Art Museum inherits 3,000 African American Quilts
Charles Desmarais October 16, 2019Updated: January 30, 2020, 10:08 am
A Gift of nearly 3,000 Quilts
Over all a gift of nearly 3,000 quilts, was announced Wednesday, Oct. 16,2020. Furthermore, all of the quilts were designed and produced by African American artists. Officials of the UC Berkeley Art Museum announced the gift. Eli Leon put together the extensive collection over more than three decades. Dr.Leon was a white Oakland psychotherapist. Meanwhile he became a respected expert on African American quilts. When Leon died in 2019, he left the quilts and a few other items to the Regents of the University of California. https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Eli-Leon-scholar-and-collector-of-African-12757330.php
The Unusual Gift
Subsequently,the gift will add 15% to the museum’s permanent collection, said BAMPFA director Lawrence Rinder, in an interview with The Chronicle.
Stories of Communities of Color
Furthermore,the quilts help to broaden the horizons of art history. In addition this will include the culture and the stories of communities of color. In just the past few years, exhibitions of works by artists of color have been taking place in museums worldwide. Above all,collectors and institutions are trying to diversify their collections. https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/art-exhibits/why-is-african-american-art-having-a-moment-the-reasons-are-as-varied-as-the-art-itself
Major Commitments
In addition,the two largest visual arts organizations, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, made major commitments. This year, SFMOMA sold a key Mark Rothko painting to raise millions of dollars . For example,this will enable the museum to broaden its collection through purchases of works by women, LGBTQ artists and artists of color. After that,the Fine Arts Museums acquired 62 works by 22 contemporary African American artists .
Rosie Lee Tompkins, Untitled (1996), quilted by Irene Bankhead.
Similarly,Lawrence Rinder knew Leon. In the past,they had worked together on an exhibition of the quilts of Rosie Lee Tompkins. In addition,more than 500 works of Ms. Tompkins are part of the the gift. Moving forward, Mr. Rinder will curate a larger Tompkins show as his final project before retiring He said the quilts are decidedly not “folk art.”
It’s Art Art
Likewise,“Not to me,” he was quick to say. “I think it’s ‘art art.’ I don’t make those distinctions. To clarigy, labels like that justify the exclusion of people who are less well off or people who are not white.
“Some people think if you slap a label , it can help us understand where it comes from.On the other hand, I don’t care about any of that at all. Most importantly,I see emotion, expression, technical skill. … The rest doesn’t matter to me in the least.”
Adventurous Designs
For example,Leon tended to collect adventurous designs. However,it was not because the works look modern. “He believed deeply in a connection to African traditions. He conducted research on motifs, patterns and methods that he saw as rooted in Central Africa,” 
Variations on a Theme,artist unknown
Funds for Conservation
After that,Rinder said gifts and grants are being sought to fund conservation of the fragile works. Moreover, he believes the university is committed to their care and display. Furthermore in a statement, UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ said, “BAMPFA is uniquely suited to ensure that these wonderful works of art receive the exposure and attention they deserve.”
Gladys Henry, “Medallion” (1992), quilted by Rose McDowell.Edited for space
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/art-exhibits/uc-berkeley-art-museum-inherits-grand-trove-of-nearly-3000-african-american-quiltsCharles Desmarais
Charles Desmarais is The San Francisco Chronicle’s art critic. Email: cdesmarais@sfchronicle.com Free weekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/ArtguyReviews
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https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2020/07/political-quilts2008-2014/
https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2017/08/eli-leon-collector-of-quilts-and-other-items/
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