'U&U' exhibition with 'Shaker Stories' speak to the "fine art of craft"

The Sonoma Valley Sun featured the simultaneous shows at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art:

Read the review here.

The shows run through May 16. The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, located at 551 Broadway, is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. $5, children and members free. 939.7862

“Presenting American crafts and craftsmanship as examples of fine art and design, quilts and Shaker furniture are featured in separate exhibitions at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. ‘Unconventional and Unexpected: Quilts Below the Radar, 1950-2000’ and ‘Shaker Stories from the collection of Benjamin H. Rose, III.’”

Images courtesy of SVMA.org

"I don’t know where to begin. I love everything about it."

Quilty Pleasures Blog reviewed Unconventional & Unexpected.  I was humbled by Diane Harris' kind words.

“I especially love the idea that these were quilts “below the radar.” That’s how I hope my quilts will be viewed some day. They aren’t going to win any prizes, but hopefully they’ll win somebody’s heart.”

— Diane Harris, Quilty Pleasures

Read the review on Quilty Pleasures blog here.

String quilt from Unconventional & Unexpected by Roderick Kiracofe

U&U included among books that "spark" creativity

The Associated Press via the Union-Tribune San Diego has included Unconventional & Unexpected among an astounding list of books to "spark you or your child's creativity" -- craft and art that everyone can enjoy this new year.

Unconventional & Unexpected has great company among Merrilee Liddiaro's Playful: Fun Projects to make with + for Kids (also published by Abrams), Merrilee Liddiaro's Quilting with a Modern Slant, and The Plant Recipe Book by Baylor Chapman.

See the full list of craft suggestions here.

U&U is full of a "freer, more casual, utilitarian aesthetic"

Unconventional & Unexpected received a beautiful review in Hali:

“Collected by renowned quilt authority and collector Roderick Kiracofe via eBay, flea markets, estate sales and other sources, they represent a 20th-century quilt movement that remains mostly undocumented.”

"Some of these quilts did not even have straight sides!"

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My quilts and words were featured amidst this conversation, "Reassessing the Revival," about the quilt revival in Antiques and The Arts Weekly. Here is an excerpt from Kate Eagen Johnson's depth article:

“Unconventional & Unexpected is dedicated to quilts of more recent vintage. About ten years ago, long-time quilt dealer Kiracofe literally woke up one day and thought ‘What were the ‘everyday quilts’ made from the 1950s to the end of the Twentieth Century like? And where they even made?’ He had ended his historical survey The American Quilt, 1993, with quilts from the 1940s because quilt dogma held that no good quilts were made after 1950.

Kiracofe began checking out quilts of a more recent vintage. Many, of course, were traditional in style and technique, but there were also ‘maverick’ quilts whose makers reveled in breaking the rules and in improvisation. The latter were the ones that appealed to him and he began buying them on eBay and through other means. Perhaps to the chagrin of Arts and Crafts purists, the makers of these objects did not always fashion quality, natural materials by hand. Many unabashedly delighted in polyester and rayon that they ornamented via machine stitching and appliqué. Some of these quilts did not even have straight sides!”

An "eye-popping counterargument" that no good quilts were made after 1950

Monica Moses wrote a beautiful review of Unconventional & Unexpected in a recent edition of American Craft. I'm touched at how she has connected to the book. Read below for the full review:

“There is something of a consensus, says Roderick Kiracofe in the introduction to this lively book, that the end of traditional quiltmaking happened in the 1940s and that ‘no good quilts were made after that.’ Unconventional & Unexpected is an eye-popping counterargument to that belief. The book features about 150 examples of eccentric and previously undocumented quilts from the author’s collection, most dating from 1950 on. These are not precious quilts; most were made from ordinary scarps and meant to be used every day. And the vast majority are anonymous; Kiracofe, author of the classic American Quilt (2004), happened upon them in his searches across the country. Kiracofe’s charming introduction is not the only context provided in the book. Essays by Elissa Auther, Ulysses Grant Dietz, Denyse Schmidt, and Natalie Chanin, among others, add warmth and insight, as if sharing wisdom around the sewing circle. Wholly appropriate to its subject matter, Unconventional & Unexpected exudes a refreshing authenticity, character, and humility.”

— Monica Moses

Alabama Chanin shares her thoughts

My editor, Melanie Falick, sent the link to Natalie Chanin's (aka Alabama Chanin) Journal post on her thoughts about Unconventional & Unexpected. Thank you for your beautiful words and your essay, "Never Seen a Blanket".

Natalie Chanin writes:

Just as I found myself touched by the worn quilts making their way to my studio and intrigued by their history, Roderick was also moved by the stories, reminiscences, and intimate details he discovered in his research. We both shared an interest in this craft of quilting and the talented artisans who created the quilts.

Interview on NPR

I had the pleasure of speaking with Vick Mickunas, host of the "Book-nook" at WYSO in Yellow Springs, OH. (My old home before moving to San Francisco).  I love talking about Unconventional & Unexpected on the radio.

Airs Sunday, Nov. 2, 10:30 AM Central Time

To listen click here.