The high-contrast quilts you see here are just a few of the 651 works that were included in a 2011 exhibit of red and white quilts spanning three centuries at the American Folk Art Museum in NYC. Ever since the Whitney Museum of American Art held a quilt-focused art exhibit back in 1971, quilts have often hung in galleries and museums as artworks rather than folk crafts. For centuries, though, quilts had a much more utilitarian use—warmth. (Of course, their decorative designs added to the pleasure they gave.) Quilting has a long tradition in the United States, going back to colonial times. Quilts were created not only for bedding but also to commemorate special occasions, like a wedding or a new baby. Quilting bees brought out the whole community—including many men—to share the work.
Quilts as high art
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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International Lighthouse Weekend
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That bill s just not going to fit
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On a Healing Field for Veterans Day
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A splash by the sea
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Summer’s in home stretch
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Venice Skatepark, Los Angeles, California
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Hooray, hooray, it s Unicorn Day!
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Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles, Bavaria, Germany
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San Francisco’s City Hall illuminated by the iconic colors of Pride
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World-class art comes to Arkansas
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Honoring the rangers on World Ranger Day
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International Day of the Tropics
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Vinh Hy Bay, Vietnam
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Relationship status: It s complicated
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Looking down on the Otter
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A winter wonderland in Northeast China
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What are these creatures?
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Mekong River Delta, Long An, Vietnam
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It s tree-climbing season
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Celebrating 30 years of eye-opening images
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A wild, craggy corner of the United States
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Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
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An island hopper s paradise
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Islands of the Salish Sea
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Indian Independence Day
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1, 1, 2, 3: It s Fibonacci Day!
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Celebrating Panama s independence
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The confluence of the Arve and Rhône Rivers
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National Park Week: Canyonlands National Park, Utah
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Birthplace of Roman emperors