Editor's note: The Denver Art Museum provided source
material to Resource Library for the following article or essay.
If you have questions or comments regarding the source material, please
contact the Denver Art Museum directly through either this phone number
or web address:
Amish Quilts: Kaleidoscope
of Color -- From the Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown
March 19, 2005 - June 19, 2005
Quilts of
bright, vibrant colors shaped from geometric designs that anticipated modern
ideas will grace the walls in Amish Quilts: 
Kaleidoscope
of Color -- From the Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown at the Denver Art Museum beginning Saturday, March 19, 2005. Dating
back to the turn of the century, the more than 40 Amish quilts on view through
June 19, 2005, foreshadow modern artists such as Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt
and Mark Rothko. Although these quilts are often referred to as 'modern'
in appearance, these unique and exquisitely detailed pieces were created
from around 1900 to 1940 by a people who viewed themselves as anything but
modern.
Called "plain people," for many, the Amish conjure
up images of horse-drawn buggies, barn-raising parties, and simple, conservative
clothes in drab colors. Core values of the Amish include humility, devotion
and community. Even today, they reject mainstream consumer culture, value
simplicity, and shun ornamentation. The Amish, who came to this country
from Switzerland in the mid-1700s and 1800s seeking religious freedom, now
live in more than 200 communities in 25 states. The Amish traditionally
make their quilts for use in their homes. The quilts in this exhibition
come from the two largest Amish communities, which are in Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania, and Holmes County, Ohio, as well as from other communities
in the Midwest. (left: Center Diamond-Barbara Fisher, c.1930,
Lancaster County, PA. Wool; 80-7/8 x 82-1/2 inches. Collection of Faith
and Stephen Brown.)
"The Amish may choose to farm with horses and travel
by buggy-to be clearly out of sync with modern life. Yet the Amish women
who made the quilts in this exhibition produced stunning designs that were
then "rediscovered" by leading art museums in the 1970s, setting
off an era of avid collecting," said Patterson Williams, Master Teacher
of Asian and Textile Arts at the Denver Art Museum.
Amish Quilts begins with examples
and variations on large-scale geometric patterns from the early 20th century
and moves on to increasingly optically complex patterns. An entire room
is devoted to small quilts, mostly crib quilts that show a range of patterns.
After a display of illusionist and kaleidoscopic examples, the exhibition
ends with two "crazy quilts." While initially appearing to be
pieced from randomly chosen shapes and colors, these two quilts are actually
subtly organized to create a harmonious effect.
"The exhibition is designed to lead the viewer on
a visual odyssey that grows in intensity. The arrangement of the quilts
encourages a "sensory" as well as cerebral understanding of the
Amish aesthetics," said Dr. Alice Zrebiec, Curator of Textile Arts
at the Denver Art Museum. "While the show celebrates the visual and
artistic qualities of these quilts, it also underscores that these seemingly
modernist compositions were created by extremely conservative people and
that the objects on view are from one remarkable collection that celebrates
this conundrum."
Conservation & Discovery
The conservation department has created a visual display
to explain why museum visitors are asked to not touch the art. This explanatory
space gives visitors the opportunity to more clearly understand why art,
specifically quilts, need proactive conservation. This area answers two
of visitors' most frequently-asked questions. 
- * Why is the lighting so low?
-
- To help answer this question, a partial Amish quilt square
was reproduced and exposed to light, while part of the square was protected.
This allows visitors to see the effect light has on fabrics and dyes, and
why it is necessary for the light levels to remain low while textiles are
on view.
-
- * Why can't we touch the quilts?
-
- Part of a second quilt square was repeatedly touched,
while part of the square was protected. Visitors will be allowed to continue
to touch the unprotected part, illustrating how the dirt and oils even
on what appear to be clean hands transfer to the fabrics and change their
appearance and condition.
Later in the exhibition in the Amish Quilts Discovery Library,
visitors can relax in a comfortable sitting area. There will be an extensive
array of reading materials for visitors to browse through to learn more
about the Amish and quilts. Visitors can also view an excerpt from a PBS
documentary film entitled The Amish: A People of Preservation . Finally,
there will be a web cam where visitors can record their own "quilt
story" and share it with other visitors to the exhibition who can later
electronically browse through the recorded stories.
A symposium on Amish quilts will be held Saturday, May
14, 2005. Speakers include Faith and Stephen Brown. (right: Ocean
Waves, c.1920, Holmes County, OH. H. 69-3/4 x W. 61-1/2 inches. Collection
of Faith and Stephen Brown.)
The Collectors
Thirty years ago, Stephen Brown and his wife, Faith, who
currently reside in California, began building what is today one of the
country's most notable private collections of Amish quilts. Their desire
to collect was sparked by their introduction to this style of quilting in
the early 1970s. Strong graphics and vibrant colors that reminded the Browns
of modern art, struck a chord with the couple, leading them to years of
amassing their impressive collection of nearly 100 quilts. However, their
collection is not an encyclopedic representation of Amish quilts, but rather
a reflection of their aesthetic preferences. While many of their quilts
have toured the country visiting venues that include the Renwick Gallery
of the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, the University of Michigan Museum
of Art in Ann Arbor and the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas,
more than half of the quilts in Amish Quilts at the DAM have not
been exhibited before.
The Denver Art Museum's Textile Collection
The scope of the Textile Arts department at the Denver
Art Museum ranges from Coptic and pre-Columbian textiles to contemporary
works of art in fiber. A nationally recognized collection of American quilts
and coverlets, the Julia Wolf Glasser Collection of samplers, and the Charlotte
Hill Grant Collection of Chinese robes and accessories collected on site
in China in the early 1900s, are among the strengths of the department.
The Neusteter Textile Gallery presents changing exhibitions drawn primarily
from the permanent collection, and textiles are incorporated into displays
in the Asian and New World galleries.
About the Amish
The Amish are a conservative Christian group who came to
the United States in the mid-1700s and 1800s from Switzerland, Germany,
and the Alsace region of France seeking religious freedom. They settled
on farms primarily in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, although today the
Amish live in more than 200 communities in some 25 states and Canada. While
they live largely apart from the "English," as they call nonmembers,
the Amish do engage in contact and commerce with outsiders. 
In general, the Amish reject mainstream consumer culture
and many modern conveniences, but each community sets its own rules and
restrictions. Television, computers, and radios are not permitted, and most
communities forbid telephones within the home and the use of electricity
from public utilities. But while some Amish still travel in horse-drawn
buggies, others ride in hired motorcars-and use cell phones.
Known as "plain people," the Amish strive to
avoid anything prideful or ostentatious. They value simplicity in their
lives, clothing, and homes, but they also appreciate beauty in their household
furnishings and gardens. Even outside their own communities, Amish men are
known for their fine carpentry and woodworking, and Amish women and girls
for their sewing and quilting skills.
From about the 1870s on, Amish women made quilts for personal
use, dowries, and gifts. More recently, women have made quilts specifically
for sale. Although each community defines the patterns, colors, and fabrics
allowed, individual choices within these limits lead to a wide range of
variations. As well as an artistic expression, quilting can also be a social
activity. Amish women may gather together at a "frolic"-a day
or more devoted to communal work-to sew together or finish large quilts.
(right: Broken Star-Holmes County, OH, c.1930. H. 81 x top
W: 75-1/2 inches. Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown.)
RL readers may also enjoy these
articles and essays:
Read more articles and essays concerning this institutional
source by visiting the sub-index page for the Denver
Art Museum in Resource Library.
Visit the Table
of Contents for Resource Library for thousands
of articles and essays on American art, calendars, and much more.
Copyright 2005 Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit corporation. All rights
reserved.