tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26850144.post2561820346309409876..comments2024-01-22T19:07:03.799-08:00Comments on Sewing & Quilt Gallery: A Current Debate: Modern vs ContemporaryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26850144.post-48589052321512357932014-06-28T19:44:50.138-07:002014-06-28T19:44:50.138-07:00Geez....to win a ribbon and then be disqualified b...Geez....to win a ribbon and then be disqualified because it didn't 'fit' in someone's 'box' seems so backwards. Now if it were a machine applique quilt entered into the hand category or something, I could see it. But after it ribboned? Too late to take it away in my book even if someone(s) decided that it looked more contemporary/art quilty for the modern category. You rock the quilting!Amy @ Amy's FMQ Adventureshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18249397590865683398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26850144.post-21154514811356383062014-04-14T08:32:02.342-07:002014-04-14T08:32:02.342-07:00As someone who considers herself a modern quilter,...As someone who considers herself a modern quilter, I would classify this quilt as contemporary, not modern. The fabrics, design and style don't necessarily fall into any of the modern categories defined by most quilters. But that's not the thing that I think you should be focusing on. What style your quilt fits into shouldn't matter. It's a beautiful quilt. I'm shocked that your quilt was disqualified for being too modern. The style of the quilt shouldn't matter, it's the workmanship that matters. If they're going to disqualify a quilt for being too "something" whether it's too modern, to contemporary or too traditional, they need to specifically call themselves a traditional quilt show then. Nowhere in the show description does it say that only traditional quilts will be shown. <br /><br />As a member of the Boston Modern Quilt Guild, I will say that we are welcoming of any type of quilter, whether you classify yourself as traditional, modern or somewhere in between. We would never tell someone that a quilt they made was too traditional or not our style. Someone took a lot of time to make something and we're ALWAYS going to recognize that effort. If you look at the modern quilt movement, so many of the quilts have their roots in modern quilts. We can learn from traditional quilters just as I think traditional and contemporary quilters can learn from us modern quilters. We should be a community that embraces and encourages others. Encouraging others only leads to better quilts and more quilters, which is a good thing. <br /><br />I guess my biggest questions is why do we need to have a label? Can't we all just be quilters and share a that bond we have of making beautiful things? There's a reason we all have different styles. If we all made the same type of quilt, with the same techniques, the same fabrics and the same patterns, quilting would be pretty boring. We should be encouraged to push the envelope and do new things. Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15078819135489710059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26850144.post-64440172319310269622014-04-14T06:13:10.267-07:002014-04-14T06:13:10.267-07:00If a quilt follows each and every criteria for &qu...If a quilt follows each and every criteria for "modern" doesn't that take away some of the definition in and of itself?? I love your quilt and your quilting is so inspiring. You raise great questions in your blog!Charlottehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16763523083256453496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26850144.post-54743382467005465252014-04-13T18:41:43.754-07:002014-04-13T18:41:43.754-07:00I suspect that some of the modern quilters would l...I suspect that some of the modern quilters would look at your quilt and think it was more of an art quilt. It's so hard to pin down what the Modern Quilt Guild defines as modern because it's already changing from what it first was. Now it's starting to include more prints, not just solids. I do know that a lot of them tend not to have borders. Bottom line is that I think your quilt is definitely modern, especially the quilting on it. Keep submitting it to shows. :-)Tami @ Lemon Tree Taleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06655631671353374029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26850144.post-29517220499956575872014-04-12T19:16:05.600-07:002014-04-12T19:16:05.600-07:00I'm sure you know my position on this debate: ...I'm sure you know my position on this debate: Shenandoah Falling is a modern quilt! When you google "modern quilt" the results are far and wide. The images we frequently associate with modern quilting; the white, bold colors, easy to piece are certainly there, but there are also modern quilts that do not fit into this genre. A perfect example is the quilt made by the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild and was displayed in the Dallas library to promote modern quilting. It's New York beauties with a zig-zag border (sounds traditional), but who am I to argue with a modern quilt guild? You can view their quilt here: http://utswlibrarynews.org/utswlibrarynews/2012/10/Susan Lawsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16500464399501817419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26850144.post-11914982360614945112014-04-12T10:31:43.663-07:002014-04-12T10:31:43.663-07:00Thank you for opening the discussion, Margaret. I...Thank you for opening the discussion, Margaret. I have a bit of a problem with how "Modern" is interpreted at many shows, as well. In many ways, I would prefer to see a category that is called "My interpretation" rather than strictly modern or contemporary, which are by definition, synonyms. In every era you have modern work being created, as it is of that time, using fabrics and inspirations of the day. Very traditional patterns can result in a very contemporary or modern quilts, based on the fabrics used,for example. I am interested in seeing what other think.What Comes Next?https://www.blogger.com/profile/17290766425199467892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26850144.post-90327027842725153702014-04-12T09:33:28.560-07:002014-04-12T09:33:28.560-07:00Margaret, true artists always push boundaries and ...Margaret, true artists always push boundaries and defy categorization. You are a true artist. Your quilts are stunning. Whoever or whatever description of "modern" that caused your quilt to be disqualified was obviously missing the forest for the trees. Such narrow definitions anger me to no end. They slice and dice and make arbitrary judgements that make no sense and end up being meaningless.Milliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12610068948963465925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26850144.post-64767952001581955662014-04-12T06:25:23.206-07:002014-04-12T06:25:23.206-07:00Ah, Margaret -- it's the Paris Salon rejecting...Ah, Margaret -- it's the Paris Salon rejecting Claude Monet all over again. :-) <br /><br />First and foremost, as a member of the self-proclaimed Language and Grammar Police, I join your indignation at the misuse of the terms "modern" and "contemporary." Any quilt made in 2014 is contemporary, whether it's a reproduction Baltimore Album or an edgy abstraction. <br />Honestly, I think that by trying to define modern quilts, these groups are limiting and constricting creativity rather than encouraging it. It's so easy for anyone to just tick off the boxes and design a weirdly colored quilt with asymmetrical piecing, lots of negative white or gray space, etc., and end up with a quilt that meets those arbitrary "Modern Quilt" standards without actually offering anything fresh or new.<br />To me, your quilt is the epitome of modern quilting because of its originality and the thought that went into each design decision, from piecing on through to the last quilting stitch. When you walk through the Pompidou Centre in Paris or MOMA in NYC, you don't see a collection of art that all conforms to the same criteria. Each artist has their own vision and their own voice, even artists who were CONTEMPORARIES OF ONE ANOTHER (!) were filtering the world around them through their own creative lens in their artwork rather than trying to match one another's style. Modern art is about breaking rules in deliberate, thoughtful ways to convey an artistic message. Now, walking through the Louvre or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, you see a lot more uniformity of what artists were creating in different times and places, because those artists really were constrained by "rules" of what art should be, how painting or sculpting was "supposed" to be done, even by what subject matter was appropriate for art.<br />So, by narrowly defining "Modern Quilting" and disqualifying those who don't follow their rules, they are really making Modern Quilting more restrictive and limiting than the so-called TRADITIONAL quilting categories.Rebecca Gracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14801489818836195754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26850144.post-8053681517816040752014-04-12T05:00:20.617-07:002014-04-12T05:00:20.617-07:00Interpretation by quilters, judges and the general...Interpretation by quilters, judges and the general public is like an art show. Well it is a form of art. Not everyone has the same taste. Wouldn't the World be dull if we only looked at the same thing. I try not to look or judge buy the tastes I have but by the workmanship in the project. I would not like to be a judge, because I'm afraid it would be to stressful. Your work is unique to you and to have a judge reject is hard to swallow sometimes. But as you say other shows it will do good. Sewing Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16848603221577664193noreply@blogger.com