QUILTS & FABRIC: PAST & PRESENT


Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Nancy Halpern

Flight from Bergamo 1998

Life’s Work: The Quilts of Nancy Halpern

June 25-27
Vermont Quilt Festival 2010

From the Vermont Quilt Festival Website:
In continuing its retrospective exhibits of the work of well-known quilt artists, VQF is proud to feature approximately 40 quilts made by Nancy Halpern of Natick, MA, one of New England’s best-known and most talented quiltmakers and a leading light of the contemporary quilt world for more than 30 years. Here, in Ms. Halpern’s own words, is a description of her exhibit:
"From the beginning (the early ‘70s) my quilts have been inspired by the people, places and things I care about, plus the happy coincidences found in the colors and patterns of a heap of fabric. Their designs are essences, stripped down and distilled from more complex realities. Their fabrics (begged, bought and stolen) embody and embellish these essences. Their quilting is the calligraphy that tells their stories."


Archipelago 1983, 96" x 74.5"


Where There's One There's Another


Hopper 1992, 57" x 76"


Hilltown 1980, 71" x 73"

Hilltown, made 30 years ago, changed our view of what quilts could be. A reviewer in the New York Times described it as "an intricate Cubistic landscape of facets denoting a warren of houses below and a pale sky above."

See more about Nancy's lectures and classes by clicking here:
http://www.sheinstein.addr.com/Nancy.html

Read more about the Vermont Quilt Festival by clicking here:
http://www.vqf.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12&Itemid=7

5 comments:

  1. I look at these and see the influence of Molly Upton, particularly her "Torrid Dwelling". Has anyone published anything on Molly's influence on the art quilt movement? How well known was Molly's work in the late 70s/early 80s? Inquiring minds ...
    Dale in Indiana

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  2. These are amazing! I have seen a photo of Archipelago before but not the others.

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  3. I so enjoy your blog. Someone gave me a Kreativ Blogger award and I would love to pass it on to you as one of my seven. Please do not feel obligated to do any of it. The information is at http:\\funoldhagcarol.blogspot.com

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  4. How lucky I am to know Nancy and to have imbibde her great spirit! Great post, Barbara....thank you.

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  5. Nancy Halpern asked her daughter to Google her and "see how many people hate her." This came up and she can now see that very few, if any, people hate her. She wrote about Molly Upton herself for Quilters' Newsletter and curated a show about Molly's work with many of her quilts for the Vermont Quilt Festival. She never met Molly, but yes, she is pleased that you see some influence.

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