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Grandma Moses

Last Call For Grandma Moses and the Handicraft Tradition

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checkered_house_web800Handicrafts and fine art don’t normally go together in my mind. My grandmother was a great quilter, yet I have never associated her traditional needlework as fine art. If you are like me in this thinking, think again.

The Dayton Art Institute is closing a months long exhibition centered on Grandma Moses. American Sampler: Grandma Moses and the Handicraft Tradition closes on February 21 and you don’t want to miss it.

Grandma Moses, Anna Mary Robertson Moses (1860–1961), was a lifelong professional seamstress until she begin creating works of art late in life at age 78. A sample of more than 50 of her pieces are on display. Her work covers a variety of mediums including paintings, embroideries, a quilt and other handmade items.

The entire exhibit pays homage to other artists and handicraft works. A tapesty sampler from England that dates to 1675 makes the modest fee worth it. Just feet away hangs a Grandma Moses quilt that was reminiscent of my own grandma’s quilting style.

Grandma Moses and Woldemer Neufelds paintings of rolling hills beyond small midwestern towns tell a story. The paintings are a view into American life 60, 70 or 80 years ago. I found myself moving back and forth between the two comparing styles. Both Moses and Neufeld lend their brush to depicting rural Ohio.

Checkered House is one of her paintings on display. Grandma Moses shares personal stories about this home that has been part of her family in New York for more than 200 years. The personal nature of her work and its approachability makes this art exhibition one appealing to the entire family.

Organized by The Dayton Art Institute and curated by Dr. Aimee Marcereau DeGalan, Chief Curator, Curator of European Art, American Sampler is on until February 21, 2016.

Exhibition Admission
Museum Members: Free
Adults: $14
Seniors (60+): $11
Students (18+ w/ID): $11
Active Military: $11
Groups (10 or more): $11
Youth (ages 7-17): $6
Children (6 & under): Free

Advance tickets can be purchased at etix.com

Prices include admission to the exhibition and the museum’s permanent collection.

‘Wholly Moses!’

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IIMG_0960f you want to get to the heart of how people feel about art, ask the kids. Three quarters of the way through the Grandma Moses exhibit at the Dayton Art Institute, you will find a slew on index cards left by students from around the Dayton Area giving their insight into the show. ‘Naive,’ ‘Outsider,’ ‘Less Educated,’ and ‘ a Totally Cool Old Lady.’ Agreed.

Within the first steps you take, you find that Moses made the best of her life. Stunning and intricate embroidered pieces, tight in their stitching and heavy in appearance, show her expertise. It’s meticulous and rich in textures. ‘Viewers get an opportunity to see where Moses relied on the traditional stitches she used, and where she departed into a creative territory all her own,’ says Dr. Aimee Marcereau DeGalan, Chief Curator at the DAI.

For Moses, born Anna Mary Robertson, it was a passion she would have to alter when arthritis took its toll. At age 78, she found a new way to express herself, paint. Wallpaper, fire boards, wooden slats all played backdrop to Moses’ unique, sweet and signature style.

The paintings, 50 are on display, capture innocence, excitement and simplicity, of which Moses was the master. Unlike the maturity of her handicraft, her paintings have a childish, soft sense that take you into the heart of farm life Moses was proud to share. Among the pieces in the, ‘American Sampler’ exhibit, you will find works by Woldemar Neufeld, ‘crazy quilts’ by Mary O’Brien and lithographs from Currier and Ives. At the top of my list, a sampler done in 1825 by the eight year old Catherine Sophia Van Horne from Piqua, and the calico apron worn by Grandma Moses when she painted.

Do not miss the video that accompanies the show, you get to know the ‘Totally Cool Old Lady’ who lived to 101, and explains everything from her take on death, to how we all are painters! When it comes to showcasing the best in visual arts, the Dayton Art Institute once again proves, they have it all ‘sewn up!

 

Editors Note:  You have until Feb 21st to see this exhibit.

Museum HoursDayton Art Institute DAI

Tuesday – Saturday: 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: Noon – 5:00 p.m.
Extended hours until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays
Closed Mondays

Exhibition Admission

Museum Members: Free
Adults: $14, Seniors (60+): $11, Students (18+ w/ID) & Active Military: $11
Youth (ages 7-17): $6, Children (6 & under): Free