In a time when buying a blanket or comforter is as easy and immediate as clicking a button and choosing same-day shipping, why would someone spend the time to make a quilt? The reasons are diverse, multi-dimensional, and important. On Saturday, March 28th at 10:30am, meet author Thomas Knauer!
In Why We Quilt, prize-winning quilter and teacher Thomas Knauer showcases a stunning collection of quilts from a wide range of contemporary makers, accompanied by their testimonials about what inspires and imbues their craft with meaning. Their statements are deeply personal and honest, revealing inspiration at every turn: “Whether it’s a ham-fisted challenge of censorship through expletives splashed on a quilt top or through a two-tone appliquéd memorial for Trayvon Martin, my quilts are simple entry points into issues we face in our culture,” says Chawne Kimber, a math professor and avid quilter. “It is an avenue I use to understand and highlight the challenges and tragedies of our human existence,” explains emergency physician Hillary Goodwin.
Why We Quilt blends bits of North American quilting history with insights into how (mostly) women throughout the centuries have used quilts to make political, personal, and creative statements. By examining the origins of Temperance, Abolitionist, and Suffrage quilts in the nineteenth century to the Bicentennial and AIDS quilts in the late twentieth century, Knauer reveals a rich history of individuals and communities that have been using fabric and thread to connect with others and express themselves.
The new face of quilting is vibrant, artistic, compelling, and expressive. Why We Quilt gives voice to the growing movement of makers who are reclaiming the craft of quilting, ensuring that this art remains relevant and vital well into the twenty-first century.
Thomas Knauer began his career teaching design at Drake University before turning to quilting. He has designed fabrics for several leading manufacturers, and his work has been exhibited in quilt shows and museums across the globe, including the International Quilt Study Center & Museum, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, Des Moines Art Center, the Melbourne Fringe Festival, and the Cranbrook Art Museum. Knauer is the author of two previous books, including The Quilt Design Coloring Workbook.