The Retort

The Quilts are Here…The Quilts are Here!

January 29th, 2010 by Lou Donaldson Of The Retort Staff

Hanging in splendor for all to see, quilts have invaded MSUB. Both the library and the Northcutt Steele Gallery are awash with the colors and patterns of these fabric works of wonder. The quilts are shown often in the library of Montana State University Billings, varying in size from decorative wall hangings to would-be full size quilts. Oddly enough, not many of those on display in either the gallery or the library are what would be considered “quilts.” As said previously many are decorative wall hangings while some are more like throws. Quilts are supposed to be large and all-encompassing, so that one can burrow down into the warmth found within on cold nights.

Although the size may cause a naming discrepancy, this does nothing to change the fact that these pieces are exquisitely done with impressive detail. In the Northcutt Steele Gallery the works of Laura Heine, a local artist, and John Flynn can be seen through the 12th of February. Both quilters are nationally known quilt artists, and each has a website. John Flynn’s site can be found at flynnquilt.com and Laura Heine’s site is located at fiberworks-heine.com.

While some of the pieces in the Northcutt are the traditional intricate works of colored geometric figures on white or off-white backgrounds, one looks as though it is an impressionist painting, which is a marvel in and of itself. Another quilt done in black and white has a very abstract feel to it; if one stands looking at this piece, the lines of the pattern start to move and ungulate, as through to give the viewer the feeling of being drawn into the quilt itself. This is also true for the quilt with the design of the multi colored spirals that begin to twist and turn more often and faster, the longer the view stares into its depths.

There are also examples of bright floral pattern quilts, one showing a large plant whose coloring ranges from light to dark green with an abundance of red, pink, and yellow flowers. The second example of flower motif imagery in the quilt exhibit is one that brings to mind a shadow box. For those who don’t know, a shadow box is a display box that has individual “boxes” for the individual items. In this quilt there are nine different flowers of vibrant coloring. In the three remaining boxes the viewer gets the treat of three differently and brightly colored butterflies. One rather humorous addition to the showing is the Crown Royal quilt, this quilt is literally made out of 37 pieces of Crown Royal bags. These pieces are arranged in the shape of a heart, with a section of the quilt cut off and separated from the main piece.

The detail and intense intricacy expressed in this show is truly impressive, coming to the show, if even to simply look at the massive amount of stitch work in these piece, will be well worth it.