“Man-Made: Contemporary Male Quilters,” an exhibition showing March 4 through June 19 at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum, examines the unique aesthetics and techniques that male artists bring to a craft long-associated with feminine arts and labors.
The exhibition features work from contemporary quilt artists Joe Cunningham, Luke Haynes, Jimmy McBride, Aaron McIntosh, Dan Olfe, Joel Otterson, Shawn Quinlan and Ben Venom.
The museum will hold an opening reception for the exhibition on from 4:30 to 7 p.m. March 4. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Bathtub Dogs will perform live at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.
“The artists featured in this exhibition are bringing a frank and direct level of meaning to their quilts, even as they stay true to the traditional form of a layered textile,” said Carolyn Ducey, curator of collections. “In ‘Man-Made,’ highly charged social and cultural issues are put front and center. Using the quilt form, often perceived as soft or cozy, the bold messages become even more powerful. This exhibition showcases a unique perspective.”
The artists use powerful central images to represent their subjective interests. They also use prior training in architecture, painting, filmmaking, science or sculpture to inform their art. Most of the artists in “Man-Made” were conscious of their male gender identity in taking up quilting, which comes across in their irreverent use of alternative materials and processes.
This exhibition was organized by the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles, California. “Man-Made” also showed at the Asheville Art Museum in Asheville, North Carolina, before coming to Lincoln.
“We hope visitors will gain a new perspective of the way today’s artists are using the quilt medium in their work,” Ducey said. “It is exciting to see artists embrace quilt-making in such an expressive way. These are not the quilts of your childhood.”
The International Quilt Study Center and Museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors.
For more information about these and other exhibitions or to view a list of upcoming programs, visit http://www.quiltstudy.org.
