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Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories Spiral-Bound | June 1, 2021

Pamela Parmal (Edited by), Jennifer M. Swope (Edited by), Lauren D. Whitley (Edited by), Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (Preface by)

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Made by Americans of European, African, Native and Hispanic heritage, these quilts and bedcovers range from family heirlooms to acts of political protest, each with its own story to tell

A New York Magazine 2021 holiday gift guide pick

A mother stitches a few lines of prayer into a bedcover for her son serving in the Union army during the Civil War. A formerly enslaved African American woman creates a quilt populated by Biblical figures alongside celestial events. A quilted Lady Liberty, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln mark the resignation of Richard Nixon. These are just a few of the diverse and sometimes hidden stories of the American experience told by quilts and bedcovers from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Spanning more than 400 years, the 58 works of textile art in this book express the personal narratives of their makers and owners and connect to broader stories of global trade, immigration, industry, marginalization, and territorial and cultural expansion.

Artists include: Faith Ringgold, Sanford Biggers, Irene Williams, Bisa Butler, Harry Tyler, Harriet Powers, Marie D. Webster, Marguerite Zorach, Dorothy Phillips Haagensen, Rachel Cary George, Florence Peto, Creola Pettway, Susan Hoffman, Molly Upton, Nancy Crasco, Agusta Agustsson, Edward Larson, Michael James, Virginia Jacobs and Carla Hemlock.

Publisher: D.A.P. ARTBOOK
Original Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 240 pages
ISBN-10: 0878468765
Item Weight: 3.4 lbs
Dimensions: 9.8 x 0.72 x 10.5 inches
Customer Reviews: 4 out of 5 stars Up to 30 ratings
Once a luxury item, since the 17th century quilts have evolved into a democratic art form that celebrates collaboration. Fabric of a Nation, a new book, brings together quilts spanning more than 300 years from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It’s a snapshot of America – Native American history, women’s suffrage, the construction of the railway, the civil rights movement. “Quilts are incredibly accessible objects,” says Jennifer M Swope, who curated the book and exhibition running in Boston. “They have been made and treasured by so many – rich and poor; women and men; urban and rural; white makers and artists of colour. In this way, quilts speak to many threads of the story of America.” -Kathryn Bromwich / Guardian
Pamela A. Parmal is chair, and David and Roberta Logie curator, of textile and fashion arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Jennifer M. Swope is an assistant curator of textile and fashion arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Lauren D. Whitley is a senior curator of textile and fashion arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.