Modern vs. Art Quilt
For normal people, the differences between art quilts and modern quilts are very subtle and hard to distinguish. For quilt people, the differences are clear. Mostly.
The Modern Quilt
Modern quilts (not my work)
The Modern quilt movement started around the year 2000. Younger quilters were not fund of the typical traditional quilt with cutesy flowers and small calico prints. They started making quilts with solid fabrics and this gave them more streamlined, modern look. They also started playing with this scale of blocks and started using more negative space. The design is usually a grid of repeating blocks and quilting stitches are straight lines. This new movement got more younger quilters interested in quilting and the quilters of today. are very different from what first comes to your mind when you think a “quilter”. If you see a quilt that uses only solid fabrics it’s probably considered a modern quilt.
The Art Quilt
Art quilts (not my work)
Art quilts are a complete deviation of the traditional quilt. They are more similar to a painting than a quilt. It is actually a painting that uses fabric instead of paint (most of the time). One of the distinguishable characteristics is that they usually do not use a grid or repeating blocks. Just like in painting, art quilt styles and themes vary a lot. Art quilts have been around for a lot longer than modern quilts. Currently modern quilts are more popular.
Where do I fall
The line between art quilts and modern quilts is a little bit blurry. Modern quilt can be art quilts, and art quilts can be modern quilts, but not all art quilts are modern quilts and vice versa. My quilts fall more in the art quilt category because I use a lot of prints but some of my quilts are modern quilts.
Quilt National is the biggest art quilt exit exhibit. QuiltCon is the largest modern quilt exhibit. Both deadlines were last month. I entered Quilt National with high hopes of getting in. Unfortunately I did not get in. I applied to QuiltCon and I’m waiting for an answer but I think my quilts this year do not fit the modern quilt aesthetic so we will see. Wish me luck.
