The California Art Quilt Revolution (de Young)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

This presentation by Nancy Bavor will trace the development of the art quilt in California, from the late 1960s through the third decade of the 21st century, and reflect on the future of the art form.

The American studio art quilt movement that emerged in the last quarter of the twentieth century had its primary origins in California and Ohio, and to a lesser degree, Massachusetts. The decades leading up to the emergence of art quilts in the 1960s portray a complex picture involving the intersection of art, craft, universities and the traditional American quilt. Three national cultural developments resulted in the reevaluation of quilts as a suitable art medium and increased artists’ awareness of quilts: the art museum’s legitimization of the quilt as art, the junction of art and craft at the university level, and social, political and fashion trends that brought quilts to national prominence. Compelling personal motivations also played a significant role in an individual’s choice to combine art practice with quilt making.

Bavor is Director Emerita of the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.