Unconventional & Unexpected

August 4, 2014
Kiracofe, quilt collecter and cofounder of The Quilt Digest, makes a strong case that scrap quilts are not merely utilitarian and consequently unimportant. They stand, he declares, as artistic offerings that are “unconventional and unexpected.” To prove his point in this gorgeous coffee-table book, he offers 150 illustrations of quilts from his collection, which are enhanced by his cutlines of information and opinion. His quilts range from messes to masterpieces, from the simple (red cross on blue field; Socony Oil’s Pegasus banner) to the intricate “Grids with Prairie Points.” He often shows backs, including one made from Sears catalogue pages. To support his thesis, Kiracofe includes insightful essays by quilt historians (including Denyse Schmidt on “The Beauty of Making Do”). They often compare scrap quilts to canvases by such modern artists as Picasso and Rothko, but only male artists; would a comparison between women quilters to women artists not elevate their quilts? Kiracofe proves scrap quilts worthy of moving from bed to wall.

Starred review from November 1, 2014

In this volume, Kiracofe (The American Quilt; The Quilt Digest) highlights his stunning collection of quilts, attempting to explore the history and historiography of quilts, quilt making, and quilts as art. He succeeds in all this and more. Beautiful full-color images allow the reader to engage with and appreciate the finely curated works. Essays contributed by artists, scholars, and curators introduce many quilt forms and explore the diverse opinions in the study of quilts, as well as the role of the curator in assigning artistic value. In a particularly compelling essay, a curator divulges the difficulties in establishing provenance, as well as her own criteria used in determining the creative merit of a work. Another curator offers a refreshingly blunt criticism of trendiness in art collecting and the problematic tendency to legitimize quilts as art by comparing them to more traditional fine arts. VERDICT Overall, this excellent work will be enjoyed by students of the decorative arts, art collections and collecting, and museum studies, as well as quilt enthusiasts. This accessible and informative work is enthusiastically recommended for all public and academic libraries with art collections of any size.--Jennifer Naimzadeh, Richland Lib., Columbia, SC

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.