: Nine boldly patterned quilts, ranging in date from 1892 to 1940 -
all made by women from Amish communities in Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois and Iowa - are being shown at The Metropolitan
Museum of Art through February 1.
"The Art of Simplicity: Amish Quilts from the Collection of the
Metropolitan Museum" explores diversity within tradition - why
certain quilt designs and colors were preferred in different
communities and what the appearance of a particular community's
quilts may reveal about its history. Three recently acquired
Midwestern Amish quilts will be shown for the first time.
The Eugenie Prendergast Exhibitions of American Art are made
possible by a grant from Jan and Warren Adelson.
The textiles in the exhibition are drawn from the Antonio Ratti
Textile Center of the museum.
The Amish religion is a Protestant sect, founded in the late
Seventeenth Century by Jacob Amman, formerly a bishop in the
Swiss Mennonite church. Victims of religious persecution in
Europe, the Amish people immigrated to America in two distinct
waves.
In the years between 1736 and 1770, about 500 Amish people
arrived in America and settled primarily in eastern Pennsylvania.
A second, larger group of Amish, numbering about 3,000, came in
the middle decades of the Nineteenth Century. While a few of this
number stayed in Pennsylvania, many continued to move west in
search of fertile and inexpensive farmland. They eventually
formed settlements in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and other
western states, as well as Ontario in Canada.
Currently, some 135,000 Amish people live in North America. The
Amish people are known primarily for the simplicity of their
traditional lifestyle and distinctive dark-colored clothing, but
they have also become justifiably famous as producers of quilts
of astonishing boldness and great aesthetic appeal. Like their
style of dress - which intentionally sets them apart from the
world at large - the quilts of the Amish are a visual statement
of the community's beliefs.
The Amish began making quilts at a relatively late date. While a
few examples can be dated to the Nineteenth Century (the heyday
of American quiltmaking), most classic Amish quilts date from the
first half of the Twentieth Century. The patterns and colors of
an Amish quilt reflect the conservatism of the community in which
it was made, and the amount of interaction the community had with
women from outside the group. In general, quilts made by Amish
communities in the Midwest have tended to be less conservative
than those made in Pennsylvania.
Quilts in patterns associated with the Lancaster County, Penn.,
Amish - such as Center Diamond and Sunshine and Shadow - will be
shown alongside less traditional quilts from communities in the
Midwestern states. These include a quilt showing the brightly
colored Pinwheel pattern from Indiana, and a variation on a crazy
quilt made from patches of blue and purple wool that is
attributed to the Amish community in Arthur, Ill.
Quiltmaking remains an important part of Amish life today and
quilts are still made for use within the community. Recently, in
many Amish communities, quiltmaking has become a profitable
cottage industry.
The installation is the first exhibition of quilts in The
American Wing since 1990. The collection of bed coverings in The
American Wing includes some 80 quilts and 60 coverlets.
The installation is organized by Amelia Peck, associate curator,
with Cynthia Schaffner, research assistant, department of
American decorative arts.
The museum, at 1000 Fifth Avenue, is one Friday and Saturday,
9:30 am to 9 pm, and Sunday, Tuesday through Thursday, 9:30 am to
5:30 pm. For information, 212-535-7710 or www.metmuseum.org.
