The stuff of legends, part 1: "African-American" style

why is it so problematic to assign labels to quilts?

Future quilt historians will have their work cut out for them, and it has everything to do with both benevolent and unfavorable efforts of their predecessors. If I could say one thing to future generations of quilt detectives it would be, "Ask a lot of questions about the quality of the information."

"Ask a lot of questions about the quality of the information."

The "stacked bars" quilt (pictured at top) is in my second book, "Modern Roots, Today's Quilts from Yesterday's Inspiration" (2016, C&T/Stash Books). In the book, I compare the quilt to one made by Jessie Pettway of Gee's Bend, Alabama. Pettway's quilt famously appeared on U.S. Postal Service stamps in 2006.

Given the stylistic similarities between the two quilts, it would be tempting to link them in other ways. The seller of my quilt called it African-American despite having no information about the maker. I bought the quilt, but not the story.

the real deal: a quilt made by Lucy Mingo, Gee's Bend, Alabama, 1979

Descriptions of quilts can be the stuff of legends, and that's the crux of the issue with provenance. Is the information available, or not? And if information is available, is it true? What is the source? 

In 2002, "The Quilts of Gee's Bend" caused a sensation at the Whitney Museum of American Art, when New York Times art critic Michael Kimmelman called the quilts "some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced." That's when the sellers started getting dollar signs in their eyes. 

"You can't judge a book by its cover."

It was a perfect storm for growing misconceptions about quiltmakers of color in America. The most common misconception was that all African-American quilts looked like the quilts of Gee's Bend. In other words, improvisational, abstract quilts. The impicit message was the quilts represented a certain level of sewing skill among African-Americans. Very far from the truth, but others latched on to the misconception.

Prominent collectors published and exhibited vintage quilts with no provenance and attributed them as African-American, falsely identifying improvisational style as purely African-American. I saw an exhibition of quilts from the collection of Corrine Riley at the Bellevue Museum of Art in 2014, and can recall only one quilt in the exhibition of approximately 50 objects with maker's information. Problematic, to say the least. 

Improvisational style in American quilts did not originate in Gee's Bend, even though the quiltmakers of Gee's Bend had tremendous success with it. The rise of improvisational quiltmaking was more closely connected to the development of the textile and garment industries in America. I wrote about it in an article in QuiltCon Magazine in 2015. 

"Listen to the quilt! It will tell you all there is to know."

Sarah Nixon's quilt, c. 1935

Another quilt in my "Modern Roots" book is a blue and white "Indiana Puzzle" made by Sarah Nixon of Verona, New Jersey around 1935. Nixon, an African-American woman who was a housekeeper, made the quilt for the cute little girl who lived in the neighborhood, my Mom. It is worthy of note but almost goes without saying, Nixon's quilt is not improvisational.

Carolyn Mazloomi's quilt

Narrative, storytelling quilts seem to represent a bigger piece of the pie when it comes to African-American quiltmaking today. There is currently only one example in my collection, and that is "Spirit of Forgiveness" by Carolyn Mazloomi. Recently, Carolyn donated a large group of African-American quilts she collected to the Michigan State University Museum. A majority of the quilts were pictorial and told stories. Further enhancing their tremendous cultural value, the quilts also documented African-American history, information not found in U.S. History curriculum.

improvisational quilt, unknown maker, c. 1920-1940

Considering the number of loosely attributed, "African-American" quilts, historians could face an uphill battle. I hope there will be others like myself who come along and ask, "Is that true?" Our practice, and the burgeoning field of quilt history can embody all the available information without having it become the stuff of legends. As I like to say, "Listen to the quilt! It will tell you all there is to know."

quilts deserve to be called masterpieces

The Tilton Family Quilt, c. 1840, Burlington County, New Jersey

"Masterpiece" is a word I sometimes use when speaking about the quilts in my collection. The first person I remember saying a quilt was a masterpiece was Shelly Zegart. Her book, "American Quilt Collections: Antique Quilt Masterpieces" was the first quilt book I ever saw.

I love how Shelly talks about quilts the way others might discuss paintings or sculptures, the objects canonized by art history tomes. Back in 1984, when I entered Rhode Island School of Design as a freshman, we were required to take art history as one of the five courses in the Freshman Foundation. The other courses were drawing, two-dimensional design, three-dimensional design and English composition and literature.

my first antique quilt: unknown maker, Kentucky, c. 1850

By 1989, the year I met Shelly in New York and bought my first quilt from her, I fully understood what a masterpiece was. Although I never heard the term used to describe a quilt, I knew exactly what she meant. Along with this new-to-me concept came a sad realization. Quilts were not part of the conversation in art history curriculum.

c. 1800 quilt from Rhode Island

Wouldn't it be marvelous to attend a top school such as Rhode Island School of Design and have quilts, such as this early star quilt from Rhode Island be included in the conversation about the history of art?

A masterpiece is a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship. In some cases it is also representative of an artist's or craftsperson's best work. The latter definition could be problematic with quilts made by unknown makers, but when you see a lot of quilts the masterpieces tend to jump out.

an 1840s masterpiece from New England

For me, a masterpiece can also be an outstanding example of originality or creativity, even if it does not represent a high level of skill or refined workmanship. I love quilts that are one-of-a-kind originals, regardless of the level of skill involved.

one-of-a-kind original: unknown maker, New York, c. 1920

Perfection may have been the goal. It was far from the end-result a lot of the time, but the flaws always revealed the people behind the work. Quilts were handmade objects, and if they involved machines, you could still see the hand of the persons operating the machines.

another one-of-a-kind original: unknown maker, Ohio, c. 1930

On the other side of the coin, a masterpiece can also be made from a known or published pattern, such as the Giant Dahlia Quilt, a Hubert ver Mehren design. The maker of the quilt in my collection is unknown, and perhaps there was more than one maker.

Giant Dahlia Quilt, c. 1930

It was no small feat to make this quilt. The level of workmanship is clear, and the maker(s) followed the rules, creating exactly what the pattern specified, all the way down to the quilting design. If ver Mehren had made one of these quilts rather than simply drafting the design, his Giant Dahlia Quilt would look exactly like this one.

a masterpiece quilt in poor condition

We often think of masterpieces as well-preserved objects, but that is not always the case. Many years ago, when I found a pieced quilt of the "New York Beauty" motif and it had two large chunks missing, I realized it was still a masterpiece. It was simply a masterpiece quilt in poor condition.

Owls, unknown maker, Ohio, c. 1975

Quilts deserve to be called masterpieces. Quilts deserve to be included in art history curriculum and every major museum. The presence of quilts would aptly address the sharp, patriarchal vantage points in those arenas. Quiltmaking tradition represents a long, unbroken thread of predominately women's creative expression. Referring to quilts as masterpieces is a good place to start. 

Four Centuries of Outstanding Quilts

middle 19th century masterpiece quilt from Kentucky

I started collecting in 1989, when I was 23, so I have collected quilts for more than half my life. My collection includes four centuries of outstanding quilts, with examples from the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

late 18th century wholecloth blue resist quilt - a rare find

 The 18th century quilts are hardest to find, and it took me a long time to develop an appreciation for them. The quilts are often elegant, such as the blue resist wholecloth quilt made in the 1760 to 1800 period. Others are rather drab but include exquisite quilting designs such as the wholecloth wool quilts found in New England.

late 18th century wholecloth wool quilt from New England

Quilts of the 19th century were my primary focus when I began collecting. These quilts are 100 years old or older, bona fide antiques.

middle to late 19th century quilt from Kentucky

At first, I was mostly interested in pieced quilts and focused on the motif known today as New York Beauty. I wrote all about it in my first book, "New York Beauty, Quilts from the Volckening Collection" (2015 Quiltmania, France).

As the collection grew, it evolved. Still, after 20 years of collecting, very few people knew what I'd been doing. I looked for unique things, especially because the quilts functioned as wall art in my home. Seek, and you shall find!

Victorian period silk pieced quilt, eastern United States

late 19th century hexagon pictorial quilt, Pennsylvania

At a certain point, I ventured into appliqué quilts, and found some really great ones. I am always struck by the beauty of the botanical motifs and the level of sewing skill. Much originality, too.

middle 19th century masterpiece album quilt from West Virginia

middle 19th century appliqué quilt from Kentucky

After seeing the Quilts of Gee's Bend exhibition at the Whitney in 2002, I started looking at more improvisational quilts, and eventually turned my attention to the 20th century.

wool quilt dated 1937, eastern US (possibly Pennsylvania)

One of my first acquisitions from the 20th century was a wool airplanes quilt, dated 1937. It is on the cover of my second book, "Modern Roots, Today's Quilts from Yesterday's Inspiration" (2016, Stash Books), along with a stunning new quilt made by Christine Turner.

Christine Turner's quilt, inspired by the quilt in my collection

From the beginning of my time collecting, I had an eye on modernism. It was what initially drew me to the quilts...the graphic visual qualities of the objects. The people who made these quilts, mostly women, may have had ordinary lives, but their work was extraordinary. I felt like I was like looking at modern art predicted.

strikingly modern late 19th century quilt found in Texas

late 19th / early 20th century quilt, also incredibly modern

In more recent years, my focus has been a nearly legendary period in American quiltmaking, the 1970s. More than 150 quilts in my collection are from this period. Many of them are offbeat and made of ultra modern materials, such as polyester double knit. Since barely anyone else was collecting these quilts at the time, I had a field day. I found the best stuff, because I was looking.

1970s polyester quilt from Louisiana

1970s polyester quilt from Oregon

Everyone loves a good spinoff, and there was an important one with the 1970s quilts. It was a whole regional tradition, completely unexplored and untouched by researchers and quilt historians. It was also a mythbuster.

1970s Hawaiian scrap quilt

Scrap quilts from Hawaii were part of quilt history. Telling people about it was one of the highlights of my incredible quilt journey. The myth about Hawaiians making one distinct style of quilt was officially busted. The austere, symmetrical, botanical, two-color applique quilts were not the only quilts made by Hawaiians.

1970s Hawaiian scrap quilt

1970s Hawaiian scrap quilt

The thrilling thing about the Hawaiian scrap quilts was the manner in which they busted the myth. These quilts looked nothing like the applique quilts, but they were certainly Hawaiian looking in every possible way. The sense of color and pure exuberance was unmistakable, and the search for these quilts took me to Oahu in January. I've only just begun to talk about Hawaiian scrap quilts.

1990s quilt by Andrea Balosky

Coincidentally, Hawaiian born artist Andrea Balosky gave me an appreciation for the work of quiltmakers in the last two decades of the 20th century. I have not collected much work from this period, but recently acquired a stunning quilt made in 1984 by master quilter Libby Lehman.

1984 quilt by Libby Lehman

The 21st century was and is new territory from a collector's point of view. What quilts will be collectible 50 or 100 years from now? It's really anybody's guess, but if you asked me, I would say it boils down to originality and spirit.

a 21st century medallion made by officers of Portland Modern Quilt Guild

Probably the best thing about collecting today's quilts is knowing the people who made them. That is exactly the case with the medallion quilt I won in a Portland Modern Quilt Guild holiday raffle. The women who made the quilt ran the guild that year, and each one is a gem.

Modern Domestic's Row-By-Row block

Cath Hall was one of the creators of the PMQG medallion. She also had a big hand in the Modern Domestic Row-By-Row block with the water glasses. One fine day, she graciously handed me the store sample she made. I adore her.

Green Cross series quilt by Gail Weiss

Speaking of people I adore, Gail Weiss, also a member of Portland Modern, made me weak in the knees with her Green Cross series. I had the good fortune of photographing all five of them in my studio. Even luckier, I own one of them.

"The Best" Yvonne Porcella

Quilts are memory objects, too. I met Yvonne Porcella at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles in 2013, when the museum was filled "New York Beauty" quilts from my collection. I was full of joy because I got to meet Yvonne. And now that she's passed away, I am grateful to have one of her quilts from a Quilt Alliance auction a few years ago.

"Spirit of Forgiveness" by Carolyn Mazloomi

Quilts have the power to tell stories, and that's exactly what this recent addition to the collection from Carolyn Mazloomi accomplishes. It is called "Spirit of Forgiveness" and tells the story of the atonement of Adriaan Johannes Vlok. I blogged about it here. 

"Fruity Beauty" by Bill Volckening, quilting by Jolene Knight

So, that is a quick tour through four centuries of outstanding quilts. With more than 450 in my collection, it is hard to pick favorites. Every once in a while, I make a quilt, too. The ones in this blog represent an amazing journey, and it's not over yet. Where will it lead? Who knows? But it'll sure be colorful and full of love.

"Beauty in Brown" by Karen McTavish

Recently a few quilts made by Karen McTavish were offered for sale on Facebook. How could I resist? The quilts were from her "Whitework Quilting" book, published in 2004. The quilt I purchased is called "Beauty in Brown" and was created especially for the book, a seminal tome that explored traditional wholecloth quilting motifs while revealing new creative possibilities in free-motion machine quilting.

The quilt is 48" x 48" and is quilted with light brown thread in the motif areas. The background quilting is done with white thread, matching the fabric. The book includes much more information about this quilt and others, such as details about materials, technique and what inspired the quilts. Many thanks to Karen, and special thanks to Frank Palmer for running the auction-style sale. Lucky me for being the high bidder on this beauty!

Thank you, IQSCM!

My exhibition at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum concluded last weekend, and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for a job well done. The exhibition, "Off the Grid, The Bill Volckening Collection" was on display from May 24 to August 27, and thousands of visitors from around the world got a first look at this select group of polyester quilts of the 1970s.

Tour groups and other visitors passed through the galleries each day. My favorite group was this flock of young girls, who came to see the quilts and dress their dolls in cool, handmade hippy duds. Seeing children so enthralled by the quilts was wonderful!

with curator Marin Hanson during the Facebook Live segment

The museum staff and volunteers are top notch. We first met in 2012 when I visited for the American Quilt Study Group Seminar, and I met new Executive Director Leslie Levy at QuiltCon in 2015. It was wonderful to see retired Executive Director Patricia Crews at my lecture. We cannot thank her enough for her lead role as founding Director of the museum.

Special thanks to the Nebraska Arts Council, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment and the Nebraska Arts Council, a state agency supporting the exhibition through its matching grants program funded by the Nebraska Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. It takes many hands to build a village, and I am grateful for everyone who had a hand in the exhibition. Looking forward to returning to Nebraska.