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Dijanne Cevaal expressed interest in the classification of quilts used by Juliet Webster the organiser of the European Quilt Festival (Ozquilt Network Newsletter #30). Juliet's shows in Europe and Britain have done a great deal to encourage the development of quiltmaking and to ease quilters into the scary and exciting exhibition arena. With very few exceptions all quilts submitted are hung. Judging takes place to award rosettes and prizes so there is no rejection which, if you are not used to it, or for that matter if you are, can be such a daunting and bruising experience.
On average three hundred quilts are submitted each year. In order to make the job of judging this number of quilts a little easier and logical, Juliet adopted categories which were suggested by Frances Kemble who was editor of The Quilters' Guild Newsletter (now known as The Quilter) for two years, 1987-88. Frances, like Margaret Rolfe in her article 'Exhibition Categories' (Ozquilt Network Newsletter Issue #14) found classifying quilts by traditional/contemporary, bed/wall or by size or technique, problematic and confusing. The much used term 'art quilt' is a case in point but an art quilt as opposed to what? A craft quilt? An ordinary quilt? These categories must seem absurd to non-quilters who come to view a show but they also leave the participating quilter wondering if like has been compared to like.
Frances Kemble in her article 'Today We Have The Naming Of Parts' (The Quilters' Guild Newsletter, Issue 30, Spring 1987) argued "that a coherent system of quilt classification would give form and shape to a potentially important medium. It would put quilts into a context where they could be evaluated as far as originality and skill are concerned, and taken seriously in their own right both by quiltmakers and the outside world. Any system should be able to include all quilts ever made and acknowledge the responses of quiltmakers to influential art, to social movements such as in the latter part of this century, Op-Art or Feminism". she suggested five main 'Schools' of quiltmaking:The Graphic (or Geometric)
The Representative (or Pictorial)
The Decorative
The Embellished
The ExpressiveThese are the five categories that Juliet Webster has been using for her quilt contests since 1994. Entrants seem to have accepted these categories with few problems.
These are the guidelines that Juliet gives to help entrants select in which class to enter their quilts.
Geometric Quilts - include all the basic designs based on geometry: squares, triangles,diamonds etc.
Pictorial Quilts - those with scenes, figures, houses, toys,
animals and depicting historic events.
Decorative Quilts - wholecloth quilts or with traditional stylised
applique as in Baltimore and Hawaiian.
Embellished Quilts - decorated with embroidery, embellished with
beads, buttons, bows etc.
Expressive Quilts - with free expression of ideas entering into
the world of textile art.
To make judging fairer still Juliet Webster also divides quilts by the maker's experience:
Professionals - those who earn their living working in the world of quilts.
Advanced - with awards in advanced/intermediate or are well known in the quilt world.
Intermediate - those who attend City and Guilds classes or are being taught in regular day or evening classes who can no longer be regarded as novices.
Novice - real beginners, first or second quilts ever made.
Group - three or more people.
Under 16 - self-explanatory
Below are some extracts of Frances Kemble's notes describing her categories:
"....The interplay of colours and shapes is seen as the primary motivation in creating the design. 19th century Amish .... stylised designs of art deco. This category includes experimentation with illusion and three dimensional effects. ....tumbling block patterns ... Op-Art or the possibilities of computer generated designs...."
Representational (Pictorial)
".....self-explanatory, again rooted in the 19th century where one can find quilts depicting scenes from the Bible or local community. Designs can be simplified and stylised... The technique used is often applique but these quilts can also be made using the pointillist approach of building small units of colour into a picture.
"...The design can be complex or simple, formally geometric or freely applied, but the intention of the quilt is primarily to please the eye, both in terms of colour, shape, and to fit, as a textile, into its surroundings. Most wholecloth quilts would come into this category. One of the most influential of modern decorative designers is Jinny Beyer."
Frances Kemble's interpretation of this category is wider than Juliet Webster's. I imagine Juliet does not wish to confuse her entrants as to whether a geometric design is Decorative or Geometric. However, Frances' thoughts are clear and she cites Jinny Beyer's quilts as an example.
"...Baroque or Mixed-media... in which experimental techniques and the use of unusual - or even apparently inappropriate - materials are of prime importance. ...can be as simple as having unneatened seams on the outside of the finished quilt, in others the quilts can border on being soft sculpture or have a highly irregular shape. ... the most obvious 19th century manifestation is the crazy quilt, with its mixture of fabrics, and display of embroidery, beads and pictures."
"It is hard to find an exact word for this category. The quality I want to define is that the medium of the quilt is used primarily to express feelings and ideas."...
Frances Kemble recognises "...that there are complexities and sub-divisions within these categories. Some quilts have in them elements of more than one approach to quiltmaking, but I think the viewer, whether quiltmaker or not, given the five categories can see which tendency is the strongest in any individual quilt, old or new." She adds: " I am not in any way trying to grade different approaches in terms of relative importance or artistic merit or potential. All are equally valid."
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