The Hopi people of northeast Arizona live in 12 villages dotted across what are referred to as First Mesa, Second Mesa, and Third Mesa. They have a long history of producing beautiful cotton and wool blankets, robes, belts, and ceremonial sashes. Quiltmaking became a tradition after its introduction to Hopi women by Christian missionaries more than 100 years ago. Hopi artists draw upon designs unique to their culture, often seen in pottery and baskets.

Marianne Fons and Liz Porter (Fons & Porter) collaborated on production of one of the all-time best-selling quilt books, the 1993 Quilter’s Complete Guide. Their impact in the quilt world was magnified further when in 1995, they launched their syndicated national public television program Love of Quilting on PBS. The success of both of these endeavors placed them as two of the most widely known quilt personalities in the world and one of the best known brands in the quilting industry.

Terrie Mangat is an international quiltmaker focused on creating expressive, contemporary work. Though trained as a printmaker and having worked as a potter, Mangat has made art with fabric and quilts for nearly 50 years, and is credited with starting the embellishment movement in quilts.

What happens when the “modern” of 100-plus years ago meets the “modern” of today? 150 years ago, quilts were undergoing a radical transformation. American industry, commerce, and society were modernizing rapidly. This Modern Age of quiltmaking (1870-1940) was defined by new tools, materials, techniques, visual references, and participants. Similarly, today’s quiltmakers are finding ways to reimagine what a quilt can look like. They employ bold colors, large areas of negative space, improvisational piecing, asymmetry, and unexpected visual juxtapositions to construct fresh and novel quilts.

This year, 2021, marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Quiltmakers made thousands of memorial quilts following 9/11—and during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars that followed—to help themselves and the nation grieve its losses and secure the memory of those who died. Since the dark days of 2001, other global events have resulted in significant losses, such as mass shootings, refugee displacement, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cultural institutions, such as museums, have suffered loss of revenue due to temporary closure to the public during the global COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Astrid Hilger Bennett, a printmaker and fiber artist, embarked on a significant project in mid-2020. The full-sized quilts she created utilizing 30-years-worth of her hand-dyed, hand-painted, and hand-printed textiles will benefit cultural institutions and non-profits who have been affected by the pandemic.

Pumphrey Family Gallery
September 29, 2021 - December 18, 2021