Modern v contemporary
With Quiltcon just a few days away, I know there’ll be lots of conversation at the show and online about what makes a modern quilt and whether certain quilts have those characteristics.
Some of you might also be feeling a bit miffed about why a quilt of yours or a friends didn’t make it in. There are, of course, myriad reasons for what gets accepted, but one of the reasons might be that it’s a contemporary, rather than a modern quilt.
Those who know me in real life have heard me use this analogy before, but something that I find useful in recognising a modern quilt is to compare it to art. Did any of you study that at school?
If so, you might remember the differences between contemporary and modern art? Contemporary art is just art that is being made now, where as modern art is a specific art movement with defined characteristics and traits.
Contemporary quilts
To extend the comparison to quilts, contemporary quilts are ones being made now – they can be influenced by the latest trends, fashion fabrics and designers of the moment. Most (not all) quilt patterns fall into the contemporary category – an updated block, set on a grid in the hottest fabric release.
This is not a lesser category of work. There are amazing contemporary quilts out there that push the boundaries of design, use of colour and construction techniques… They’re just not modern.
This version of my Tall Poppy quilt is contemporary but not modern…
Modern quilts
While plenty of folks might call their quilts or patterns modern, the Modern Quilt Guild (as with modern art) has a specific definition of what constitutes a modern quilt.
The most important part for me is this:
“At the heart of modern quilting is innovation. The emphasis is on design and originality over replication and perfection of technique.”
We then have the foundational attributes:
Bold use of colour
High contrast and graphic areas of colour
Improvisational piecing
Minimalism
Maximalism
Expansive negative space
Alternate grid work
Modern traditionalism
You can read more detail about the guild’s definition here.
This version of my Tall Poppy quilt however, is modern (just) and was chosen to hang at Quiltcon in the Minimalist category in 2023.
Quiltcon
Of course, there are areas of overlap; folks will have different ways of interpreting definitions (which is why a quilt won’t get into Quiltcon one year, but might the next); and both categories are evolving (as they should).
Like everyone, I’m disappointed when my work doesn’t get in to Quiltcon. Sometimes I enter things I know are unlikely to make in, just to see if I can nudge the boundary a bit, but I also like that the Modern Quilt Guild has a clear definition and purpose. If I know one of my quilts really isn’t modern (as not all of them are) but I still want it shown, I’ll enter it elsewhere, exhibit it in a gallery setting or make a pattern from it.
And for an awful lot of quilters, it doesn’t matter much either way – let’s face it, it’s probably most of our guilds, where show and tell consists of a range of beautifully made, brightly coloured, contemporary quilts constructed from patterns, with not a modern quilt in sight – but for me Quiltcon is important for its focus on this one particular art (quilt) movement.
I can’t wait to be inspired by what I see, discover new artists and spend four glorious days surrounded by people who are as passionate about modern quilting as me!
