The Great American Quilt Revival

The “wonderful confluence of art, cloth, color, culture, history, emotion, and experimentation” that constitutes contemporary quilting arose after the Whitney Museum of American Art held an exhibition of Amish quilts in 1971. That exhibition, the first to recognize patchwork and quilting as an art form, coincided with an increasing interest in traditional skills as the U.S. bicentennial approached. Narrated by notable quilter Georgia Bonesteel, The Great American Quilt Revival features interviews with many of the leading lights of the quilting revival, including Jinny Beyer, Jean Ray Laury, Yvonne Porcella, Cuesta Benberry, and Barbara Brackman, who provide a comprehensive history of how quilts moved, as Bonesteel says, “from the tops of beds to the walls of galleries,” as traditional designs met the avant-garde, and personal storytelling and political statements became an integral aspect of contemporary quilting. In addition, the program looks at the outcry following the Smithsonian Institution's licensing of cheap imported knockoffs of its most famous quilts, and at the quilts made in response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Boasting excellent camerawork, great music, and outstanding quilt eye-candy, DVD extras include 45 minutes of bonus footage, an interview with Bonesteel, and deleted scenes. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Reagan)