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.)

Washington: Textile Museum

No photos allowed in the Textile Museum

I seem destined to pick either “closed” days or times mid-prep for the next exhibition.  Damn unlucky, I say!  Therefore I was hardly surprised to collect both awards at the Textile Museum in Washington DC. 

When I did eventually get a foot in the front door, I was able to see at least, Indian tent hangings, William Morris upholstery linens, Chinese embroideries and American Indian weavings (rugs).  I spent most of my time exploring their excellent research area where I was able to give some thought to:

• What gives each textile its own look and personality?
• How are these textiles made?
• What are the influences on the maker?
• What can this textile teach us? 

Although meant essentially as a framework to support organised research into world textiles, this context could well be useful for any artist interested in exploring their own motivations, technique and artistic direction.

Luckily, I caught a glimpse of 10 fabulous Ikat coats, part of an upcoming exhibition. Ten has to be better than nothing; and certainly not bad for a spur of the moment visit.  Can I live in Washington??

These are a few tempting examples from exhibition books and mags available from the Museum Shop. 

(Just as an aside, and because I quite like historic homes, the Textile Museum is located in the 1908 home of George Hewitt Myers, a renowned rug and textile collector.  The house is built in the Colonial Revival style – now weren’t we just considering that….)

Washington: Humble Battlefield Quilts



A soldier's belongings

Whilst we toured the historic Manassas battlefields with Dominique & Warren, I couldn’t help but zoom into the soldiers’ belongings set up under a tree as they might have been in 1861-1865.  Yes of course, there was a quilt!  It resembled our waggas in a way and appeared to be made of wool tailoring samples.  I was on a guided tour so didn’t have time to ask questions but managed a photo or two.  It got me thinking about practical quilts, including those made for & by men, and what they were used for.  The chances of these most basic of our craft to have survived are slim unlike “good” quilts that were kept locked away at home. 

It was great timing to have the AFAM exhibition so that I could explore Civil War Quilts and began to see another side to this craft – so many layers of meaning, so moving and so humble.

A Soldier's Kit

American Folk Art Museum

During our stay in NYC (Sep 2010) I managed to get to the AFAM - wouldn’t you know it, it was partially closed to install an exhibition.  That exhibition (she said breathing deeply) was Quilts: Masterworks from the AFAM – a two part exhibition and a book big enough to gulp my entire baggage allowance in one foul swoop. 

Thankfully bad weather had a quilted lining and our side trip to Washington meant that I could manage a few hours at the exhibition a few days later.  His Nibs kindly agreed to catch an even later bus back to our floating home at Great Kills Harbor (he'd discovered Sotherbys). 

I started off by just looking; trying to take it all in.  The range of quilts was amazing and made me want to rush home and start something new.  (Oh, that cursed UFO box!)  I then saw other people taking photographs so I spent some time hoping my camera would adjust successfully to the low light levels.  

Not all my photos turned out, but enough for a memory jogger as I knew that wonderful book was well beyond my a. budget and b. luggage allowance.  After that, and now with security guards watching me through slitted eyes, I started taking notes.  

Don't you just love that wall colour!!

So, in some sort of historic order, (and almost cryptic summary) we were treated to quilted examples of:

Whole Cloth (1750 to 1850): British legacy & flaunting large pieces of expensive cloth

Chintz & Stencilled (1775 to 1865): showed colonialism’s reach to the Far East

Pieced (1840 to present) meaning, tradition and ritual became strong in designs

Amish (1849): beauty in simplicity and restraint; a strict pattern code

Applique (1840 to 1900’s): in particular Baltimore style’s ravishing storytelling

Log Cabin (1860): described as the beginning of an American “style” and shows pioneering spirit

Crazy (1880 to 1910): quilted, embroidered and enhanced, Victorian in every way; exposure to Japanese crazed ceramics and asymmetrical art at the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition

Signature (1900’s): raising money for good deeds and sharing in times of need

Show or Exhibition (1900’s): introducing cultural & technological advances to an amazed public (Edwardian society)

Colonial Revival (1910-1950): looking to the past for inspiration; represented an ideal rather than reality; felt a need for a simpler life

African American (1920): famous for pushing the limits of our concept of quilt design and manufacture

Contemporary (1960): again the start of a revival; taking new directions and for some no holds barred 

Again, I stress that I don’t want to be too prescriptive.  There are far too many quilt historians out there who really do know what they are on about.  I did find one or two interesting sites to satisfy my curiosity however.  Try Barbara Brackman's Civil War blog (and see if you can't resist making up her weekly blocks!) or this historical summary on Quilters Bee.  There are plenty of others too. 

I don't know about you, but I suffer from time to time with patchwork burnout. You'll recognise the symptoms - lack of inspiration or motivation, wondering why you need to make another quilt, walking past your machine without even stopping to pat it....  I could go on.  Let me tell you, seeing quilts hanging, even if you organise a showing of your own or your group's (finished or not!) is very heart lifting.  So, well done to the AFAM. I’m just sorry I couldn’t get to see Part 2 of the exhibit.