Manhattan Quilters Guild
The Manhattan Quilters Guild, a group of professional quilt artists meeting in New York City, premiered MetroTextural: Art Quilts from the Manhattan Quilters Guild there in December of 2006. This touring exhibition of twenty-one quilts celebrates the visual feast of New York City, from serendipitous juxtapositions of signage and advertisements to the surface ornamentation of historic buildings. The works created specifically for this exhibition include vibrant abstractions, architectural details, witty interpretations of the grid, and the visual rhythm of New York voices. Techniques range from scintillating piecework and illusionistic appliqué to painting and photo transfer. Diversity in the urban scene is a common thread that unifies the quilts in MetroTextural, which toured from 2007 through 2009.
Dusk 2007 Brocade, satin, taffeta, wool, tweed, cotton, silk,silk ribbon, linen, viscose, netting, sequins, embroidery thread;Hand and machine stitched, hand quilted, sequined New York City is my inspiration, day or night, rain or shine – the City is always splendid…
Homage to Peto 2007 Cotton, photo transfers, found objects, polyester, snakeskin, ribbon, buttons;Hand and machine appliquéd, machine quilted John Frederick Peto painted; Florence Peto quilted. This collage “letter rack” pays tribute to both of them. The texture of New York is conveyed through fragments that represent: Art, fashion, theater, publishing, finance and manufacturing.
White 10:63 2007 Cotton, cheesecloth, oil paint, graphite;Appliquéd, machine quilted Space and line in layers of white. Edges blur and recede while clear. Find your way.
City Pulse 2007 Hand-dyed cotton;Machine pieced and quilted The city is alive at night with a magical pulse that never sleeps. It appears to stay the same, but is it?
Metro North – Harlem Division 2007 Commercial and hand-dyed cotton, cotton velveteen, yarn, beads, sequins;Machine pieced and quilted, hand beaded In 28 minutes, I am transported on a 16-mile journey from a green oasis, past decaying, graffitied caverns, across a river, and through a dark tunnel to midtown Manhattan. The city offers a rainbow assortment […]
Urban Connections: the Global Village 2007 Silk (printed and iridescent), printed cotton and blends from 15 different countries;Machine pieced and quilted The original inspiration for this quilt came from real cities where I have lived: Ibadan and Lagos (Nigeria), New York, New York, Kathamandu (Nepal), Beijing (China), and Florence (Italy). The individual cities depicted evolved […]
Discovery 2007 Silk, cotton, velvet;Hand painted silk, photo transfers by computer, hand quilted There are so many types of contrasts in New York City, from the big and small,detailed and vague, rich and poor, loud and quiet, that to me, capturing these contrasts would be capturing the texture of New York City.
Kiyono (“Land of Hope”) 2007 Antique Japanese cotton, new cotton, and tiny mirrors;Machine pieced, appliquéd and embellished with mirrors, hand quilted The square shapes symbolize aspects of contemporary urban life, most of us living in apartments with neighbors closely above, below and on the sides; The round shapes symbolize our relationships with them. The mirrors […]
Marathon 2007 Upholstery fabric, cotton, embroidered organza;Machine appliquéd and quilted The NYC marathon always inspires me, and seeing the top runners “flying” by makes me forget the marathon and obstacle course we’re all running daily in this city.
KALEIDOSCOPIC XXXII: My Brooklyn Bridge 2007 Cotton and silk;Machine pieced, hand couched, long arm and hand quilted New Yorkers identify themselves by their neighborhoods. I’ve spent my whole life in the Bronx but I love walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. So sue me.
Underground Metrotext 2007 Commercial and hand-printed cotton, cotton and rayon threads;Raw edge appliquéd, free motion machine stitched Manhattan’s Metro leads underground to the texts and textures of the subway system, from the sleek lines of the rails and the demarcating mosaics to the wild inspiration of the graffiti.
Manhattan Threads 2007 Hand dyed cotton, cotton prints;Hand dyed, hand inked, machine quilted Despite the grey of steel, street, and stone, the threads of New York’s history inspire the imagination.
Vacant Lots, Brooklyn Waterfront 2007 Commercial cotton fabrics, photo transfers;Machine pieced and hand quilted Red Hook once had a bustling shipbuilding industry and intriguing old rusty structures remain. Despite its proximity to Manhattan, the area provides peace and solitude from frenetic city life.
Noo Yawk, Noo Yawk 2007 Stenciled, photo silk-screened, commercial cotton fabrics;Machine pieced, hand appliquéd, hand quilted New York is endlessly varied and frustrating and arrogant and witty and opinionated and stimulating – in your face at all times. As a native, I can’t seriously entertain thoughts of living anyplace else.
New York Colors 2007 Whole-cloth cotton muslin, commercially printed cotton, sequins,embroidery thread, acrylic paint;Painted, appliquéd, reverse appliquéd, machine stitched, sequined, hand quilted My favorite view of New York City is the skyline of Manhattan at night, when many of the historic buildings are illuminated in brilliant color.This quilt is my interpretation of the Chrysler Building.
Simplicity of Peace – Quotidian Path, SoHo 7:20 a.m. 2007 Silk and cotton;Machine pieced and hand quilted This quilt was inspired by my early morning walk to school each day, when the streets are quiet, cafes are opening up, dogs are being walked, and one experiences the pleasures of feeling part of a neighborhood within […]
Urban Reflections #5 2007 Cotton and silk fabric, laser print, acrylic paint, thread;Photo transfer and paint on fabric, machine and hand quilted There is a quiet beauty in the more industrial, less populated areas of Brooklyn. The actual photograph (seen only in highlighted pieces) is a very old abandoned warehouse. Brick façade, arch windows, and […]
MetroTextural 1: The Gates 2007 Cotton and organza fabric, beads, monofilament and embroidery thread;Digital image transfers on multi-layered assorted fabrics,machine and hand stitched, hand embellished with beads, embroidery New York City’s Central Park winter texture was transformed by Jean-Claude and Christo’s glowing orange gate project, as all who walked through it as individuals were transformed […]
Apartment 3A 2007 Hand dyed cotton and commercial cotton; Machine pieced and machine quilted This is a map of my apartment, the most important space in my New York.
In Transit 2007 Silk and cotton fabric hand painted by the artist;Photo transfers, wax resist, collage, machine and hand quilted I live in the city. I live in the heart of this city. This city lives in my heart.I am part of this city. This city is a part of me. There is no mediator […]
Metro-Babel 2007 Photo transfers, silk and cotton; Machine pieced and machine quilted Babel pulsating in a syncopated New York rhythm. The common theme to every language uttered in New York from Spanish to Arabic, Hebrew and Chinese, is pace: quick, staccato, “I have things to do, get outta my way” – pace. Our diversity in […]
