MSU Museum's Quilts of Southwest China Featured on WKAR

Bedcover, c. 1940
Photo by Pearl Yee Wong

The new exhibit at the MSU Museum, "Quilts of Southwest China," opened September 28th, and runs until April 30th, 2015. Folk Arts Curator Marsha MacDowell sat down with WKAR's Peter Whorf to discuss the exhibit.

From the WKAR website:

Dr. Marsha MacDowell was surrounded by quilts from the start. She says she was born with an instant quilt collection assembled by her quilting grandmothers. The quilts from MacDowell’s childhood bed made their way to her residence hall during student days at MSU.
Her love and knowledge of art and textiles ultimately led to a professorship in Art and Art History at Michigan State, and her role as Folk Art Curator at the MSU Museum.
Dr. MacDowell is the author of numerous books about the art of quilts in Michigan and beyond. Her most recent work with MSU’s ongoing China Experience project now connects her passion for the art to people half a world away.
Current State's Peter Whorf talks with MacDowell about the exhibition.

Listen to the full interview here!

QUILTS BECOME 'PATTERNS OF INQUIRY" IN NEW MSU MUSEUM EXHIBITION

From treasured bed coverings, to provocative works of art and political statements, to sophisticated 
On June 3, 2012, a new exhibition opened at the Michigan State University Museum. "Patterns of Inquiry: Quilts in Research and Education," showcases a number of the museum's historic and contemporary textiles in the context of the research and education projects with which they are affiliated. Quilting has never been more popular, and "quilt studies" is a fast-growing field of research. Studies indicate there are more than 27 million quilters in the U.S. alone, and the new exhibit explores why quilts are created and some innovative ways they are being used.

"The rise of the feminist art movement in the 1960s and heightened national interest in American history spawned by the nation's bicentennial celebration in 1976 paved the way for more scholarly investigation of historical and contemporary American traditions, women's artistic contributions, crafts in general and quiltmaking in particular," notes Mary Worrall, assistant curator of folk arts and museum educator. "Investigations into the history and meaning of American quilts have now evolved into extremely sophisticated studies spanning many disciplines," she adds.

Read more here.

New exhibition on a Michigan weaver at the MSU Museum

Photo by Pearl Yee Wong, MSU Museum

WEAVING A LIFE: THE FIBER ART OF MARGARET WINDEKNECHT

The MSU Museum presents a new acquisition, a collection of weavings by Margaret Windeknecht (1936-2009). Margaret Windeknecht was a creative and prolific weaver and author. Her fiber techniques and designs were published in 10 books, including Color and Weave, a groundbreaking work she wrote with her husband Tom on computer-aided design to develop weaving patterns. The former president of the Michigan Weavers Guild, Windeknecht received more than 70 awards in juried exhibitions and taught numerous workshops at guilds and conferences throughout the country. Undeterred by a stroke, Windeknecht continued her creative process and altered the scale of her work and learned to weave and bead using one hand. In her later years, she worked increasingly in miniature and beadwork. It was also during this time that the majority of her published works were produced.

"Weaving a Life: The Fiber Art of Margaret Windeknecht" is on exhibit through July 1 at the MSU Museum.

Read more: http://museum.msu.edu/index.php?q=node/641