Friday, May 26, 2017

Now Open!


Today's the day! "Off the Grid" is now open in the Center Gallery of the International Quilt Study Center & Museum at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. The select group of quilts includes mostly abstract, geometric patchwork representing my early impressions of the quilts of the 1970s.


My first impression was "COLOR!!!" Everything about the color seemed strangely familiar, but dramatically different in the context of American quilt history.

"COLOR!!!"

It was a much-referred-to but almost completely unstudied period -- the great quiltmaking revival of the 1970s. Where were the quilts? Many of them were fresh to the market in 2010 and later.


The quilts were priced to sell, and the period wasn't picked to death. Just the opposite. Hardly anyone else was collecting 1970s quilts. I had an absolute field day.


Even though I lived through the 1970s, I saw the world through the eyes of a boy. We did not have handmade quilts in our family, so discovering the quilts of the 1970s was like rediscovering my childhood through the objects I'd never seen before.


It was a revelation, but it was also like visiting with long-lost friends, and it led me on a long and worthwhile journey. Thank you to the staff and volunteers at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum for sharing my interest in these quilts and hosting this exhibition. I look forward to visiting and seeing the installation in person.
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6 comments:

  1. Kudos! Thanks for saving a part of our quilting heritage that has been forgotten. My mother made only one quilt. It was in 1971 and she used leftovers from the jerseys she made for my brothers. I thought it was the ugliest thing I had ever seen. I wish I could see it now!

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  2. I love those colors!! Congrats on the exhibit!

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  3. They are all such kaleidoscopes of color!

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  4. I absolutely adore these quilts! Love the colors and patterns, especially the second to last one.

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  5. Congratulations - what a big day for you! Enjoy seeing it in person and witnessing all that color in one place!

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  6. Love how you wrote out colors in all those colors - it does seen like the theme, and yes include the three exclamation points!!!

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