art form all its own. Or, perhaps even more accurately, that quilts are a significant craft, with higher-order artistic traits that classify it as both - like ‘light’ in the realm of science, which is both a particle and a wave, and therefore a conundrum for parts the science community to deal with.

The dual nature of quilts means that the genre isn’t a member of the blank-slate club of painting, sculpture, and photography, whose A-class of the old guard (Stella, Rothko, etc.) still like their art skinny, royal, and predominantly intended for the gallery for their gaze. 

Quilts, of course, will continue to get some credit for their designs. And curators will continue to be delighted by it, when ‘real’ artists make dip their toe in the media for one piece or another.  But as a genre, quilts are the plus size art form of the middle class. A genre with a dual object of meaning and a by-product of the home that can never so easily be removed from its original context (unlike an industrial toilet). 

Quilts are quilts, yes. And like sculpture, painting, and photography they’re simultaneously and increasingly something else altogether.

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Threading the Needle to Stop Gun Violence in America: Mom’s Demand Action

Quilts as a metaphor for justice, and as a conduit for garnering empathy around a cause, continues: 

And when is it demonstrably obvious that empathy is what’s lacking? When a country like our can't pass responsible gun legislation because it puts the wants of the few above the safety and justice of others. And the organization Mom's Demand Action isn't standing for it anymore. 

One of the organization’s many efforts putting a stop to gun violence in America includes the Mother's Dream Quilt Project, which brings together survivors and loved-ones who have experienced it first hand to create deeply personal testimonies in the form of pieced blocks. Bee's are taking place in states across the country, and the completed quilts are being used to leverage the organization's larger policy-shaping efforts at specific venues. 

So much of today’s quilt activism can break your heart; how often the metaphors of the medium are called upon to bring voice to the unconscionable. But this must go on - we must continue piecing the world together through peace and justice. We must bind together what the irresponsible, the ignorant, the greedy, and narcissistic, would otherwise tear open without a second thought for what is right, moral, justice, and kind.

I made a financial contribution to Mom’s Demand Action today. I hope you will consider doing the same, and participate in the quilt project should you or a loved one be a survivor of gun violence.

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Seventy-five years ago tomorrow, the Japanese attached Pearl Harbor. At least 1,777 people were killed when the USS Arizona, the battleship, was bombed and sank. Along with this devastating loss, 18 other Navy ships were destroyed or mangled, rendered useless. Eight battleships of the Pacific Fleet were also hit, along with 340+ planes.

My grandfather, a submarine captain during the war, lost close friends that day, and went on to experience for himself other atrocities that few Americans of my generation can even imagine. Were he still alive today, I would want to honor him in some meaningful way that he could touch and return to; a gesture of thanks he could really believe in.

Quilts of Valor, the award program involving volunteer quilters from all over the country, provides this service to veterans, and at an impressive scale. As I post this, 312 quilts will have been awarded to a veteran service man or woman this past week alone. Over 150,000 quilts have been awarded in total.

The magnitude and impact of this program can not be overstated, for its ability to express appreciation and gratitude for the service of our men and women in uniform.

Today, on the anniversary of such a horrific event, in both American and Japanese history, consider getting involved with this program - especially those younger readers of BLOCK (and by this I mean those under 50 😉). Today’s veterans, now more than ever, need reality to assert itself in ways that remind them that they are appreciated - that the nation they served takes responsibility for what we asked of them. And I can think of no better symbol for this (aside from our political support for veteran affairs at large) than a heartfelt quilt, made with love.

Quilts of Valor: http://www.qovf.org/

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This IS/NOT a Quilt: Featured Artist, Anna Buckner

GRIDS ON GRIDS ON GRID, by Anna Bucker, 2015. Pieced fabric scraps on stretcher, acrylic matte medium, 12” x 10.”

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Today I’m delighted to introduce you to the artist, Anna Buckner - who’s work is directly inspired by quilt influences and contexts. She is currently a visiting professor at Michigan State University, adding to their already star-studded staff developing content related to quilt culture - but her work is deeply rooted in painting and printmaking. 

Frances, by Anna Buckner, 2016. Acrylic on pieced fabric.

Whenever I stumble upon work like this, so clearly existing outside the traditional lines of quilting but so reflective of the medium as well, my efforts and the theme of BLOCK - to explore the metaphors and meaning of quilts and quilt-making - is galvanized by it, just as much as it is by any “traditional” quilt featured here.

In fact, similarly to Magritte’s infamous painting, The Treachery of Images, the more I consider what a quilt is, the less it becomes a quilt at all.

DEEP END, by Anna Buckner, 2016. Fabric scraps on stretcher, 60" x 40."

An excerpt of Buckner’s artist statement from her website:

I piece the fabric scraps together forming a quilt top that is then stretched on a support. The design of the piecework is appropriated from traditional quilt patterns, but the initial symmetry of the piecework is compromised through stretching, causing the material to warp. Therefore, the support of the painting is a tool for transformation, revealing the potential of these materials, and pushing them into a role for which they are not traditionally used...I do not want my work to stand steadily, but rather float. This unpredictability, embracing transformation, encourages expansion through stretching. 

ORANGE, by Anna Buckner, 2015. Oil on pieced linen, 12” x 9.5.”

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Stargazing: American Star Quilts @ the Iowa Quilt Museum

The current exhibit at the new Iowa Quilt Museum, in Winterset, “Stargazing: American Star Quilts,” runs through January 24, 2017, and will be followed by “Art Quilts of the Midwest,” on display January 26 to April 30, 2017.

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Stargazing in Winterset:

I’m just back from another wonderful trip to Iowa. And between the road trips to see family and the dirt road trips to check in on the farm, I made a special effort to visit one of my favorite small towns - Winterset, in Madison County - because some worthwhile things are happening there. Winterest is known for quite a few things, most notably its covered bridges. But it is now also home to the lovely and delightful Iowa Quilt Museum (IQM).

So, you can imagine my elation to enter the IQM and find Marianne Fons herself giving a presentation to the local antique guild! Yes, The Marianne Fons: co-founder of Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting, and co-host of the associated show, with her writer/quilter/designer-daughter, Mary Fons!

Marianne Fons & I chatting inside the exhibit, “Stargazing: American Star Quilts,” on display now through January 24, 2017, at the Iowa Quilt Museum, in Winterset.

Marianne (who is IQM’s board President and who, it should also be noted, co-owned the brick and mortar quilt shop in Winterset, Fons & Porter Quilting, for years before Piece Works Quilt Shop took ownership) graciously invited me to join the group as she discussed the development efforts behind the museum and showcased a number of local quilts. Later, she was even kind enough to field my fandom and general questions about her life and current projects - which I greatly appreciated. Thank you again Marianne.

What struck me most from our thoughtful visit together, was how quickly our conversation pivoted toward the creative process of storytelling, and eventually to the meaning and metaphors of quilts and quilt-making. So, naturally, given the thread of this blog, I found myself wanting of more time with her!

...Stay tuned folks!

One final note - a travel tip: Upon departure from Winterset, be sure to grab a cup of coffee and slice of pie @ Northside Cafe, before making your final pilgrimage to one of the county’s six remaining covered bridges. - It’s worth it.

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Artists’ Job in the Age of Trump

We must quilt empathy and sculpt change. We must cross the borders of cynicism and hate with our stories and sketches and songs sewn into the lining of our coats if it comes to that, remembering Lillian Hellman, imagining John Lennon, raising Maya Angelou.

From an editorial by Joni Rodgers in the Houston Chronicle.

IQSCM’s project, World Quilts, the American Story, reminds us of quilting’s long history building social awareness and activism. The detail above is from Gen Curacar’s quilts, “Women in the Struggle,” 1983.

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Quilts in Context

Each quilt tells a story and in photographs it expands exponentially. Click on the  image source for the context of each picture.

Image Source: The Guardian. New Orleans, 2006. Photography by Wyatt Gallery.

Image Source, Reuters

Image Source, China Daily. 

Image Source: Woodstock. Photography by Burk Uzzle.

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America, Yesterday & Today:

Hello Friends,

Had some trouble yesterday (Election Day), posting new content. So aside from this, it proved to be an extremely challenging day for me, and many others. Mea culpa for the brief delay.

With that in mind, this wonderful untitled quilt by Mary Maxtion (1995) was one out of hundreds I considered posting in honor of our of democracy on Election Day. But all things considered, I decided my original draft called for a suitable addendum as well:

Mary Ann Jordan’s Dot Quilt (2006) has been a favorite “art quilt” of mine for some time (on display via the IQSCM’s digital archive). I had a visceral response to it years ago. But today, its layered meanings are even more haunting and beautiful. 

I wish you all well. I wish us all grace. And I wonder what will be created (both in our society and in sewn cloth) over the coming days, weeks, and years, on account of this election.

Source: International Quilt Study Center & Museum - link, here.

Primary Pattern:Original, Flag Title: Quiltmaker:Maxtion, Mary Geographical Origin:Made in Boligee, Greene County, Alabama, United States Date:Circa 1995 Style/Type:African American; Patriotic Dimensions (LxW):94 x 80 Inches 237 x 202 Centimeters Primary Technique:Pieced, Hand Primary Fiber:Cotton Blend Primary Fabric:Broadcloth/Muslin Quilt Stitches/Inch:5--6 Binding:Straight Applied; Back folded over Inscription Type:Pieced IQSC Collection:Robert and Helen Cargo Collection IQSC Object Number:2000.004.0070

Source: International Quilt Study Center & Museum. Link, here.

Title:Dot Flag Quiltmaker:Jordan, Mary Anne Geographical Origin:Made in Lawrence, Kansas, United States Date:Dated 2006 Style/Type:Art (Studio Art) Dimensions (LxW):102 x 43 Inches 258 x 109 Centimeters Primary Technique:Pieced, Machine Primary Fiber:Cotton Primary Fabric:Hand-Painted/Dyed Binding:Straight Applied Inscription Type:None Exhibitions:Perspectives: Art, Craft, Design and the Studio Quilt IQSC Collection:IQSCM General Collection IQSC Object Number:2006.052.0001

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Street Artist, SETH, Paints Stamp

Here’s a story I missed last year but was thrilled to come across, nonetheless!  It’s a wonderful mural by the street artist and self-described “globe painter,” SETH (who’s Instagram page is worth a look). 

The composition makes for a stylized monument that pays homage to Tahiti’s cultural quilt past and a new postage stamp too. 

A new postal stamp in French Polynesia highlights a mural at the “ONO’U” festival in Tahiti, a first for the multi-island country as well as the French Street Artist SETH and his local Tahitian collaborator, HTJ.

...The 6-story painting depicts a sleeping French Polynesian girl wrapped in a traditional pareo dress that also morphs into the traditional bed covering called a tifaifai. 

Read the full article published at Brooklyn Street Art, here.

HTJ assists SETH with the mural’s background motif. ONO’U Street Art and Graffiti Festival. Tahiti, French Polynesia. 2015. (photo © Martha Cooper)

SETH. ONO’U Street Art and Graffiti Festival. Tahiti, French Polynesia. 2015. (photo © Martha Cooper)