Folk Art Museum

One of my favorite places to go in New York is the Museum of American Folk Art.  Located next to MOMA, in a tall and skinny little sliver of a building, it is almost always a quiet oasis.  Overlooked by viewers rushing into it's popular girl neighbor, the museum always has something inside that knocks my socks off, and right now is no exception. 

The current exhibit showcases Quilts from their permanent collection, and what a collection it is!  From collectively made signature quilts, to African American quilts from Alabama, to Amish quilts, to a mind boggling collection of variations on the log cabin, it's an amazing show.  While I don't consider myself a quilt maker, I am incredibly inspired by old quilts, particularly those that are quirky in some way.  This show is so chock full of goodness that I've gone to see it twice already and I've only lived in New York for two and a half weeks!  If you're in town, or planning a visit, the show is up for a while- you've got to make the trip.  In April the quilts will turn over and a new collection will go up.  AND, as if that weren't enough, there are even more of the quilts on display at their Lincoln Square location.  More on that later.....

P.S.  If you're not in the New York area, the accompanying publication Quilts: Masterworks from the collection of the American Folk Art Museum is available online.  I don't own it personally (though I wish I did!) but I spent some time with it at the show, and the reproductions are beautifully done.