Live long enough and the word “free” excites you not. Especially these days when “free” seems to often describe chintzo promotional freebies dreamed up to extract cash from you further down the line.
A few days ago, however, I attended an exhibition at the Park Avenue Armory that was not only free, but was also fun, fascinating and truly generous. Assembled in that enormous space were 650 striking, red and white quilts from the last three centuries — the largest collection ever shown. In keeping with the vivid, imaginative graphic patterns, the quilts were hung from the cavernous Armory ceiling in dramatic, descending spirals and displayed flat on ramps for close-up examination, of which there were plenty. Presented by the American Folk Art Museum, the six-day exhibition was a gift from the owner of the quilts, Joanna S. Rose, to the people of New York City. And come New Yorkers did. I didn’t catch the exhibit till the last day and it was jumping with a far more diverse crowd than usually seen at museum exhibitions, including many children and seniors wielding canes who apparently took advantage of the free admission.
In the fifties Rose started picking up her quilts at flea markets where they were going for a paltry $5 or $10. Their beauty was so unrecognized and their importance so undervalued, they were actually being used for the lowly purpose of wrapping large purchases. And now all these years later their dazzling red and white patterns are wowing big city viewers. Not surprisingly, numerous cities and countries have put in bids to import the exuberant show. Thanks, Joanna Rose, for sharing your discerning eye and eye-popping quilts with this appreciative city gang.
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