There has been a lot of talk on the net this past week about the March issue of Quilter's Home magazine. Joann Fabrics, Walmart, and I think Barnes and Noble too, have decided not to sell this issue in their stores. An article on page 24 about shocking quilts is . . . simply put, shocking. This issue is wrapped in plastic so as to not offend anyone. Well, I found it offensive. A photo of a quilt made by Shawn Quinlan featuring Jesus in western garb, halo and a gun covers 2/3 of the page. It is part of an article by Jake Finch on how controversial a quilter should be when making an "art quilt."
The idea to put the magazine in plastic wrap is ridiculous. No quilter would be put off from buying it because of the plastic. We know what is typically featured in a quilting magazine and would never imagine anyhing so hateful in a quilt magazine. Ususally when a magazine is wrapped in plastic it is because there is an extra brochure included. It seems to me the decision to put it in plastic wrap was a marketing decision to entice unsuspecting readers.
The photos of the other quilts in the article are much smaller, a third of a column space in a 3 column page. So why does Jesus get such a big space? To show the publisher's disregard for the Christian faith is what I think. However, there are better ways to say what you believe without offending people.
This quilt is so revolting I can see money for the arts dwindling just as it did a few years ago when a painter painted a scene of Jesus urinating on the earth from the sky. I can't imagine why Mr. Quinlan would spend all the time that it takes to make a quilt for something like this. What was he thinking as he made it? I would never even think about making a so-called "art quilt" that poked fun at any religion.
I am very upset with Quilter's Home. This article does not maintain the light heartedness that the magazine is known for. The author of the article did not even have a conclusion on the subject so why did he bother to write it? Was it just to show photos of shocking quilts? While I will probably keep buying Quilter's Home at the news stand, I have put off my previous decision to subscribe. I just can't trust Mark Lipinski not to hurt me again. It was a poor decision to publish the photo of this quilt in the article.
6 comments:
Thanks for the briefing on the article, Violette. I've seen tidbits with no serious references and have wondered what exactly happened under-wraps! I don't subscribe to the mag and don't care to buy this 'special issue' off the newsstand just to see what all the brouhaha is about.
Given that quilting has been elevated from a functional and traditional craft to "art", there is the good or evil side that we must learn to cope with (and/or tolerate) -- simply because a quilt can often be considered "art". That's "art".
Not all "art" is good -- some is disturbing and intentionally shocking to viewers. But of course, that is personal perception and is based on our own value system. Like other forms of "art", I suppose we must learn tolerance so as not to push the censorship-buttons, but I find a subject like Jesus-ridicule to be shallow and intentionally mean-spirited. This subject matter has been tried before in other mediums. I feel it should go in the ho-hum category rather than elevated for more power/significance and attention than it undoubtedly does NOT deserve. Here in the US, Christians are the majority at around 85% or so of the general population. Christians are a very tolerant people and they have been under ridicule and attack in the past few years. Each year at Christmas, we see same-ole-same-ole athiest mockeries that only come out in December. Methinks this Quinn loon missed the holiday deadline! And it does make me wonder why Lipinski would have published such a piece, knowing it was so offensive that plastic wrap was required (or considered a good marketing strategy). Perhaps Lipinski will learn a hard lesson with his freedom of his press.
Hi,
I didn't see the article and haven't read any of the magazine's issues. But I did visit Shawn's website and saw a photo of the art quilt featuring Jesus. What I saw didn't seem distasteful, but then I couldn't see it in detail.
It seems that Shawn has accomplished quite a bit with his art and has been featured in some fine venues, so perhaps that is why his piece was given the most space in the article. And I suppose if the article is about shocking, there's nothing that set some people to take notice than using Jesus's presumed facade on a quilt. Of course the Jesus he used reflects the white cultural icon for Jesus. That alone has been controversial through the years and many Christians continue to view Jesus as a white man with familiar Anglo-Saxton features. Many do not.
I haven't heard the story behind the quilt, the message or anything else about the quilt. But anytime someone thinks censorship is a good thing, I get quite concerned. A disclaimer on the magazine display might have been more to my liking than choosing not to sell the magazine because of the content.
It certainly has made for interesting discussions.
Dawn
Hi Dawn, thanks for visiting my blog. I believe that the story behind the quilt has to do with members of the National Rifle Association being associated with Christianity. Mr. Quinlan says he saw a pro NRA, pro Jesus sign and thought it was funny. While it is true that NRA members tend to be fundamentalist Christians, I have a problem with the Prince of Peace being depicted with a gun. It seems blasphemous to me. I have been thinking about the censorship argument and am not sure that I buy it. After all, if Joann's was forced to sell this issue then similarly they would have to sell magazines such as Hustler, Deer Hunter and every other magazine. Is a decision not to carry Hustler censorship? Every store makes a decision concerning what their customers will buy and how they will react to certain products. I don't think this is censorship but rather marketing. Of course, Quilter's Home has the right to publish anything they wish. Unfortunately, I don't feel the same way about this magazine as I did before and that upsets me too. I have always loved reading the magazine but I was not able to enjoy any other part of this issue. I hope this feeling doesn't last but I doubt if I will ever feel the same about the magazine. You are right that maybe a disclaimer on the magazine rack would have been a good solution. I also think a more realistic disclaimer should have been on the cover of the magazine.
This was interesting. I didn't pay a lot of attention to the discussion on my quilt group, because I don't buy the magazine anyway, but what I did read was something about nudity in quilts, not about this quilt at all. Very interesting. Sounds like they managed to offend quite a few groups of quilters.
Isn't it possible that the artist wants to make the very same point you do: The Prince of Peace and a gun are totally incompatible? Art is supposed to make you think, right? I think the piece says, "Hello, Christians? Are you really following the teachings of the person you call Lord?" Think about it--don't react as if everything is a personal assault against your religion. Your religion should be able to stand up to some serious reflection, and, yes, criticism, too. There have been tons of outrageous things done by Christians, officially sanctioned by Christian churches and secretly condoned by churches. Being in the majority does not mean that everything you do and think is right.
Hi Lynn, thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment with your name! You are correct that Christians have behaved horribly through out the centuries. I believe that this topic is fair game. I just don't like attacks in the personhood of Christ. Let me add that I don't think everything Christians do today is right. In fact, alot of what I see and hear is just as horrible as what happened in the past. I am not angry from feeling that this quilt is an assault on my religion, organized religion is fair game, organized religion can be very ugly. I believe that the quilt is an assault on the personhood of the Christ. I hope this explains my feelings.
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