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The 9/11 National Tribute Quilt
at the American Folk Art Museum
Christiana Oh

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What is a Quilt?
 A quilt is traditionally a bed covering
composed of three layers of fiber: a woven
cloth top, a layer of batting or wadding and a
back.
 A quilt is distinguishable from other types of
blankets because it is pieced together with
several pieces of cloth.

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 The most decorative fabric surface is called
the “top”, and is the design focus.
 The “patchwork” of the top is typically made
of a series of blocks (all identical, or of
diverse design), which are made sequentially
and then assembled.

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Significance of Quilts
 Thereare many traditions regarding the design and
characteristics of quilts
 Quilts
may be made or given to mark important life
events such as marriage, the birth of a child, a family
member leaving home, or graduations.
 Quilts
are a part of many cultures: Native American,
New English, Hawaiian, British, Japanese quilts are
namely a few.

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Quilts as Pieces of Art…
 Today,quilts are no longer deemed as merely
„bedding‟.
 Quilts
have evolved into unique mediums of art; they
are exclusive because they unite different colors,
patterns, and textures. Modern artists have taken
advantage of this distinct quality
 This
deeply-rooted tradition has evolved into a
modern form of artistic expression

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What is the 9/11 National Tribute
Quilt….?
 The 9/11 National Tribute Quilt is a piece organized by the Steel
Quilters of the United States Steel Corporation as a response to
the attack on the World Trade Center.
 This small quilt club received quilt blocks from all fifty states as
well as Canada, Spain, Denmark, and Australia. The quilt
measures eight feet high by 30 feet wide, and is constructed of
3,466 blocks in six panels. The four central panels form a montage
of the twin towers of the World Trade Center against the New York
City skyline.
 Each block is made from 3-1/2 inch blocks; each block dedicated
to one of the innocent lives lost.
 The entire piece is 8 x 30feet.

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How is the National Tribute Quilt
a Piece of Art?
 I argue that each block is a piece of art and that each person
who made a block is an artist.
 Each block is an artistic representation of a person, not in a
direct form (such as an image of a person), but seeks to
express the victims in different styles of abstract forms
 These blocks come together to depict a powerful image that
evokes a universal sentiment of sadness and mourning; yet this
image is a collection of diverse pieces that differ from one
another
 This piece is not just an image; it relays an event, evokes
strong emotions of sadness, yet is a symbol of hope for peace
and understanding

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Why is it artistically valuable?
(why should we take this seriously)
Quilts Artistic Vision
• Can display the aesthetic • Conveys the myriad of
appeal of diverse materials, different people who all
colors, and textures perished due to a single
• Can be made by multiple event
artists • Piece is a joint work by
• American tradition of multiple, different artists
recording events on artistic • Emotionally unites us
media through many different
• Originally did not convey any emotions: sadness,
message mourning, and hope
 This piece is masterfully unites the strengths of quilts as artistic
mediums; the powerful artistic vision adds a new dimension to
this piece.

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END.