The New Yorker: Quilts That Keep You Up at Night

10/23/23

Read the full, original article here.

Congratulations to Craft in America artist, Michael A. Cummings, of the QUILTS episode! Mr. Cummings is the subject of an article in The New Yorker Magazine, October 23rd, 2023:

“Quilts that Keep You Up at Night,” was written by Nina Mesfin and illustrated by by João Fazenda.

“Michael A. Cummings, a seventy-­seven-year-old quilt artist based in Harlem, is the only person he knows of who has slept beneath one of his works. ‘I have put my quilts on my bed when I was cold,’ Cummings said the other day. ‘When I first got to New York, I was putting layers on top of me on the bed, and I couldn’t move, hardly, because it was so heavy. But I was warm.’ Eventually, his mother and his sister told him about electric blankets. Over the years, he has made some quilts for friends with babies, but none made it into a crib. ‘One woman I know, she just put it on the side of the baby bed, and the baby looked at it,’ he said.”

Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories

November 17, 2022–March 12, 2023
Skirball Cultural Center
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049

Discover the extraordinary human stories behind five centuries of quilts. Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories features works by more than forty artists, including Harriet Powers, Bisa Butler, and Sanford Biggers. Come celebrate the artistry and vision of a diverse and largely under-recognized group of creators in an exhibition that brings to light stories that enrich, deepen, and complicate our understanding of the American experience.

Fabric of a Nation illuminates the unique capacity quilts have to tell stories and convey a sense of humanity. Whether produced as works of art or utilitarian objects, their tactile, intricate mode of creation and traditional use in the home impart deeply personal narratives of their makers and offer an intimate picture of American life. Originally organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Skirball’s presentation will feature additional works by Los Angeles artists Sabrina Gschwandtner, Ramsess, and Sula Bermúdez-Silverman, as well as a quilt from its own collection highlighting key moments in American Jewish history.

For more information, visit skirball.org/exhibitions/fabric-nation-american-quilt-stories