On Deck: Whatcom Museum Exhibit

I never thought I'd share anything in common with Huey Lewis. Other than the fact that we both attended New Jersey prep schools in close proximity to one another, but that's hardly having something in common. Our schools are longtime rivals. He's a "Big Red" - actually, I'd call him a "Larry" - and I'm a "Falcon". In other words, he went to The Lawrenceville School, I went to The Peddie School.

Too bad Huey Lewis a bit older than I. He could've been there to watch me representing the Falcons in swimming, when we stomped the Big Red four years in a row during my high school years. But alas, he graduated from L'ville just a year after I was born. Lawrenceville's colors are red and black, and if you go back and look at some of the old Huey Lewis and the News videos, he often wears red and black.

Now, there's a new connection of sorts. The title of one of Huey Lewis' well known pop singles. "It's Hip to be Square" appears on the postcard announcing the upcoming quilt exhibit at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington - and that's my quilt on the postcard! Can we call that "six degrees of separation"? And where does Kevin Bacon come in?

I digress. It's doubtful Huey Lewis would ever see this postcard, but the pop culture reference certainly amuses me, particularly given the rivalry between our high school alma maters. It's also really funny because just recently, I'd posted a link to the video for this song on my Facebook page. No particular reason. It was just because...

See? He's wearing a red shirt with black! (Told ya!). Catchy little tune, but I digress once more.

What I should really talk about is the upcoming quilt exhibit. The flip side of the postcard has some important details.

The exhibit is called "American Quilts: The Decmocratic Art 1780-2007" and is co-curated by Robert Shaw and Julie Silber. That's enough to tell me it's going to be brilliant. The exhibit is the first one based on Shaw's book of the same title. Published in 2009 by Sterling, Shaw's seminal book is one of the most important quilt history titles of the last decade. It's like a quilt history textbook, similar to Rod Kiracofe's "The American Quilt: A History of Cloth and Comfort 1750-1950", and every quilt lover should own copies of both books! 

So, how am I involved with this whole project? One of my quilts, the one on the postcard, is in the exhibit. It's especially an honor because my quilt was not in the book. I'm super jazzed about seeing it on the postcard. It's one of my favorite quilts, purchased several years ago through eBay, from a seller in Virginia, and here it is! The quilt deserves to be a focus of attention. 

There will be special events on August 4th, 5th, and September 15th, so plan ahead. The Olympic Peninsula is glorious during the summer and fall. For more information, click here.