It finally happened...

I was actually rendered speechless.  (But not for long... to the regret of many.)

 
I've been seeing the pictures and reading the posts of others and I'm not sure what else there is to add.  All the adjectives have been used.  Amazing.  Stunning.  Breathtaking.  Inspiring.  Magical.  Electrifying.  Overwhelming.

And beautiful. 

Every quilt exhibit should be hung this way.  I know that isn't possible but a girl can hope.  As I tried to think of what I could add to what has already been written, I thought I would try my best to give you a sense of what it was like to be there. 

The exhibit was held at the Park Avenue Armory on Park Avenue, between East 66th and East 67th Streets.  Yes, it is a lovely part of New York City.  While I missed the presentation by Elizabeth Warren, the curator of the Folk Art Museum, my friend Ginger was fortunate enough to attend.  She told me that Mrs. Rose had loaned several of her red and white quilts to her alma mater, Bryn Mawr, for an exhibit about 20 years ago.  The museum had contacted her over the years about exhibiting her quilts at the museum, but they had never heard back.  Then in 2009, Mrs. Rose contacted them.  When they met, the museum proposed several sites as a possible venue for the exhibit, only to have each one rejected as being "too small".  When they finally suggested the Armory, Mrs. Rose told them that it would be perfect and that it was available March  25 - 30, 2011.  She had already booked the location.  (Wouldn't you just love to meet Mrs. Rose?)

 
This was the entrance to the Armory on Monday afternoon.  It was the only time I saw it without a crowd of people.

Entering the Armory is like walking into an old church... up the stone steps with the brass handrails and down a long somewhat dark hallway.  There are long hallways going off to the left and right, then you continue on a short distance to the big double doors entering the Wade Thompson Drill Hall.  The Armory and Drill Hall were built in 1881 and is one of the largest unobstructed interior spaces in New York.  It measures approximately 200 feet wide by 300 feet long.  Imagine an huge old high school gymnasium, only bigger.  The wood slat floor is old and a little uneven and it has a lovely worn painted finish.  The lighting for this exhibit was done with spotlights.  While it might have been nice to have brighter lighting for photography purposes, I loved the was the spotlights highlighted the variations in the shades of red and white.  It really was perfect. 

As I got closer to the doors and saw this, I started getting goosebumps.

 
(Okay, I am going to apologize for the lighting here.  The hallway really was quite dark and without a tripod, I had to use the flash to get any image at all.)

Going up 40 feet and spiraling around in a truly dazzling array of red and white, this was the grounds-eye view of the Hall from the left side of the entrance.

 
The exhibit was arranged in a series of pavilions.

 
To get oriented, the picture above this layout was taken just inside the entrance near Pavilion 1.  Pavilion 11 is the rising swirl of quilts in the center of the picture and the in the center of the Hall.  Beneath it was the circle of quilt-draped chairs. 

 

This was the view standing in the middle of the Hall looking at the far curve of Pavilion 12.

 

Pavilion 9 was the low banked platform with quilts laid flat.  There were benches on the far side of the platform - an area that always seemed to populated with more men than women.  I'm not making judgments, it is just an observation.  

 

Each of the smaller side pavilions -- Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6/7 - were hung with at least 50 quilts.  (Most had 56 quilts but not all of them.)  Each pavilion had quilts hung on the inside and on the outside in three horizontal rows, and usually in ten vertical rows. 

 

The quilts were hung on large cardboard pipes with a half-pipe resting on top.  Despite lots of asking around and much speculation, nobody was able to learn exactly how the quilts were secured to the cardboard pipes.  The general consensus among the folks I spoke with is that there weren't any sleeves like those you see at the quilt show.  The best and most popular guesses are small pins that could be pushed through the cardboard pipe and/or stitching the interior and exterior quilts to either side of a strip of "something" that was then laid over the pipe.   
 
 
What is missing in these pictures - and in any picture of the exhibit - is the depth and dimension of the quilts.  I don't mean the actual quilting on the quilts but the layers of quilts as they hung.  The layout of the specific quilts was extraordinary because any view from more than a few feet away included the quilts to the sides, in the back and in the distance.  Varying shades of white and red, variations in density of color and scale, and the juxtaposition of curves, straight lines and angles turned every "picture" and view into a kaleidoscope of red and white imagery. 

Variety.  It kept coming back to that.  There were a couple of redwork quilts and lots of pieced quilts.  The applique ranged from large single motifs to multiple repetitive motifs, sometimes with subtle variations.  There were several Princess Feather variations and quilts that were "storybook" quilts with many different images.  The pieced quilts ranged from simple bar quilts to intricate Feathered Star variations.  Flying geese?  There were thousands of those, and more than twice as many itty bitty half-triangle squares.  Some of the quilts had little or no quilting, just a top and a backing with finished edges.  A summer quilt.  Others had elaborate quilting with teeny tiny little stitches.  There were a few crib quilts but most of the quilts looked to be between 66" x 66" and 80" x 80". 

And yes, many of the quilts were square!  I would even bet that more than half of the quilts are square.   

While chatting with a friend yesterday, I mentioned that one of my favorite quilts in the exhibit was a simple bar quilt.  She asked for a picture and here it is.

 
The quilting consisted of cables in the wide white bars and small, narrow cross-hatching in the red and white bars.  I love this quilt.  While at the show, someone asked me which quilt was my favorite and I couldn't pick just one.  When I pointed to this one as being on the list, I found out that I wasn't alone.  Several of us loved the simplicity of this quilt. 

As you already know, there is going to be a book of the exhibit next year.  There are also reports that there will be "several" television and YouTube programs in the coming months that discuss the creation of the exhibit, the design and hanging of the exhibit and the exhibit itself.  There are also reports that the show - or parts of it - will travel in some form or another.  When and where is still unknown but there have been so many requests that it is being considered.   

Since I've already gotten a few e-mails from friends about who I saw and who I met...

 
Linda Lum DeBono.  Linda has lots of terrific pictures of the show - she's a far better photographer than I am and I think she's also got serious, mad Photoshop skills.  Make that skillz.

 
From left to right -- Glenn Dragone.  Polly Minick.  Laurie Simpson.  After touring the show, Glenn and Laurie headed off to check out some quilt shops and a vintage fabric exhibit.  

I didn't get pictures but I saw Sandy Klop - American Jane- and her sister; Jennifer Keltner and Elizabeth Tisinger of American Patchwork & Quilting; and Gail Kessler of Andover Fabrics.  And because I kept following a certain Lissa around, I finally got to meet Kate Spain!  That was a real treat, she's even more terrific than her fabric.

Jennifer had the funniest advice about attending the show.  She said to make sure you had washed your neck and brushed your upper teeth, inside and out, because you would walking around with your head back and your mouth open.  (At least I thought it was pretty funny.)

 
I rest my case. 

The last thing I want to mention is the number of people at the exhibit who weren't quilters.  While I met lots of quilters - including a few who might be reading this! - I was surprised by the number of people who came to the exhibit because they had heard about it or read about it and were curious.  I spoke with several gentlemen who asked if I was a quilter, and when I said I was, they were curious about the quilts.  Did they have names?  Were there names for the designs?  Were all quilts like this?  Were all quilt exhibits like this?  (Some do.  Most do.  Some are.  Sadly, no.)      

And that's all there is for now.  I can't think of anything else that hasn't already been written except for one thing...

I wish you could have been there too.  You would have loved it.

 

Comments

[Jocelyn]

sigh...... I wish I could have been there too :-(

[Jennifer Dancy]

This is one of those ultra-rare moments that it sucks to live in California! Thanks for sharing - I am in awe just seeing the pics!

[Deb]

Carrie, that is truly an amazing exhibit. It really does look incredible.

[sherri]

What a wonderful post. I would have loved to have been there! I'm keeping a file in my reader of all the terrific posts and photos of this exhibition. I'll definitely be getting the book...and if there's a show anywhere within 5-6 hours drive I'll be there! Thanks so much for your thoughts and descriptions!

[Chris]

I would love to have been there too! Thank you though for your posts, photos, links...without which I'd have known much less

[Kate]

Stunning! Thank you for the photos.

[Carol]

Amazing Carrie...absolutely amazing! I love that there were lots of non-quilters there and that they were asking lots of questions. Thank you for sharing the show with us!

[Sew Create It - Jane]

Looks like an amazing show. I can't wait for the book to come out...I think I could spend hours looking at it!

[Bloom]

How astonishingly beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Being Australian, I am very unlikely to ever see such an incredible exhibition. And now, all I want to do is stitch a red and white quilt! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

[Vicky]

Incredible pictures, and an awesome description of the venue and the show. It's also wonderful to hear that non-quilters attended and appreciated this rare exhibit of Americana. Thank you!

[Laurie]

Best description of the show so far. I feel so lucky to have seen it.

[Luned]

Thank you for that excellent description. I've read a few blogs about the exhibition but that really is the one that has given me the best sense of what it was like - a case of words being better than pictures for a change.

[Leslie]

Thanks for your great description!

[Cheryl Miller]

I wish I could have been there too!! I love that there were plenty of non-quilters attending the exhibit!! The best photo for me is the one as you are entering from the hallway. I think it gives the best image of the scope of the display and fills me with a sense of anticipation.

[Sinta]

I am drooling all over the place! What an amazing quilt show to have seen! I really love the way they are hung and yes, the adjatives to discribe them are probably all used. Icing on the cake to be there and see your fellow designers and share the experience together! I am curious about the men asking the names of the quilts... was this information not provided???

[Nicole]

My jaw dropped at the first photo of what you saw when you entered the venue. I got goose bumps too! I had the same reaction when I saw Michelangelo's David.

[madame samm]

How riveting....I would have loved to seen this, however the next best thing is to hear it from those who attended it like yourself.. Nice to hear that many non-quilters were in attendance were really interested in asking around these type of questions...Before last year, I had no idea about anything quilting...had I known I would have been a quilter much sooner...
Hopefully this opens up the eyes for many newbies...

[Elizabeth]

Thank you thank you!
My niece-in-law was able to attend. She's not a quilter, but a fiber artist and it was fun to read her take on it from that direction.

Stunning display, amazing experience. Thanks for letting us share it vicariously.

[Joyce]

Great summary of the exhibit and awesome pictures. I am so happy you got to meet Kate Spain. We so love her.

[Ramona Chester]

Thanks for providing all those little details. Time to pull out that French General Rouenneries fabric I have been hoarding!

[Nancy]

Carrie, I think 'Overwhelming' and 'Breathtaking" are the two words that would have been my description, even though there is always that old stand by ... 'Indescribable'!!! I wasn't there but I was completely blown away by the overall effect of the display. Question...I know it would be beautiful, BUT..would it be as impressive if it hadn't contained only the two color quilts? I've been pondering that, because the 'OCEAN' of red and white is so striking...what do you think? Hmmm, now that I think of it, if my first impression just from the pictures was an 'Ocean' of red and white, perhaps multi color quilts would look like a beautiful Coral Reef! Food for thought. Hugs...

[Mary]

This is one of the best descriptions of the show I've read! I'm so happy they decided to do a book since I couldn't get there in person. But for now, I loved your description!

[Heartsdesire]

I wish I could have been there too! It looks absolutely breathtaking. Even non-quilters must have been impressed. How could they not be. I'm pulling all my reds and whites/creams and making a red quilt right now. Not that mine would be exhibition quality, but it will make me happy. I've always wanted a red quilt.

[joyce]

The photos of the exhibit are breathtakingly beautiful! The contrast of the red and white and the symmetry of pattern is stunning! Though we see so much written and printed about "art" or "contemporary" quilts, it's wonderful to see so much enthusiasm over these lovely "traditional" quilts. Love it!

[AnnieO]

Wow, thanks so much for your perspective--it was interesting walking through the exhibit with you! Inspiring, this entire exhibit--a quilter's fantasy. I wonder if Mrs. Rose has any other quilts to share?

I've had a pile of (mostly) red and white bonus triangles and am now making a broken dishes mini quilt for a red and white quilt of my own :)

[Sandie ~call me crazy]

Oh my goodness! I think Jennifer was right about washing and brushing! My mouth is hanging open just from your photo's! ;-) How inspiring! Thanks for your post!

[Sharon]

WOW! TOTALLY AWESOME! THANKS FOR SHARING.

[Sandi McKell]

Carrie, thanks so much for sharing with those of us who couldn't make it. What a chance of a lifetime.

[Jan]

Thank you for such a detailed description of the quilts and the way they were exhibited! The chairs are such a unique was to see them displayed. I've seen many photos of the show, but your's is really helpful in seeing the 'details' like the diagram of how they were set up. What a once in a lifetime experience!!

[Camille]

Thank you for posting these photos! It was almost as good as being there... well, pretty close to almost. ;-) Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.

When are you coming to babysit?

[Jan in Adelaide, Australia]

Not a usual fan of Red and White, this exhibition is outstanding. Thanks for the photos, lots of eye candy.

[Linda P]

Awesome recap!!! Once in a lifetime opportunity!! I didn't get to go but I'm still overwhelmed!! Thanks!!

[Nicola]

Wonderful exhibition , wonderful post: thank you for sharing! x

[Hazle]

You are quite right--I would have loved it, and walked round with my head back and mouth open, marvelling! Many, many thanks for sharing this superbe exhibition!
Hazle

[Julene]

Carrie, Thank you so much for sharing this in so much detail for those of us who could not be there. I love your blog.
Thanks.
Julene

[Mary Ann]

Thanks so much for such a vivid description of the impact of the show. The staging is amazing and the red and white...wow. I only wish I could have seen them in person!

[Beth Strub]

Thank you so much for sharing, every time I read about this or see it in photo's, I turn to goosebumps. again your post to great !

[Kathi B]

Actually, what amazes me is how many quilters I know who were completely unaware that the exhibit took place.
How can that be? It's like being unaware of a total eclipse...

[Liz Leary]

Thank you for your wonderful description of the exhibition. A once in a lifetime experience. It is at times like this that I wish I didn't live on the other side of the world!

[kathie]

great post....well said
I am still trying to process it all!
It was a once in a lifetime experience and I am so thankful that I was able to be there as well.
Kathie

[Julie Averill]

Red and white quilts just beautiful.

[TxGal]

Thanks for sharing, Carrie! I am just awestruck by the photos, can only imagine how it was to see in person ... wish I could've made the trip to NYC but it's a might far piece (as they say) from TX

[Lori Morton]

Wow!!! What an amazing sight to see!! Can only imagine what it was like to see in person!!! You are soooo lucky to have been there!!

Thanks for sharing all the wonderful pictures!!

Hugs! :)

[Kari Rindal EIde]

I love the way they have displayed the quilts!

[www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawnv80vldb9x61tHjb2KKl6u4uk7wrvmkwQ]

Wow, totally awesome. thank you for sharing such an amazing show

[Jeane]

Thank you for such a wonderful tour of this quilt show. I would have never seen it otherwise and you photos are fantastic as are the quilts and how they are displayed.

[Victoria]

I so wish I had gotten to see this. Heard about it way to late and couldn't get my act together in time. What a sensory experience it must have been! Thanks for sharing!