Will Red & White Spark the Next Revival?

An Important 40th Anniversary in Quilt History

Jonathan Holstein and Gail van der Hoof - 1971

Just as the 1971 Holstein-van der Hoof quilt exhibit "Abstract Design in American Quilts" at the Whitney Museum of American Art in NYC kicked off the late 20th century quilt revival, the recent Red & White quilt exhibit “Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts” held in NYC at the Park Avenue Armory may go down in quilt history as the defining moment for the next revival of interest in quilts....or at the very least, interest in creation of Red & White quilts.

(click on photo to enlarge)

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-kelly/major-quilt-exhibit-spons_b_839490.html

(click on the article to enlarge)

Here is a link to an additional story about the owner of the quilts in this exhibit.  Her husband asked her what she wanted for her 80th birthday and she said she wanted him to underwrite an exhibit of her red and white quilts and open it free to the public!

http://tinyurl.com/5vv23os

Below are two videos of the red and white exhibit with lovely music. Almost like being there!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XK99ct7o5s (4 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV0e7HfB_yo&feature=related  (8 mins)

Here is still another link that presents a short brochure which can be printed page by page.  Just click on the story lead next to the photo of the exhibit.

http://www.1stdibs.com/index.php?tsid=2164

I think Quilts in the Barn ahs the best set of photographs that I have yet seen.  Click here to view Linda's blog.  Click here for a flickr link to still more photos.

The exhibit design world has been almost as excited about this exhibit as we quilters have been.  http://www.metropolismag.com/pov/20110329/exhibition-design-in-the-app-age=

A RED & WHITE CHALLENGE

Author, designer, quilt teacher Pat Sloan has created a blog post archiving all the websites and blogs and news articles she has found as well of this exhibit.  Her blog is worth visiting and bookmarking for future stories in addition to a sense of immediate pleasure. 

Pat is also going to be issuing a 'Make a Red and White' Challenge in the near future.. so if you're anxious to make a Red and White quilt, be sure to keep track of her challenge on her blog.

You can also see a photo of Joanna Rose, owner of the Red & White quilts at the Park Avenue Armory exhibit on Pat's website.

http://patsloan.typepad.com/pat_sloan_red_and_white/

Here is one quilter from Indiana who has already made her new Red & White quilt!  See story here.

photo by Rod Rowe

Clair Baker of Middlebury, Indiana, is pictured in front of her “vortex” quilt she made this

winter, with Nick Hoffman, former director of the Elkhart County Historical Museum.

You can see my two blogs about Red & White quilts in my collection here.

March 13 post - http://karenquilt.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-is-ulster-inspired-quilt.html

March 7 - http://karenquilt.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-york-celebrates-red-and-white.html

Enjoy!

Karen Alexander in the Islands

PS: Watch for an article on the 40th anniversary of the 1971 Whitney exhibit and Jonathan and Gail van der Hoof.