Afterwards we packed up our car and with Ann, headed up I-684 to Katonah. There, we went to the Katonah Museum of Art to see the their exhibit Beyond the Bed: The American Quilt Evolution. We pulled in to the parking lot just as Heather, Mom, and Joshua were getting out of Heather's car. Perfect timing! The museum is just the right size for two small boys and not a lot of time to browse - two rooms of quilts and one big room for kid-friendly activities.
The quilts were amazing. There was a crazy quilt that was flat on a table with a protective glass over it. That was nice because it had so many small pieces that we pointed out to each other, and having the glass made it possible to really show what you were looking at. The first room we entered had the more traditional block style quilts. Detailed. Tiny stitches. Most were made with the intention of being used to keep warm. Much more time consuming and intricate than the types of quilts that I make, but in the same vein of the the quilting I have done. Inspiring.
The second room had more contemporary quilts. Pictorial. 3-dimensional. Vivid. Story-telling. Fanciful. Scenic. Not made for a bed. Artistic medium, not for practical use. Out of the box thinking. Meant to be seen in a vertical way. Also inspiring, but in a different way. I wish I had pictures.
I loved the room that had the kids activities. On the tables were trays of markers, colored pencils, scissors, and glue sticks. Then there were the tubs of fabric scraps, cut strips of paper and cut out paper triangles. They had six different quilt type of activities that kids could work on: crazy quilt, geometric, star, The Quilt Book Cover, log cabin, and story quilt. Selim started with the geometric square in marker and colored pencil. When Heather came and sat down, they worked on their own crazy quilt square. This is Heather's.
And here are Selim's efforts.
The templates are such a good idea! Joshua tacked his geometric print on the bulletin board where other kids had left theirs. In the room was a big bulletin board type space covered with felt and tubs of fabric below where kids could make patterns that would stick to the board. Selim and Joshua worked together on that activity.
Both Joshua and Selim have grown up in houses where home / hand made quilts are on all the beds. That is the norm. I think that is one of the reasons why they were so comfortable in the kids room making quilt squares is because it is not a foreign concept to them.
The last room on the ground floor was the Quilt Lab. I went in when Heather was with the boys making crafts. On one wall was a series of templates for Log Cabin and other traditional quilt blocks. They may have had a class recently because there were a bunch of fabric squares pinned up together. On the back wall was a collection of collages with paper and fabric. They reminded me of paintings by Romare Bearden. I could have sat down and really studied those for a long while. I love mixed medium collage work. I wish I had that vision and the ability to execute with skill. I am in awe of that talent. The people had said no photos in the two gallery rooms, but I didn't hear anything about the lab. And I did ask one of the women and she waffled, but then said it was OK. So I took advantage and took a few pictures before she changed her mind.
Outside was an installation of ladders. I didn't read the literature on them, but I did enjoy looking at them. I appreciated the whimsical aspect of an impractical looking ladder.
We had planned on staying an hour, but we extended our time by a 1/2 hour or so. We left at 11:30, sorry to say goodbye to everybody. I'm grateful for all the time we have been able to spend with Heather, Joshua, and Stan. I'm so aware of the preciousness of being within driving distance and for our boys to get to know each other. These days are so important for us to keep connected as a family. I'm thankful that Stan's work has brought them to the east coast, for as long as it lasts.
As I was looking through my pictures this evening, I realized that the night scenes from the hotel are really reminiscent of quilts. If I had the aptitude for applique and working with tiny pieces, I might consider trying to make a small quilt about our view. It would be a special remembrance, of a spectacular vacation, for sure.
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