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Book Review: The Art Quilt by Robert Shaw

© Marion

Occasionally I come across a book that I can rave on and on about. And do, to anyone who'll listen. The Art Quilt is one such book. While it isn't a brand-new book -- it was published in 1997 -- I bought a copy only recently. Now I want to tell anyone and everyone who's into quilts, art or otherwise, who doesn't have a copy of the book to rectify the situation immediately!

Because although there are other books that showcase art quilts (the Quilt National books come to mind first), this isn't simply a quilt book, it's an art monograph. And with that comes the extra-large format, the high quality paper, the superb printing, the big photographs of the individual quilts, and the long extent (304 pages).

Then there's the text -- the history of the evolution and development of the art quilt in (mostly) America. What could've been a dull and boring academic treatise, is in fact highly readable, enjoyable and informative. It traces the development of the quilt from a practical bedcover to an art form. Most of the activity has been in the last 30 years -- the exhibition held in 1971 by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, entitled Abstract Design in American Quilts is regarded as a turning point -- and it's fascinating to see how far quilts have evolved in such a short time.

More than 200 artists are represented here. Each quilt includes the date and place of creation, the materials and methods used, size, and which collection is in, as well as a paragraph either describing the quilt or giving the author's comments on it. Several artists are profiled in double-page spreads, including Nancy Crown, Michael James, Yvonne Porcella, Susan Shie and James Acord.

I found it fascinating to read about, for example, Jean Ray Laury's career, being familiar until now only with her work from the 1990s. The many personal tales are encouraging and inspiring. And make one realise what avenues have been opened for quilt artists starting out today.

The chapters in the book are entitled: A Tradition Transformed: The Quilt as Art; Precedents and Influences; A History of the Art Quilt; Construction: Materials, Structures, and Methods; Surface Design: Composition, Color, and Ornament; Abstract Quilts; Narrative and Figural Quilts; Nature and Landscape Quilts.

One thing I would have liked, however, is for there to have been cross references between where artists are mentioned in the text to the pages their work appears on. Only in a few instances was their work on the same page; in most cases you have to use the index. It's an unnecessary irritation that interrupts a great read.