Wall Power! Spectacular Quilts from the American Folk Art Museum

Wall Power! Spectacular Quilts from the American Folk Art Museum (Gallery 120)

Quilts are America’s great art experiment: monumental compositions in color, pattern, geometry and representation, and traditionally, quilts are made mostly by women. The American Folk Art Museum has been at the forefront of the movement to bring recognition to quilts as a major art form with deep roots in American life and experience. Their collection is distinctive for highly individualized expressions in this medium that is both yielding and unforgiving, challenging the maker to test the limits imposed by cutting and piecing bits of fabric.

The quilts presented in this traveling exhibition are graphically striking examples that embody a sense of “wall power.” Packing a tough visual punch, the textiles hold space and defy the deceptive softness of their nature. Quilts on view range across time and place from the mid-nineteenth to the late twentieth century, from Alabama to Pennsylvania. The four sections of the exhibition highlight early twentieth-century quilts from a period of craft revival, designs developed by Amish communities, examples by African American makers, and traditional nineteenth-century patterns that formed a foundation for generations of quiltmakers to come.

In addition, a selection of American quilts from the DAI’s extensive textile collection will be presented to complement Wall Power!

This exhibition was organized by the American Folk Art Museum, New York, and is supported in part by the Bresler Foundation, the David Davies and Jack Weeden Fund for Exhibitions, and the Council for Traditional Folk Art. 

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Dayton Art Institute

Wall Power! Spectacular Quilts from the American Folk Art Museum is taking place at Dayton Art Institute, which is located at 456 Belmonte Park North in Dayton. Dayton Art Institute - Committed to enriching the community by creating meaningful experiences with art that are available to all. Visit us often to enjoy our diverse collections, world class exhibits and more.