Mar 11 2003
Quilts
After brunch at Greens, we visited the Museum of Craft and Folk Art, conveniently located next door. The two boys stayed outside and chatted while the women checked out an exhibit of quilts. It occurred to me that quilting is pretty much a feminine artform and always has been, probably arising from necessity, but still a form of self-expression.
Now, traditional quilts are beautiful. My mother has one that her grandmother made that’s lovely as well as sentimental. But these quilts were art. The theme of the exhibit was immigration. All the women who made the quilts had emigrated to Australia, and the quilts told the story of their journey to their new home, their lives and families.
One that I found particularly moving showed the quilt’s creator sailing from her homeland, looking back and weeping. But to the other side, where her new home was, there were countless brilliant, beautiful butterflies. And when she was ready to turn her head and see them, she would. That’s the way it is. Eventually you are ready to turn toward the new and feel its joy and beauty.