Back to New York

American Folk Art Museum

Wanting to catch more of AFAM’s offerings, I dashed off into Manhattan by bus.  I peered through locked doors at West 53^rd Street.  The walls were empty and only one or two people milled inside.  Worse, the gift shop was gone…….

So I went into the MOMA instead (but more on that later).  When I got back home, I “googled” to find what had happened to that wonderful treasury of folk art and quilts.  The sad story of lofty ambitions, lack of finances and poor attendance records (comparatively to outgoing expenses), amongst other things, came to light.  The architect’s design came in for a hammering and a promised gift never realised was revealed.  Worse still, the AFAM itself was under threat of closure and its collection to be dispersed.

Gaaaaaassssp!!!!

I must say that I quite liked the AFAM’s former spaces.  It seemed cosy and I felt close to all the pieces exhibited.  Somehow, I think that quilts made for smaller spaces like homes, don’t always look their best when displayed in warehouse surrounds.  Despite its size, the Met also works for me in the same way.  Its huge areas contain rooms which may contain even more rooms.  So, there’s something distinctly Alice about both venues. 

The exhibition I saw last year at the AFAM didn’t look to be barely contained by the space – it fitted in well and there was a good representation of quilts; enough to give me an idea of the history of quiltmaking in the US.  Not everyone who comes in to see the exhibition is a quilt historian with a master’s degree.  The staging was simple and effectively communicated its message in the same way that each quilt tells us a story about their maker.

 

The other exhibition at the time was an intimate portrait of a man who made art because he was driven to it.  I’ve mentioned Henry Darger (1892-1973) previously.  His work, and its meaning, would have been totally lost on four walls of a larger gallery space.  The intimacy of the AFAM in some way sharpened my understanding of how and why he worked the way he did. 

What I did find on my internet search however, was that AFAM, in its transition, had secured gallery space on 66^th & Broadway.  Something made me want to get on that bus and visit.

Now, before you get too excited, this space was rather like entering a small underground mausoleum.  The door was difficult to open and the quilts were hung in a way that shouted, “This is the best we can do under current circumstances!!”.  The guards and shop staff were friendly but it all seemed to hang on an air of despondency.  Decisions had not been made about the Museums continuation, serious funds and sponsors were needed and acquisitions were under threat of being re-homed.  

As I left the gallery though, I noticed a quilt dedicated to those lost in the 9/11 (2001) disaster, The National Tribute Quilt.  I had been too busy looking at the gift shop to see it as I came in – all 8 x 30 feet of it!  Do you believe in fate?  Well I certainly do!  There in the corner was the name of a friend.  I took several photos and emailed them off to my workmates.  I learned that a 10 year memorial service was being organised by her family in Sydney. 

(A later note: I understand the AFAM is in a better place now and its permanence assured.  Well done to the rescuers and all those who fretted – enough to care - for its safety.)

Historic Homes of Cape May

Cape May is gingerbread cute.  What more can I say?  Except get out your exterior paint colour charts and live it up a bit!  Our house is a lovely shade of grey, trimmed with charcoal (not quite black).  It merges very successfully with the surrounding bush of eucalypt green and soft grey trunks.  Our local council approves.  They’re not too happy with homes that don’t melt into our nearby national parklands, sandstone cliffs and riverscape! 

Home for possums, bush turkeys and kookaburras.  Oh, and us!

So when you see homes that positively vibrate with colour and personality, it sure makes you itch.  We saw all of that and more in pretty Cape May.  We were, except for a quick trolley tour of town, on foot and only had a day or two to do chores and explore, so I didn’t “capture” as many stylish houses as I’d wished. 

One feature we just loved is that so many homes fly the American flag proudly or decorate with swags of red, white and blue. 

Candy green, pink and lemon

Architecture is just so elaborate

Grand columns

And plenty of flags

Festivals in the Park

We all love a freebie, right?  Welcome to Norfolk in Virginia.  We discovered Norfolk/Portsmouth after popping out of the ICW in 2009.  Aside from good shopping, a movie theatre, interesting museums and some very good restaurants, we tuned into a few festivals and concerts that were on offer at the waterside Town Point Park.  The event we snagged this year was a Reggae Solstice, which took us back to the Caribbean with loads of colourful Rastafarians, bunches of dreadlocks and more than a few interesting hats.  The music was amazing - Kenyatta Hill sang up a storm and the Itals re-formed especially for the night.  For old guys, they sure could belt it out.

In terms of textiles, some of the costumes were wild; nothing too unusual except for the colour.  Certainly the locals really get into the mood and make a party of it.  So the concert exuded all the colour of the Caribbean with a touch of free-form costume design and a fair shake of the exotic.

 

Best of all, it was free.  So don’t miss out and while you’re at it, catch a glimpse of some pretty exotic mermaids!

Additional Insight

While on the topic of visionary artists, and I’m not sure if he fits that “category” but have you seen the textile art of Jimmy McBride?  I picked up a copy of Quilters Newsletter Magazine to catch up on my fibre arts fix, and there in issue # 423 (Aug/Sep 2011) was a 4 page spread on Jimmy’s work.  Like Von Bruenchenhein, he works in a science fiction narrative but in this case develops quilts using reclaimed textiles.  What I have found particularly inspiring is that he works in series.  You can clearly see how his ideas have developed and grown; how he has experimented with various techniques to effect and made ready-made fabrics look like they've been taken from a palette of oils.  So, spend some time browsing Jimmy McBride’s inspirational quilts over on his web site and be prepared to learn….. 

Find insight into his creative process on his blog and enjoy the quilting narrative.  I like the idea of stepping outside of yourself and having a storyline to help focus your creative endeavours.  His other sewing projects include a few clothes – shirts and jeans.  So good to see the art of home “dressmaking” as my grannie called it, is surviving and looking good against an overabundance of cheap Chinese imports.  When you’re done, you can see more of Jimmy’s quilts on etsy. 

While we’re on a theme – how about these outa spacey fabrics from Sew Materialistic in Brooklyn!  Is there something going on in Brooklyn we don’t know about?

Visionary if not a little bit Mystic

I had the opportunity to spend a few hours in Baltimore’s Visionary Art Museum in June last year.  So, what did I see?  Well, to start with, Visionary Art is not Folk Art.  It can be created by trained or self-taught (outsider) artists but the commonality is that their work is created from an “innate personal vision”.  Outsider artists work outside the mainstream and may not even consider their own work as art.

I first encountered outsider art when I visited AFAM (West 53 – sadly there no more) in 2010 to specifically see the Quilts: Masterworks on show.  The work of Henry Darger (1892-1973) drew me in – as did his description as an outsider artist.  I found his work compelling, definitely dark and disturbing.  So it was interesting to think about this exhibition in contrast to the wild, colourful sci-fi work of Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, also an outsider artist.  

The museum was full of wild, inventive, colourful and unrestrained art works.  I loved it all.  I also thought how freeing it was to have my understanding of the definition of “artist” teased and provoked. 

So, just in case you thought I was missing the textile point of this blog, I came across the wacky works of Chris Roberts-Antieau made of everyday textiles no less!  Needless to say, no photos allowed to be taken in the Museum so I can only direct you to a web site or two of her artworks that will really make you smile (Also the name of the exhibition!).  Being a dog (and cat) lover I readily identified with many of her unique applique creations – such joy, such candid commentary on etiquette and customs of our everyday life. 

Visiting the Visionary Art Museum was an enlightening experience.  It taught me that anything is possible; art is not necessarily a prerogative of the rich and/or famous (although I guess that helps if want to make a living from your creative spirit) and that we all have to start somewhere, even if that’s simply believing in yourself.

Chris Roberts-Antieau's "Bad Dog" but don't you just want to scratch his naughty little tummy?

(Ed Update: AFAM is alive and well and located at 2 Lincoln Square Columbus Avenue at West 66th Street NYC.  Enjoy!)