Art Quilts of the Midwest

This is a beautiful book for the library of any quilt lover or art lover. Those of us who grew up in the Midwest remember many quilts--not all were art, but all were special. It is nice to see quilting recognized as art.

Art Quilts of the Midwest is a simply stunning book focusing on the works of twenty Midwestern artists. McCray explores how the culture, history, and landscape of the Midwest influences the content of their artistry, as well as the materials used.

Accord to McCray, art quilts differ from standard quilts in that they are “not made with a functional intent...it is a vehicle for creative expression, usually made by one artist.” Artists use different materials and techniques, some traditional, some not in order to create something unique. The quilts featured within the book vary from the representational to the abstract, incorporating a wide range of colors and textures. Nature, history, current events, and the changing landscape all play a role in inspiring the artists. As the artist Martha Washwaw states within, “with fabric there are infinite possibilities with pattern, materials, and scale.”

I read this book with delight, pouring over the images with fascination. The art quilts were inspiring. Any quilter or fiber artist would enjoy reading Art Quilts of the Midwest, as well as anyone interested in Midwestern culture and art.

I received a copy of Art Quilts of the Midwest from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

This is a beautifully curated book of a variety of forms of art quilts. Inspiring and artistic. Appropriately, I read this book while visiting the Midwest. Lovely for artists and art lovers. I received this ARC for a fair review from NetGalley.

An interesting book. Although Art Quilts are not my usual forte I could the descriptions and analysis of the author fun to read. I would highly recommend this book to quilters and art lovers of textiles who are interested in learning more about this style of art.

I got a Reviewer's Copy of this book from NetGalley, and it sure was a beautiful and informative read. Not only did I get to meet 20 artists and admire their work, I also got to learn about their upbringing, history, and culture. They truly took Quilts to the next level. I have been the recipient of some nice quilts in the past and always wanted to learn how to do it, so to see Quilts in a new light was very interesting and inspiring to me. It is almost a shame that the Quilts in this book are not functional in the traditional sense, and are made with different materials, designs and techniques, because I would want to have them adorn my bed and keep me warm any day. A great present for any quilter or anybody who appreciates fine Art.

A beautifully executed book. This book is separated into sections for each artist. The interviews with the artists are exceptional, detailed and satisfying. The photographs show the detail in the work, and match precisely with the interview.

This is a great book to give as a gift, to have on a coffee table or in your library.

This book isn't a really good fit for my library, but I am putting it on my to-buy list anyway. It's just incredible. The creativity that's gone into those quilts is stunning. I've seen art quilt books and they've been nice. This book made me want to hunt up the quilts to see them in person.

This is a lovely publication, full of modern and beautiful art quilts with lots of information about the artist and her work. This book is not your common variety quilt book, but a book of inspiration for us to follow what we see and think, and not to follow the leader in our work. It is also telling me that it is okay to do what I want rather than what will others like. An inspiration to any artist who works in cloth. The book was provided to me free in return for an unbiased and honest review.

This would be a beautiful coffee table book. I would give a print format 4.5 stars.
First I read the content on a black and white ereader. It was interesting and inspiring.
I liked it more and more as I read further. Amazing information about the other mediums in which these fascinating quilt artists worked and how the textures and techniques transcend.

I needed to see the quilt examples in full color to appreciate the ideas presented in the text.
Awe inspiring. Next time I have the opportunity to attend an art quilt display I will go with deeper appreciation.

I did view this book as a mobi file via Netgalley. I was given this opportunity to share an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I saw this book on my NetGalley Dashboard, and I was instantly drawn in by the cover. Something about the colors, and the texture, and the balance really appealed to me. I was also drawn in by the subject; my mother has been quilting my entire life, and it's always appealed to me. I've even made a few small projects of my own. It was interesting to see the different approaches, and interpretations of quilts in this book, and even when they didn't appeal to me visually I was interested in the artist. It was nice to have, instead of artist biographies, the artist talk about their process, their inspirations, and their themes and ideas. It added a richness and a depth to the book, and let me better appreciate their work. It would have been nice to have more than just one man, but overall it felt like a diverse group, and I liked the diversity of quilts. There were touches of snobbery, and elitism in some of the artists, but I'm glad that didn't feel overwhelming, and not everyone was wrapped up in the idea of artist versus quilter. I liked how the variety in the theme of the book as well, and how a sense of place carried through, but was different for each artist. It's not a place I've ever been, but it was interesting seeing how these artists reflected on, identified with, and reacted to their surroundings. Overall an interesting book, and one I'm glad that I took the time to read.