Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum

1213 Washington Avenue

Golden, CO  80401

303-277-0377

Contact Irene Berry, Exhibits Manager

303-215-9001; irene_b@rmqm.org

January 9, 2012

Golden, Colorado

“Male Call: Quilts Made by Men”
January 30 through April 28, 2012

Opening reception 5-8:30 pm, Friday February 3

Monday through Saturday 10-4

When the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum presented “Man Made,” the first exhibit of quilts made exclusively by men, in 1992, museum visitors were surprised. Were there really men working in what was traditionally thought of as a woman’s art form? The novelty has long since worn off, and the RMQM biennial showcase of quilts made by men continues to be one of its most anticipated and popular exhibits. Male artists in increasing numbers are choosing fiber as a means of expression, and you will find them as individuals as varied and diverse a group as the quilts in the exhibit.

You will find pieces from some of the most recognizable names in the quilt world – David Taylor and Ricky Tims – and some names you’ll be seeing, like Shawn Quinlan, Michael Michalski, and Jimmy McBride. Some pieces challenge what we traditionally think of as a quilt, such as a floor-to-ceiling sculptural piece by Carmon Slater and a computer-generated trompe l’oeil artwork by Dan Olfe. Don Beld’s work reflects the research that has made him one of the nation’s leading experts on Civil War soldier’s quilts.

There are common threads among these quilts that come from across the street, across the country, and across the ocean. Several artists continued to quilt after making panels for the AIDS memorial quilt. Others were inspired by the improvisational work of the Gee’s Bend quilters. Some have wives who quilt, and others were taught to sew as children by their mothers or grandmothers. Some came to quiltmaking from garment sewing. Every quilt and quilter has a story, revealing that quilting is not a woman’s experience or a man’s experience – quilting is a human experience.