Nancy Crow Explained

Nancy Morrison Crow (born 1943) is an American art quilter and fiber artist. She is one of the leading figures in the development of the art quilting movement of the 1970s and 1980s, and is also known for her development of certain techniques to allow more spontaneity and expression.

Early life and education

Crow was born in 1943 in the small town of Loudonville, Ohio. She is the youngest of eight children.^[1] Crow studied ceramics and weaving at Ohio State University where she earned a BFA in 1965 and a MFA in 1969.^[2]

Quilting

In 1979, Crow began to concentrate seriously on quilt making. Her emphasis from the beginning was on graphic power of color. In her early quilts, she juxtaposed traditional quilt patterns like the Log Cabin block with vibrant color combinations. Her later works use her own asymmetrical designs. Crow is one of the leading figures in the development of the art quilting movement of the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s, Crow developed freeform cutting techniques allowing for more spontaneity and personal expression.^[3] She says of her work:

In 1979 Crow co-founded of the Quilt National exhibitions, a juried biennial exhibition of contemporary quilt art.^[4] In 1994, she established a teaching workshop on the farm where she lives, near Baltimore, Ohio.^[5]

Quilt series

• Newe (1980)
• Bittersweet (1980–1982) In 1979 Crow and her husband moved to a 50-acre farm west of Baltimore, Ohio. Bittersweet is a series of 22 quilts produced during the three-year period after she and her husband moved to the farm.^[1]
• Tramp Art (1983 –)
• Passion (1983–1985) A series of five quilts Crow created while she cared for her dying mother.
• Yellow Crosses (1985)
• Lady of Guadalupe (1985–1988)
• Jacob's Ladder (1986 –)
• Amish Paisley (1987 –)
• Mexican Wheels (1987 –)
• Double Mexican Wedding Rings (1988–1992) This series combines the traditional Double Wedding Ring block with innovative changes in the scale of the blocks and her dramatic use of color.
• Color Blocks I (1988–1991) Color Blocks I comprised three quilts: Color Blocks #1, Color Blocks #2, Color Blocks #3 (1988–1989). These three quilts explore visual complexity. In 1990 Crow returned to the Color Blocks series and created Color Blocks #4, which explores the square as a motif.
• Bow Tie (1991–1995) This series of 13 quilts explores the traditional quilt block Bow Tie in the context of abstract expressionist painting and asymmetrical shapes. Using simple shapes and simple formats, Crow explores the figure/ground relationship.
• Chinese Souls (1990–1994) In September 1990, Crow visited Xi'an in Shaanxi Province in China. While there she witnessed an episode of police brutality. Trucks filled with young men were driven around the city by the police with the sirens blaring. The young men had committed crimes and were scheduled to be executed. Crow created a series of quilts in which the circle represented the souls of the men scheduled to be executed, color threads symbolized the ropes around their necks.
• Constructions (1995–present) This series comprises more than 75 quilts. They mark Crow's ongoing explorations of shape and the actions of sewing, cutting and re-sewing to form complex patterns.^[6]

Awards and honors

• 1996 – National Living Treasure Award from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.^[7]
• 1997 – Inducted into the Quilters Hall of Fame^[8]
• 1999 – Fellow of the American Craft Council, an award made "to honor those who have made an outstanding contribution to the crafts in America."^[9]
• 2002 – Individual Artist Fellowship from the Ohio Arts Council.^{[10] [11]}

Exhibitions

• 1987 "Craft Today: Poetry of the Physical", American Craft Museum, New York City
• 1992 Invitational: Craft Today USA, sponsored by the American Craft Museum, New York City
• 1992 Solo at the Miami University Art Museum, Oxford, Ohio
• 1994 British Crafts Council Gallery, London, England
• 1995–6 Solo exhibition at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC
• 2008 Solo show, Nancy Crow: Transformational Quilts, at the Muskegon Museum of Art, Michigan.^[12]
• 2008, Solo show "Nancy Crow: Works from 1988-2008", Miller Gallery, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh^[13]
• 2010, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Massachusetts.^[14]

Public collections

• American Folk Art Museum, New York City^[15]
• Indianapolis Museum of Art^[16]
• Miami University Art Museum, Oxford, Ohio
• Museum of Arts and Design, New York City (formerly the American Craft Museum)^{[17] [18]}
• Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.^[19]

Publications

• Book: Nancy. Crow. Nancy Crow, quilts and influences. 1990. American Quilter's Society. Paducah, KY. 9780891459446.
• Book: Crow. Nancy. 5. Nancy Crow : work in transition. 1992. American Quilter's Society. Paducah, KY. 9780891459958.
• Book: Crow. Nancy. 5. Gradations. 1995. Quilt House Pub.. Saddle Brook, NJ. 978-1881588122.
• Book: Crow. Nancy. 5. Nancy Crow – improvisational quilts.. 1995. C & T. Lafayette, CA. 9781571200044.
• Book: Crow. Nancy. 5. Nancy Crow. 2006. Breckling Press. Elmhurst, IL. 1933308036.
• Book: Crow. Nancy. 5. Crossroads : constructions, markings, and structures. 2008. Breckling Press. Elmhurst, IL. 978-1933308197.

See also

• Chinese Souls, a quilt made by Crow in 1992, purchased by the Indianapolis Museum of Art

External links

• Official website
• Crow . Nancy . 2008 . "Contemporary Quiltmaking" with Nancy Crow . International Quilt Story Center & Museum . Video of lecture

Notes and References

1. Book: Crow. Nancy. Nancy Crow, quilts and influences. 1990. American Quilter's Society. Paducah, KY. 9780891459446. 1st.
2. Hornung. David. It All Came Together. September 6, 2016. 4. 76. American Craft. American Craft Council. June 28, 2017.
3. News: Wolgamott. L. Kent. Nancy Crow is an artist at work. 27 June 2017. Lincoln Journal Star. April 5, 2008.
4. Web site: The First Quilt National '79. The Dairy Barn Arts Center. 28 June 2017.
5. Web site: Art Retreats. Nancy Crow. 28 June 2017.
6. Book: Koplos. Janet. Metcalf. Bruce. Makers: a history of American studio craft. limited. 2010. University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill. 9780807834138. 422.
7. Web site: UNCW Living Treasures. University of North Carolina at Wilmington. 28 June 2017.
8. Book: Korn. Amy. Douglas. Vickie. Waldvogel. Merikay. Perry Webster. Rosalind. Montgomery. Marian Ann J.. https://books.google.com/books?id=pOvUBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA67. The Quilters Hall of Fame: 42 Masters Who Have Shaped Our Art. Nancy Crow. 2011. Voyageur Press. 67–69. Google Books. 978-0-7603-4705-8. June 28, 2017.
9. Web site: ACC College of Fellows. American Craft Council. 28 June 2017.
10. Web site: Nancy Crow. PBS. 27 June 2017.
11. Web site: Biography. Nancy Crow. 28 June 2017.
12. Web site: Shaykett. Jessica. Nancy Crow's Yellow Crosses. American Craft Council. 27 June 2017.
13. Web site: Nancy Crow: Works from 1988-2008. Carnegie Mellon University. 27 June 2017.
14. News: . Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton to display quilt exhibit. The Enterprise. June 28, 2017.
15. Web site: Bittersweet XII. American Folk Art Museum. 28 June 2017.
16. Web site: Chinese Souls #2. Indianapolis Museum of Art. 28 June 2017.
17. Web site: Color Blocks I. Museum of Arts and Design. 28 June 2017.
18. Web site: Bittersweet XIV. Museum of Arts and Design. 28 June 2017.
19. Web site: Crucifixion. Smithsonian American Art Museum. 28 June 2017.