Pauline Burbidge, Boatday/
Contemplation, 43x43






Dorothy Caldwell, A Lake/A Bowl #1, 19x59

Comments about the Book

"Quilts are America's most enduringly popular traditional art and, since the 1960s have been invigorated with contemporary ideas. Kate Lenkowsky eloquently traces the evolution of the art quilt from the bed to the wall in Contemporary Quilt Art: An Introduction and Guide. Her well-researched and highly readable text accompany a photographic gallery of art quilts by some of America's most respected makers, defining the quilt art genre and placing it into the context of contemporary painting and the studio craft movement. Profiles of each artist take the reader inside the artists' studios, revealing both intellectual and technical content of their work. And, once the reader's appetite is whetted by this visual feast, the author takes us through A Guide for Buyers and Collectors. Here, the reader can learn where to see art quilts and learn more about the field, and what collectors look for. There are suggestions for beginning collectors, how to work with an art consultant or commission a quilt, and how to display and care for studio quilts."

Lloyd E. Herman, founding Director/Director Emeritus
Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

"An enormously useful and instructive book for devotees as well as potential collectors of art quilts. Having assembled an international group of quilts several years ago for the Museum of Arts & Design in New York, I know that I would have turned to this book as a steady companion in my research. It admirably covers the history of quilts as an artistic medium and presents a thorough overview of the contemporary market place. This is a unique book that thoroughly and knowledgeably covers the artistic as well as the practical side of an art form that deserves much praise and support. I highly recommend this much needed publication."

Ursula Ilse-Neuman, Curator, Museum of Arts & Design, New York

"A visually dazzling presentation and comprehensive discussion of contemporary work in a medium with a long history, Contemporary Quilt Art: An Introduction and Guide provides a history, a current context and an impressive number of practical considerations for understanding studio quilts. Most important is the book's much-needed chronicle and analysis of the work of a range of innovative makers."

Janet Koplos, Senior Editor, Art in America magazine

"You have produced a truly magnificent book. Your thorough research and in-depth look at our area is the kind of writing that is necessary to help give quilts credibility in the larger arena. Artists need partners in the form of intelligent writers, collectors, and thoughtful curators. I like the way you have quoted and acknowledged many of these people and institutions who have been instrumental in supporting the development of the field. It takes many components working together to make culture happen."

Dorothy Caldwell, Artist