マサチューセッツ、ボストン。古くから貿易が盛んなこの街は、異なる国の人々が出会い、交流する場として知られてきた。そんな世界各国からの文化が交わる地の、アートのハブとなるのが「Museum of Fine Arts, Boston（ボストン美術館）」。同館では現在、年齢や性別、人種を問わず多様な人の手によって300年にわたって作られてきたアメリカンキルトを展示する『Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories』が開催中だ。
17世紀に米国に移住した清教徒から持ちこまれ、米国の地で発展したとされる「アメリカンキルト」は、当初は布地の有効利用のために、余った布や端布をつないで作られていたといわれている。そんな庶民的なクラフトは、その作り手に政治的、社会的、経済的な壁は一切存在しないため、“民主的な芸術”ともいえる。本展では、家庭用から芸術作品まで用途もさまざま、そしてバックグラウンドもさまざまな作り手によって生みだされた50のキルト作品を見ることができる。
ベージュやピンク、ボルドーなどの穏やかな色合いで描かれているのは、農場経営者とその奴隷たちの生活、ゾウや鳥などの動物たち。ジョージア州アテネで奴隷として生まれたアフリカ系アメリカ人のキルトメーカー、Harriet Powers（ハリエット・パワーズ）の『Pictorial quilt』に表現されているのは、多くの奴隷が暮らした19世紀後半のジョージアの様子や、故郷を偲ぶ奴隷とされた人々の思い。1860年代に制作されたと見られる、南北戦争時の北軍の軍服の布を一部使用した『Zouave quilt』には、南軍の都市ヴィクスバーグを攻撃するユリシーズ・S・グラント将軍が描かれている。そのほかにも、国際博覧会の壁に飾られた芸術作品としてのキルトや、BLM（ブラック・ライブズ・マター）運動を経て制作されたものまで、展示では 時代とともに生み出されてきたキルト作品を見ることができる。
テキスタイルを作り、実際に使ってきた人々の生活のストーリーを垣間見ることができるキルト。そのひと針ひと針に込められたのは、愛する家族への想いなのか、発展する国への希望なのか、はたまた社会の不条理に対しての負の感情なのか。会期は2022年1月17日まで。
To God and Truth, 2019
Bisa Butler (American, born in 1973)
Printed and resist-dyed cottons, cotton velvet, rayon satin, and knotted string, pieced, appliquéd, and quilted
* John H. and Ernestine A. Payne Fund, The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection, and Arthur Mason Knapp Fund
© Bisa Butler and Claire Oliver Gallery
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Paul family quilt, late 1830s
unidentified artist
South Solon, Maine, United States
Wool plain weave, pieced, quilted, and embroidered with wool and cotton
* Museum purchase with funds donated from the Marshall H. Gould Fund, Joyce and Edward Linde, and an anonymous supporter
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Album quilt, about 1850
unidentified artist
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Cotton plain weave, pieced, appliquéd, quilted, and embroidered, ink
* Museum purchase with funds donated anonymously
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Double Wedding Ring, about 1940
unidentified artist
Possibly Missouri, United States
Cotton plain weave, pieced and quilted
*Gift of the Pilgrim / Roy Collection
*Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Vote quilt, 1975
Irene Williams (American, 1920-2015)
Gee’s Bend, Alabama, United States
Printed cotton plain weave, pieced
* Museum purchase with funds from the Frank B. Bemis Fund, the Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection, and Gallery Instructor 50th Anniversary Fund to support The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection, and gift of Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the collection of Vanessa Vadim
© Estate of Irene Williams / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Hoosier Suffrage quilt, before 1920
unidentified artist
Probably Indiana, United States
Cotton plain weave, pieced, embroidered, and quilted
* Frank B. Bemis Fund and with funds donated anonymously
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Untitled, 2020
Michael C. Thorpe (American, born in 1993)
Printed cotton plain weave and batting; machine quilted
* Anonymous gift in honor of Makeeba McCreary and Jennifer Swope
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Civil War Zouave quilt, probably mid- to late 1860s unidentified artist Wool plain weave and twill, cotton plain weave and other structures, leather; pieced, appliquéd, and embroidered with wool
* Edwin E. Jack Fund, William Francis Warden Fund, Marshall H. Gould Fund, Susan Cornelia Warren Fund and Harriet Otis Cruft Fund
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Crazy City, 1885
Attributed to C. Winne (American, 19th century)
Printed cotton plain weave, pieced, appliqued and quilted
* Gift of Joyce Linde in honor of Gerald E. Roy
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Bricklayer or Courthouse Steps quilt, about 1955
Creola Bennett Pettway (American, 1927 – 2015) or possibly Georgianna Bennett Pettway (American, died in 2012)
Gee’s Bend, Alabama, United States
Pieced cotton plain weave top; quilted
* The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Amish Floating Bars quilt, about 1940
unidentified artist
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Pieced wool plain weave top, wool plain weave back and binding; quilted
* Museum purchase with funds donated by Hanne and Jeremy Grantham, Jane and Robert Burke, an anonymous donor,
Jane Pappalardo, Lynne and Mark Rickabaugh, Carol Wall, Heidi Nitze, Ruth Oliver Jolliffe, and Mrs. Robert B. Newman, and funds by exchange from anonymous gifts, a Bequest of Miss Ellen Starkey Bates, William Sturgis Bigelow Collection, Gift of the Estate of Annie B. Coolidge, Gift of Mrs. John Dane, Gift of Louis H. Farlow, Alfred Greenough Collection,Gift of M. M. Greer, Gift of Mrs. Chester A. Hoefer, James Fund, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Harold Karlin, Gift of Miss Mildred
Kennedy, Gift of Francis Stewart Kershaw, Gift of Mrs. Bliss Knapp, Gift of Mathias Komor, The Elizabeth Day McCormick Collection, Gift of Miss Louise M. Nathurst, Gift of Mrs.George N. Northrop, and Gift of Mrs. Albertine W. F. Valentine, residuary legatee under the will of Hervey E. Wetzel
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Survivors, 2011-2013 Carla Hemlock (Haudenosaunee, Kanienkeháka (Mohawk), born in 1961) Kahnawake, Mohawk Territory, near Montreal, Quebec Cotton plain weave and glass beads; pieced, appliquéd, beaded, and quilted
* The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection
* Reproduced with permission.
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Krakow Kabuki Waltz, 1987 Virginia E. Jacobs (American) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Cotton plain weave, pieced and quilted
* Gift of the artist
* Reproduced with permission.
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Housetop quilt, 1935 Rachel Carey George (American, 1908–2011) Gee’s Bend, Alabama, United States Cotton plain weave, printed, pieced, and quilted
* Museum purchase with funds from the Frank B. Bemis Fund, The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection, and Gallery Instructor 50th Anniversary Fund to support The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection, and gift of Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
A Century of Progress, 1933 Richard H.Rowley (American, d. 1968) and possibly Louise Rowley Cotton plain weave, appliquéd, embroidered, and quilted
* Mary S. and Edward J. Holmes Fund
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
A Deeper Form of Chess, 2017
Sanford Biggers (American, born in 1970) Quilt, assorted textiles, polystyrene, aqua resin, and tar
* Museum purchase with a bequest from Lorraine R. Balkin, Lizbeth and George Krupp Acquisition Fund for Contemporary Art, and The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection
*Courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York and Aspen. © Sanford Biggers
* Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
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All Images via Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Text by Ayumi Sugiura
Content Direction & Edit: HEAPS Magazine
