"Perspectives from the Plains," 2025
Quilting is one of many crafts which have, historically, been relegated to the sphere of the domestic. As such, their association with femininity has led to a devaluation of the skill and artistry involved in the creation of these objects. The talent of this piece’s unknown maker is manifest, and her personality is apparent in the playful choice to rotate the quilt’s squares to form a dynamic diamond and zigzag pattern. Quilts of this time period were pieced from leftover scraps and repurposed fabrics, quite literally forming a visual record of the assorted clothing and textiles of a household. There is something moving in the way this distinctly domestic object speaks to women’s presence in early Kansas history.
--Mel Ingoldsby, WU student
