University of Michigan Museum of Art
Ann Arbor, MI
734-764-0395
http://www.umich.edu/~umma/
Amish Quilts 1880 to 1940 from the Collection
of Faith and Stephen Brown
July 8 - September 10, 2000
A new exhibition at the University
of Michigan Museum of Art brings into sharp focus the bold, rich colors
and striking shapes of historic Amish quilts. The quilts in the exhibition,
organized by the Museum of Art, are drawn from the extensive collection
of Faith and Stephen Brown, U-M alumni, who have spent about twenty-five
years collecting and studying Amish quilts. As the Browns have chosen to
focus their collection on the aesthetic complexity inherent in Amish quilts,
rather than on solely cultural or historical considerations; the quilts
on view this summer reveal particularly strong graphic qualities and intense
color combinations. But they are also from many different regions--Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kansas, and Indiana--and give the viewer an opportunity
to revel in the vibrant diversity of Amish quilting styles, and also to
trace the development of this rich artform from region to region.
Amish women began making quilts around 1850,
much later than their non-Amish neighbors. In keeping with Amish principles,
they worked with simple designs embellished only with ornate quilting. At
first, the colors they used were deep blues and reds, often combined with
rust, olive, gold and other earth tones. After 1900, the colors became more
jewel-like. The years 1880 to 1940 are widely regarded as the "classic"
period of Amish quiltmaking. During this time, Amish quiltmakers in Pennsylvania,
Ohio, and other settlement areas created a unique body of work that reflected
the spiritual values of their fundamentalist communities, while at the same
time displaying distinctive approaches to abstract design and color usage.
With patterns descriptively -- and poetically -- named Broken Star, Birds
in the Air, Broken Dishes, and Crosses and Losses, these quilts are evidence
of a deep creativity wedded with practicality and religious devotion. They
are also powerful icons of the Amish community and its worldview, which
is steeped in concepts of simplicity, humility, and separateness. (left:
Maker unknown, Amish, probably Holmes County, Broken Dishes (crib quilt),
c. 1930, cotton and cotton sateens, 37 x 32 1/2 inches, Collection of Faith
and Stephen Brown)
Guest curators Robert Shaw of Quilts Inc., and Julie Silber
of Quilt Complex--two of America' s leading Amish quilt specialists--have
collaborated with the Museum of Art's Curator of Western Art Annette Dixon,
to organize the exhibition. Accompanying the exhibition is an extensive,
full-color catalogue, featuring an introduction by Robert Shaw; an essay
by master quilter and author Joe Cunningham on the visual aspects of the
quilts; and an essay by Amish quilt scholar Eve Granick on their cultural
context. Following its showing in Ann Arbor, the exhibition travels to the
Smithsonian American Art Museum' s Renwick Gallery.
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of Michigan Museum of Art in Resource
Library Magazine
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Amish women began making quilts around 1850,
much later than their non-Amish neighbors. In keeping with Amish principles,
they worked with simple designs embellished only with ornate quilting. At
first, the colors they used were deep blues and reds, often combined with
rust, olive, gold and other earth tones. After 1900, the colors became more
jewel-like. The years 1880 to 1940 are widely regarded as the "classic"
period of Amish quiltmaking. During this time, Amish quiltmakers in Pennsylvania,
Ohio, and other settlement areas created a unique body of work that reflected
the spiritual values of their fundamentalist communities, while at the same
time displaying distinctive approaches to abstract design and color usage.
With patterns descriptively -- and poetically -- named Broken Star, Birds
in the Air, Broken Dishes, and Crosses and Losses, these quilts are evidence
of a deep creativity wedded with practicality and religious devotion. They
are also powerful icons of the Amish community and its worldview, which
is steeped in concepts of simplicity, humility, and separateness. (left:
Maker unknown, Amish, probably Holmes County, Broken Dishes (crib quilt),
c. 1930, cotton and cotton sateens, 37 x 32 1/2 inches, Collection of Faith
and Stephen Brown)