Dr Annette Gero has donated her collection of Amish quilts to the National Gallery of Victoria and one of those quilts is currently on exhibition: Amish Irish Chain.
Annette is opening Art Quilt Australia 2019 and is the keynote speaker at the Collectors and Collections symposium on Saturday 7 September. Curator Katie Somerville from the NGV, the recipient of Annette’s gift, is also one of the speakers.
Book early to ensure your place. Bookings close on 30 August 2019.
AMISH IRISH CHAINHolmes County, Ohio 1910
cotton, Treadle machine pieced
167cm x 185 cms
This quilt is a simple nine-patch quilt with careful placement of the red, blue and black patches to create a simple chain pattern. The colours clearly indicate this is made from the Amish clothing. The vibrant colours of the home-dyed fabrics in this Amish quilt are quite amazing, illustrative of the combinations of colours which the Amish used for their clothes, colours which have made Amish quilts so famous. Although the geometric design is elegant and sophisticated, this quilt incorporates many small patches of different colours and textures, some blocks being several pieces, indicating that the Amish made extensive use of used cut down clothing and their quilts can also be considered a form of “salvage art”.
From The Annette Gero Collection: donation of Amish quilts to NGV
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