Controversial quilts

A quilt made up of hundreds of red squares making an abstract red cross

“The American Quilter’s Society refused to show two artworks in an exhibition centered around the color red after claiming they could be controversial… One quilt could be interpreted as depicting female anatomy, while the other references abortion access.” (Link courtesy of InarticulateQuilter.)

What absolute cowards. I actually went to that exhibition when it toured Australia at the Sydney Quilt Show last July. I saw the “Your Mother. Your Daughter. Your Sister. Your Grandmother. You.” quilt and felt it was both beautiful and powerful… but also, without the sign giving it context, it’s just a quilt made of red squares. I also saw quilts inspired by the Covid pandemic, school shootings, and climate change, and many of them were way more overt than this one.

Although to be fair, I don’t remember seeing the “Origin” work. Feels like I’d remember that. 😜

A quilt referencing the Covid pandemic with red flowers over a litany of excuses for not masking

An abstract quilt with bold splotches of colour referencing a school shooting

A small woven artwork referencing climate change, showing rising temperatures and raindrop beads

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