quilting

Last night I had a rare opportunity to see a collection of Gee's Bend Quilts at BAM and meet two of the artists whose families have been making these quilts for generations. It's a remarkable story, and the quilts are really exciting to look at.

I have to admit though, some of the Q&A totally bugged the shit out of me. There could have been a really interesting conversation about any number of topics--Louisiana and China--the two women present--had really insightful and intelligent things to say--but were asked stupid questions like: "Doesn't it just feel AWFUL to see your work hanging in a museum, instead of wrapping yourself up in it?" Louisiana's answer was (I'm totally paraphrasing) "If we kept our quilts for ourselves, we'd be the only ones who knew about them--this way the whole world gets to see them, and enjoy them. Our quilts are like children--they are born, they grow up, you let them go." Such a lovely, simple, pure way to look at it. And all those art students couldn't grapple with the guilt they felt about how intentionally they are going about their work. How much purpose and importance and thought they put into it; instead of just creating--out of necessity--and letting the work speak for itself.