Mennonite Quilt c. 19th century

Editor: Here we have a Mennonite Quilt from around the 19th century, made of cotton. Looking at its geometry and that deep, saturated blue, there’s something really striking about how both traditional and almost…modern it feels? What stands out to you when you look at this work? Curator: That's a delicious observation! Immediately, I see a story woven, thread by painstaking thread, from simple geometry into a visual hymn. Notice how the contrasting colors don't clash but vibrate, full of subdued energy? And the intentional, maybe even devotional act of quilting...it’s almost a meditative process rendered in fabric. It sings of simplicity and a commitment to community. Does that resonate with you at all? Editor: Yes, absolutely. Thinking about it as a "visual hymn" really changes how I perceive the repetition and the geometry; the regularity transforms. Do you think the starkness and regularity are related to cultural identity? Curator: I do, actually. In many Anabaptist traditions, plainness— in dress, decor, speech—was a tenet. Rejecting worldly frippery to reveal inner piety, as they believed. And that blue—deep and consistent—perhaps reflected an inner steadfastness. What colors resonate like that for you, emotionally? Editor: Wow, that’s powerful… personally, greens remind me of nature and growth, so I get that connection. Seeing the quilt in this light now makes me think of how a community can express itself, even with such...restrained means. Curator: Exactly. So what started as just a quilt top transforms into something altogether more special. In the end, all the art is is the sum of all that. It takes on this really tender aura. I'll think differently about quilts now, too.