I’ve gone twice to see this show, once alone and once with a friend. I may go again. I had heard about this show on a number of quilters podcasts. They had gone to Boston to see the full show, I’m sure that what we have here at the Skirball is just a small section. My oh my, what a selection! Incredible quilts.
As I entered the gallery, this is what greeted me. I had seen images of this wonderful ball, seeing it in person is even better. I don’t remember the name of the artist, she wanted to take a flat three dimensional object – a quilt and create something really three dimensional – a ball. Btw, there are many ways to make a ball, just look at all the sports balls, each is created differently. I am so impressed with the geometry of this one, made up of 8 segments, which of course are made up of many different quilt designs.
As a quilter, I know geometry well. What really impresses me right here is the use of a 5 pointed star to cover up the mess created by joining together an eight pointed star. This is where the creativity of the quilter herself really shines. She has a problem to solve and she finds a very interesting way to do so.
I love the simple quilt patterns, I love the fabrics used. both big bright florals and solids. I especially love the zigzag using two bright prints. It sort of mutes down the pattern, and yet it all works in harmony. I am wondering what is inside the ball, yes, the workmanship is superb, but it does need a strong skeleton to hold that ball in perfect form. It almost makes me want to try something like this on a much smaller scale.
On to the gallery. This is a suffrage quilt from Indiana. Women paid a small sum to have the quilt made, their names embroidered on the quilt and then it was auctioned off. All to support a woman’s right to vote. I looked closely at the names, it looks like this was done with machine embroidery. The Stars and Stripes sort of represent the flag, but the placement is all wrong.
Another interesting touch is the crochet border all around the quilt. The appliqué the quilting are all done by machine. Probably the only thing that isn’t is the crochet.
A wonderful part of this exhibit is the inclusion of woven blankets as well. This was woven by a Navajo, possibly a woman who worked for Major James Cooper Mckee. One of the negotiators of the creation of the Navajo nation reservation. One of the issues I have with this show is the celebration of native arts – without acknowledging that many of them were adapted from European traditions. Like weaving – there were no sheep, there weren’t looms until the Spanish arrived. Yes, the Navajo built an incredible tradition of weaving rugs and blankets, but like so much else in this world – it came from exposure to other cultures. this idea that there is some magical ‘native’ tradition that has nothing to do with the White settlers really bugs me. As cultures we all learn and are influenced by new ideas that come in with a new invading tribe. Let’s just celebrate that.
This spectacular whole cloth blew my mind. As you can see its’ not one piece it is stripped together from many pieces, but, it is all one color and the quilt pattern treats it like one piece of cloth. Back in the day, looms weren’t as wide as today, you had to piece strips together. This quilt is actually wool, indigo dyed wool that was then treated with heat to create the shine. And boy does it shine. This is from the 18th c. Like many quilts in this exhibit – it had to have been stored very well over the years. I found one small moth hole. So for over 200 years this wool object was protected. The color is still intense as well.
I used my phone camera to capture the details. The color is more accurate in the previous image. Just look at this quilting! So much detail! Of course there was a detailed description of how Indigo dying was the provenance of the African slaves.
Here we have a modern quilt, made by less than 20 years ago by a Japanese American quilter. Yes, there is plenty of talk about Indigo – but here they can’t give credit to American slaves. Turns out that Indigo is used all over the world, and so credit is given to the poor Japanese workers. Btw, in Europe, who do you think worked in the Textile industry – poor people. Being poor doesn’t make one special, can you tell how tired I am of our new world order where either skin color or poverty seems to make one a better person?
In this quilt the artist used old kimonos that she cut apart – she is honoring her Japanese ancestors. Btw, these days, Japanese quilters are among the best in the world – but they celebrate their ability to use modern fabrics and patterns, so lets not highlight any of them.
Lest you think I don’t love these quilts, I do, it’s the didactics I can’t stand. So this is made out of probably over 1000 log cabin blocks. Once again, can we thank those white American women for coming up with this amazing block??? Instead of a red center, she used the darkest Indigo fabric she could find. The blocks are small, the strips end up at 1/2″. She then made stripes of color. I didn’t get a close up of the borders which are wonderful shades of Indigo.
What I can say is this is what quilting is all about. A quilter reaching back to her own history, the history of quilting itself and creating something beautiful. Looking at the size of this, I’d say this isn’t a wall hanging but an actual quilt that would be used for warmth on a bed. It is only in the late 20th c. does the quilt move from bed to wall – another side of Americas’ wealth.
I have many more posts, a lot to say. I love the quilts, I don’t like the message being pushed on us. Which is one of the big reasons why I am no longer a docent.
Leah