A Different Mountain: Selected Works from the Arnett Collection at Marlborough Gallery

This quilt by an unknown South Carolina maker is a standout among innovative textiles from the 1930s to the 1970s from the Arnett Collection now on view at Marlborough Gallery in Chelsea.  Working in a variety of styles and creatively adapting traditional techniques, the quilters produced vibrantly colored and patterned textiles in designs that jump off the wall.  (On view through January 18th).

Maker unknown, South Carolina (Strip Quilt), cloth, 71 x 74 inches, c. 1960s.

Luke Murphy at Canada New York

A campfire made of LED matrix panels, a slightly misshapen monolith in cool blue light and this glowing quilt with changing patterns are standouts in computer programmer/ artist Luke Murphy’s latest show at Canada NY.  Here, both subject matter and execution exude homey charm.  (On view on the Lower East Side through July 15th).

LogCabin Quilt, 62 x 41 x 5 inches, 2018.

Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers at Kaufmann Repetto

Quilts by Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers Mary Lee Bendolph (background) and Loretta Pettway Bennett (foreground) are the highlight of Kaufman Repetto’s current group show, an exhibition that asks what’s new for art as more female artists have come to prominence over the past several decades.  Bennett’s denim quilt suggests that the contributions of many have produced a prize result.  (On view in Chelsea through Feb 24th).

Installation view of ‘Women are very good at crying and they should be getting paid for it,’ at Kaufmann Repetto, January, 2018. Featuring quilts by Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers Mary Lee Bendolph (background) and Loretta Pettway Bennett (foreground).

Ashley Lyon at Jane Lombard Gallery

A crumpled red duvet at the entrance to Jane Lombard Gallery is at once cozy and alien – a symbol of the comforts of home, but a symbol that belongs to someone else. Constructed in fired clay by Ashley Lyon, sculptures including the bed covering, a piece of memory foam, pillows and this quilt offer a conceptual appreciation of the soft furnishings that make a house a home. (On view in Chelsea through Dec 21st).

Ashley Lyon, Wellspring, fired clay with mixed media surfacing, 7 x 8 x 19 inches, 2017.

Sanford Biggers at Marianne Boesky Gallery

Glittery sequins meet antique quilts in Sanford Biggers’ first solo show at Marianne Boesky Gallery, where the artist synthesizes folk tradition and minimalism in this wall hanging titled ‘Ooo Oui.’ (On view in Chelsea through Oct 21st).

Sanford Biggers, Ooo Oui, textiles, fabric, antique quilt fragment, sequins, 60 x 74 ¾ inches, 2017.