WSJ article
Marcella Tracy Peek
at the bottom of the article in case you think she need a bit of
educating on quilts as art. :-)
marcella
-------------------
MUSEUMS COZY UP TO QUILTS
It's High Season for Blankets,
But Patrons Ask: Is It Art?
Competing with El Greco
By BROOKS BARNES
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Museum curators have a lot to worry about in these tough times:
attendance, security, damaged art. And now ... bedbugs?
From Colorado to Connecticut, some of the season's biggest blockbuster
exhibits have nothing to do with van Gogh and Vermeer -- they're all
about quilts. Indeed, the kind of bedcovers that look like something
from Aunt Edna's boudoir have made it to a surprising number of big-city
museums, from "The Quilted Surface" in Columbus, Ohio, to "The Quilts of
Gee's Bend," which will hit the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Another
museum on the tour -- New York's august Whitney Museum of American Art.
But here's a question: Is it art? Curators and auctioneers are quick to
point out that this is legitimate stuff, with its own masterworks and
history. Plus, they say, quilts are great for attendance, pulling in a
lot of people who wouldn't otherwise set foot in a museum. But many
everyday museum-goers say they're surprised to see the usual fare
replaced by beaux-arts blankies: This stuff's not art, they say -- it's
crafts.
Disappointing
Kelly Howard, for one, made a recent trip to the UBS PaineWebber Art
Gallery in Manhattan after friends raved about its exhibit of rare
Tibetan artifacts. Instead, she found a show called "Six Continents of
Quilts," which is set to appear in national and international museums
for the next four years. "To be honest, I'm a little disappointed," the
New York actress says. Two of the showpieces -- one with yellow police
tape woven into it and another that incorporated computer circuitry --
did catch her eye. "I'm glad those two are hanging on a wall," she says,
because they would "hurt somebody on a bed."
This isn't the first time quilts have made the museum scene. The Whitney
mounted the first major-museum quilt show back in 1971, and a Civil
War-era quilt sold for $264,000 at Sotheby's in the in the mid-'90s. But
in general, these pieces rarely made it beyond folk-art museums and the
historic-homes circuit -- until now. Suddenly, quilts seem to be coming
out all over, with eight big shows hitting art museums around the U.S.
this year. The latest development: quilt subgenres. Indianapolis is
cozying up to 50 food-related works, while Yale University Art Gallery
is highlighting "Nine African-American Quilters."
After all, adherents argue, if mosaics and collages are art, why not
quilts? "They're highly refined objects that often address important
historical themes," says Nancy Druckman, director of Sotheby's folk-art
department. Also, the nation has 20 million quilters -- a hefty,
built-in audience for any one of these displays.
But there may be another, more prosaic reason for the quilt craze: These
shows are cheap to mount. And museums need that, especially at a time
when attendance is falling, outside funding is drying up and insurance
costs are soaring. Insuring a quilt exhibition costs "peanuts" compared
with even a modest painting or sculpture show, says Michele Twyman, who
handles museums for Chubb insurance. Shipping's cheaper, too: While a
large painting may cost $1,000 to transport from Houston to New York,
quilts of the same size can go for about $400. "They're a cinch compared
to traditional artworks," says Jonathan Schwartz, president of Atelier
4, a New York art-shipping outfit.
An Easy Sell
Better still, quilts are an easy sell to finicky corporate sponsors who
usually like uncontroversial art. Even Kenneth Lay, former chief
executive of Enron, is a sponsor of "Gee's Bend." (The show features
denim, corduroy and cotton-scrap quilts by African-American women in
rural Alabama.) "Everybody wants a piece of it," says Shelly Zegart, the
show's consulting curator. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston expects the
show to attract 110,000 visitors during its 54-day run there -- on a par
with the "Masterworks from El Greco to Picasso" show that will follow it.
Still, some visitors hoping for Brancusi are disappointed to find
batting. Dallas teacher Michelle Woodall was thinking about hitting the
Houston museum as part of her junior high class's upcoming field trip to
the Johnson Space Center. But when she saw the fall exhibition schedule,
she nixed the plan. "Quilts that keep you warm, in an art museum?" she
says. "I'd lose all my credibility."
She may want to brace for more shows like it, though. Quilting is just
one piece of a broader patchwork of fields that are gaining recognition
in the art world. Glass, ceramics, clothing, even "fiber arts" (grass
baskets) are showing up in big museums at a time when, coincidentally or
not, budgets are at their tightest in a decade. The St. Louis Art Museum
is showing "The Art of African Cloth" while the Museum of Fine Arts,
Houston is showing ladies' hats.
A MORE PROSAIC REASON FOR THE CURRENT QUILT CRAZE: THESE SHOWS ARE CHEAP
TO MOUNT.
But even the folks in the art world think museums should raise the bar,
if only a bit. "No more quilts!" begs Jonathon Glus, a municipal
official in charge of public-art projects for Pasadena, Calif., calling
institutions that give star treatment to quilts "essentially lazy." Adds
Josephine Gear, a museum-studies professor at New York University: "Just
because something is popular doesn'tmean it belongs in a museum."
Write to Brooks Barnes at brooks...@wsj.com
Updated August 23, 2002
Eveningrosequilt
Soap box time. About 8or9 yeras ago while DD2 was going to Rngling School of
art design in Sarasota they had a guest come. I believe her name was Faith
Reingold (spelling?). We went to see couple of her "quilts" at a local gallery
and then went to see a side show of many of her other works.
It seems according to story told she did large canvas comic strip type
paintings,well these needed to be shipped and that would be costly in large
frames.So out came the large canvas works and her mother sandwiched them
ala- quilt like and they could be folded and shipped to the next gallery.
This is not a comment on MS Riengold"s work, but I think I know a quilt when I
see one. These large canvas art peices that were sandwiched-up on a machine and
had a price tag of over $20,000.00. How can you compare the workmanspip and the
talent that goes into some of the gorgeous quilts with this art gallery stuff.
Art or craft?
These were story type art peices of African American life painted on huge
canvas peices in cartoon style and stitched between each small picture. I get
all fired up about what people call quilts.
The old sayin about you can fool some of the poeple all of the time and all of
the poelple some of the time. I think this applys.
Thanks for lettig me spout off about my
thought on 'Art Quilts"
Eve
Kate G.
Farah Fawcett painting her body and rolling around on a canvas...
an artist dipping his brush in paint and then shaking the paint onto a
canvas...
bent metal that resembles nothing in this world.....
or a picture of a soup can?
The fact is... art is very much subjective. Art is an expressions of one's
thoughts, feelings and emotions... their desires and fantasies... expressed
through their creativity.
I agree that not all quilts would be considered "art". When I work from
someone else's pattern... following step-by-step directions... even I would
categorize that more of a craft than an art.
But when someone sits down, with pen, paper (or their computer) and an idea.
And then selects a medium (granite, watercolors, oils or fabrics) and brings
that idea to life.... that work is art. I may not understand every piece of
art. I probably won't like much of it... but that doesn't negate it's
existance as "art", does it?
my 2¢
Kate
"Marcella Tracy Peek" <marc...@peek.org> wrote in message
news:marcella-5AACC5...@netnews.attbi.com...
glind...@webtv.net
And who in h*ll needs the WSJ? Glinda, screaming out into the night
**JJ**
who won some sort of prize at a prestigious gallery for an exhibit of an
unmade bed crumpled & used - soiled even - underclothes &...need I go on?
If this was meant to shock & provoke - she was rather late. It was all done
in 1929 & earlier with the infamous toilet bowl on the wall...(sigh) in
Paris probably (?).
I cannot see why some of these beautiful, artistic & original fabric works
are still deemed "not art". Some are paintings in fabric, others more like
sculptures in fabric. We even have the 60's & 70's op-art in fabric - what
more do they want?
I guess if a quilter sat in the exhibition hall (naked of course), set fire
to her quilt while reciting obscenities - perhaps then it could be called
modern art?
JJ (The *itch in the ditch today)
CHARLES MURPHY
hack illustrator, that Van Gogh was not an artist, and that Monet, Cezanne,
Manet, Pissaro et al were just not good enough and were thrown out of the
Beaux Arts. They started their own movement...you may have heard of
them....The Impressionists.
All this is so much blah blah to sell magazines and books..one side this
always draws attention to the medium, certainly to people who never really
looked at quilting before as art. The great debate rages on, art or craft?
The only consolation, artists will continue to produce art even if the
critics etc...go blah blah blah.
--
Mauvice in Central WI
"Marcella Tracy Peek" <marc...@peek.org> wrote in message
news:marcella-5AACC5...@netnews.attbi.com...
Roberta Zollner
most paintings! And we've all seen plenty of "art" in museums that made us
wonder.
IMO, Art demands an emotional reaction of some kind (not counting the
possible anger one might feel at having paid money to see trash :-), and it
keeps coming back to haunt you. And the more levels it touches, generally
the better it is. Although I prefer something that generates a positive
emotion. But I have seen quite a few quilts that would qualify, even some
that were made to go on beds.
Roberta in D
"Marcella Tracy Peek" <marc...@peek.org> wrote in message
news:marcella-5AACC5...@netnews.attbi.com...
Marcella Tracy Peek
"**JJ**" <J...@quidnuncKNOT.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
- snippage -
> I guess if a quilter sat in the exhibition hall (naked of course), set fire
> to her quilt while reciting obscenities - perhaps then it could be called
> modern art?
> JJ (The *itch in the ditch today)
>
Now, you needed a PIMP warning for this!
Let's take this a little further for us ladies. Maybe not entirely
naked,, but perhaps with tassles to twirl and a boa to fling about. :-)
Maybe instead of burning it (can't do that more than once) she could
fling melted chocolate at it - thus making it possible to launder and
repeat at another exhibition.
marcella
Kate Dicey
The V&A has masses of textile related stuff: clothing, embroidery,
quilts, all sorts.
The Museum of Kent Life has pitch forks and sheep! THEY weren't art the
last time I looked!
Quilt exhibition in an art gallery? Brilliant idea! At least they'd
hide the mess Tracy Emin made of her bed... ;D
Kate XXXXXX
NightMist
<J...@quidnuncKNOT.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
>This is a subject that intrigues & maddens me. In Yookay there is an artist
>who won some sort of prize at a prestigious gallery for an exhibit of an
>unmade bed crumpled & used - soiled even - underclothes &...need I go on?
>If this was meant to shock & provoke - she was rather late. It was all done
>in 1929 & earlier with the infamous toilet bowl on the wall...(sigh) in
>Paris probably (?).
Duchamp
He was making a statement. He said it once and then went on to other
things. Unfortunately the world was then inundated by a bunch of
copycats who didn't get it when Duchamp did it, nor did they ever
figure it out.
>I cannot see why some of these beautiful, artistic & original fabric works
>are still deemed "not art". Some are paintings in fabric, others more like
>sculptures in fabric. We even have the 60's & 70's op-art in fabric - what
>more do they want?
>I guess if a quilter sat in the exhibition hall (naked of course), set fire
>to her quilt while reciting obscenities - perhaps then it could be called
>modern art?
No, that would be performance art.
The art world is shortly coming up on another revolution in thinking
IMNSHO. Way too many people artists and critics alike are getting
sick of thrown together, talentless junk that is only art by virtue of
the eight pages of accompanying explanation. If it does not move
someone or at least intrigue them, without being explained, then IMO
it is not art. Of course for some people looking at an unopened can
of beer is an emotional experience, but I don't think they are going
to pay gallery prices to own one!
The differentiation between fine art and folk art (again this is IMO)
is the degree of creativity combined with mastery of techniques
pertinant to the medium of execution demonstrated in the finished
piece. I do not consider the quilts I make fine art. I tend to stick
to traditional pieced patterns, or other geometrics, only branching
out into representational forms when I have been asked to do something
specific. On the other paw, I have seen quilts (some made by people
in this group who I am totally in awe of) that by my definition would
totally qualify as fine art. I don't consider my little brother's
efforts at whittling to be fine art, some of the local master-carvers
sculptures definitly are.
I better shut up before I get out of hand.....
NightMist
--
everybody is somebodys chew toy
Ronnie Wexler
emoticon that shows eyes rolling?)
Ronnie
In article <akd6k8$77b$1...@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk>, **JJ**
<J...@quidnuncKNOT.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
Lynne in Toronto
No time to read the article just now...and having written here on the
subject rather long-windedly a few years back...I'll just comment(to the
airheads who write these articles) that a quilt which has taken 100's of
hours of painstaking effort to make is every bit as much "art" as a pile
of bricks or rolls of toilet paper stacked in a museum and commonly
known as "installation" art...or rotting meat on a dress and some other
even less savoury things called "art", or even a Mark Rothko...a few
swipes on a canvas with a roller full of paint which sells for $2
million.
Honestly...am I the only one who can see that the Emperor is buck
naked???
Go quilters!
Cheers,
Lynne in Toronto
................................
Kathy Applebaum
> The differentiation between fine art and folk art (again this is IMO)
> is the degree of creativity combined with mastery of techniques
> pertinant to the medium of execution demonstrated in the finished
> piece.
And even there you can find gray areas -- I've seen pieces that (IMHO)
are extremely creative, and show a high degree a mastery of technique,
that are executed in a folk art style. :)
--
Kathy Applebaum (Woodland, CA)
longarm machine quilting
mailto:Kayney...@compuserve.com
Butterfly
Butterfly
Kate Dicey
Kate XXXXXX
Kate Dicey
to give money away for that sort of mess, they could just have had a
peek in MY bedroom! ;D
Some silly bugger bought it, too!
Kate XXXXXX
Krysia Thompson
<J...@quidnuncKNOT.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
If Tracey Ermin's (Ermine's?) (it was hers?)next great exhibit is
a naked T.E. quilting, you'll HAVE TO , simply have to jump off a
cliff!! heheheh
Krysia, not terribly fond of tracey Ermiin(e) od Damien Hirst for
that matter...much prefer floors (for patterns on tiles etc)
K.T. - starannie opakowana
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Judy Grevenites
Red Queen (Ready to peel for my art)
{{snort}}