Interview with Karen Musgrave, April 2, 2008

Partial Transcript: This is Carolyn Kolzow and I'm conducting a Quilters' S.O.S - Save our Stories interview, with Karen Musgrave. Karen is in Naperville, Illinois, and I'm in Beaverton, Oregon. So we're conducting this interview by telephone. Today's date is April the 2nd, and it's 3:30 in the afternoon.

Segment Synopsis: Musgrove talks about how Ami Simms' call for quilts galvanized her to make a quilt for her mother-in-law, who has Alzheimer's. She describes her touchstone quilt, "Shattered." In particular, she talks about the quilt's central motif of hands representing family members, with her mother-in-law's hands shown as shattered. Musgrave discusses other imagery, her techniques, and problems with her sewing machine while she made the quilt. She was the first person to turn her quilt in to Ami Simms for the Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece exhibit.

Keywords: Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece; Ami Simms; Carolyn Kolzow; Fabric dyeing; Lonni Rossi; Mickey Lawler; Quilting; Techniques

Subjects: Alzheimer's disease

Partial Transcript: So I made the quilt, and I was the first person, to enter a quilt in the exhibition, with less then a week after the call, and then I had to sit and wait, to find out, because it was a juried exhibition, whether or not my quilt would get in.

Segment Synopsis: Because Musgrave submitted her quilt very early, she had to wait several months to find out if her quilt had been accepted for the exhibit. She was very excited when it was accepted. Ann Louise Mullard-Pugh turned in a quilt with somewhat similar imagery and the same name, but had to change the name of her quilt, because Musgrave had the first claim to that name. Musgrave discusses seeing the exhibit and white gloving for it twice. She describes her personal experiences and the responses of attendees as emotional, and says that the exhibit is powerful. Musgrave adds that watching and listening to other people viewing her quilts and in the exhibit was interesting.

Keywords: Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece; Quilt Purpose - Exhibition; Quilt purpose - Disease/illness

Partial Transcript: What do you plan to do with your quilt?

Segment Synopsis: Musgrave does not have a plan for the quilt once it is returned from the exhibit. She says that her family members liked the quilt, although her son found it a bit odd when she wanted to trace his hand. Her family members have not seen the exhibit yet. They are used to Musgrave quilting and perhaps take it for granted. Musgrave says that quilts are always better when you see them yourself.

Keywords: Family

Partial Transcript: The quilts in the exhibit, uh, did you find that they seemed different from the book or from what's on the CD?

Segment Synopsis: Musgrave discusses the pros and cons of the different formats used by the exhibit to display the quilts. She praises Ami Simms for the project and also for her inclusion of an educational component in the marketing. Musgrave highlights the fact that the exhibit's profits are donated for Alzheimer's research. Musgrave talks, from the perspective of a family member, about how devastating Alzheimer's disease is. She discusses the situation of her mother-in-law, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's more than a decade ago. Musgrave finds having her quilt in the exhibit validating.

Keywords: Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece; Ami Simms; Quilt Purpose - Charity; Quilt Purpose - Exhibition; Quilt Purpose - Fundraising; Quilt purpose - Disease/illness; Quilt shows/exhibitions

Partial Transcript: Now has the exhibit come through the Chicago area twice, is that?

Segment Synopsis: The quilt exhibit was in both Schaumburg and Woodridge, Illinois. In Schaumburg, Musgrave made a half day visit and worked as a white glove volunteer. In Woodridge, she ran the exhibit and took part in a number of different volunteer tasks. She found her knowledge about the quilts, from having interviewed a number of the quilt makers, very useful in showing attendees details that they might have otherwise missed. She agrees that reviewing the CD in advance would be helpful for people planning to attend the show.

Keywords: Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece; Becky Goldsmith; Illinois; Joan Hailey Hansen; Mancuso quilt shows; Quilt shows/exhibitions; Schaumburg; Woodridge

Partial Transcript: How many quilts are in the exhibit?

Segment Synopsis: There are 52 quilts in the exhibit, which were made by 54 quilters. At the time of the interview, the exhibit has been traveling for two and a half years, with at least another year to go (which is half a year longer than the original plan). It is being shown in places that do not usually have quilt shows and has been viewed by many, many people. Musgrave thinks that the phenomenon of a traveling show with an educational component is unique to the quilt community and speaks well of it. She is not sure what she will do with the quilt after the exhibit. A decision might require a family meeting.

Keywords: Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece; Family; Quilt shows/exhibitions

Partial Transcript: And that brings me to ask you about, priority quilts for, an Alzheimer's project. Have you participated in those?

Segment Synopsis: Musgrave has been making quilts for the Priority: Alzheimer's quilt project. The auctioning of these small quilts is another fundraising tool of the Alzheimer's Art Quilts Initiative. Musgrave has committed to the $1,000 Promise, so she will continue to make priority quilts until she has raised $1,000. The Alzheimer's Art Quilts Initiative also sells merchandise. At the time of the interview, the initiative has raised $157,000 for Alzheimer's research. Musgrave speaks briefly of a friend with early on-set Alzheimer's, and her inability to come up with an appropriate quilt design to depict that situation.

Keywords: $1,000 Promise; Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative; Betty Donahue; Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilt Challenge; Quilt Purpose - Fundraising

Partial Transcript: Do you think of yourself as more of an artist than a quiltmaker?

Segment Synopsis: Whether Musgrave describes herself as an artist or a quiltmaker varies, but she does consider herself both. She belongs to a number of different quilt groups, with varying purposes, but does not currently belong to any specific one of her local guilds. She prefers to interact with all of them. She does think that group membership is important. At the time of the interview, she chairs the Quilter's S.O.S. - Save Our Stories project. Musgrave notes that while creation may be very solitary, quilting also has a social aspect to it.

Keywords: Alliance for American Quilts; American Quilter's Society (AQS); Chooseaday; Divas; International Quilt Association; National Quilting Association; Postmark'd Art; Professional Art Quilts Alliance; Quilt groups; Quilt history; Quiltart; Studio Art Quilt Associates

Partial Transcript: What are you working on right now?

Segment Synopsis: Current projects include a balcony in Tbilisi, Georgia which Musgrove is recreating in fabric (genre unspecified), a mask, collage, an alphabet quilt for her great-niece, and some very small embroidered quilts for the Priority: Alzheimer's Quilt Project. She likes to work on a number of things at once, which gives her the opportunity to put one project down and go do something else if she gets stuck. She gets distracted, however, if she overdoes and attempts too many projects simultaneously. She likes working by both hand and machine. Failing to work on creative projects for too long makes her bad-tempered.

Keywords: Georgian Textile Group

Subjects: Quilting; Quiltmakers--United States

Partial Transcript: Describe your studio.

Segment Synopsis: Musgrave describes her studio space and her creative process as messy, as she does not want to spend time cleaning up during a project. She does not like to leave the studio messy indefinitely, especially when she is about to start a new project, so she has been building in time to clean it. She finds herself easily distracted by other projects when she attempts to clean it, though.

Keywords: Work or Studio space

Partial Transcript: Tell me about your travels.

Segment Synopsis: Musgrave expressed interest in volunteering to help textile artists in the country of Georgia after hearing Tricia Spitzmueller talk about her own trip there. Nothing came of that initially, but a year later, Spitzmueller recommended her to Nino Kipshidze as a possible speaker at the International Textile Symposium in Georgia. There were supposed to be several other participants traveling with her, but they backed out. Musgrave went by herself, with a suitcase of quilting supplies. She spoke, showed the quilts, and started a quilting group whose members all finished quilts, using supplies Musgrave had brought, by the end of the symposium. Musgrave offered ongoing support, including supplies, which are hard to find in Georgia.

Keywords: Georgian Quilt Group; Georgian Textile Group; International Textile Symposium; Nino Kipshidze; Professional Art Quilts Alliance; Tricia Spitzmueller

Partial Transcript: And I have been back five times.

Segment Synopsis: Musgrave discusses a variety of projects that she is involved in to help women and children in Georgia. Most or all of those projects involve teaching women and children sewing and/or quilting skills. The Georgian quilt group that she started is ongoing and she continues to "work with them" on her visits.

Keywords: Charitable work

Subjects: Quilting; Sewing

Partial Transcript: And I've been to Armenia, and I've been to Kazakhstan, and I've been to Kyrygistan. And when I, my first trip to Georgia, the American Embassy, the Public Relations Officer, asked me if I could bring the quilts of Gee's Bend, Alabama, to Georgia.

Segment Synopsis: An official at the American embassy in Georgia asked Musgrave to arrange for the quilts of Gee's Bend, Alabama to go to Georgia. She successfully wrote a proposal and arranged for twelve quilts to travel to Georgia, but stipulated that quilts from Georgia must be shown in the same exhibit. She also showed the Gee's Bend quilts in three Armenian cities, as well as in Kazakhstan, where she was able to arrange for Kazakh quilts to be shown at the same time. While in Kazakhstan, she taught techniques and arranged to meet with three different museums to discuss textiles.

Keywords: Armenia; Gee's Bend quilts; Georgia; Kazakhstan; Kyrgistan; Quilt shows/exhibitions; Teaching quiltmaking

Partial Transcript: So two years ago, Kyrgyzstan invited me to come, and so the agreement again was -- I took art quilts that time -- that we would have the art quilts of the United States, and we would also at the same time have the Kyrgyz patchwork.

Segment Synopsis: Later, Kyrgyzstan asked Musgrave to visit. She took art quilts, and they were exhibited alongside Kyrgyz patchwork. The exhibit was very well attended. She also gave an hour-long talk at the art school in Osh, Kyrgyzstan that was a brief overview of the history of quiltmaking in the United States. Her talk was followed by a question and answer session, which included some rather unexpected questions.

Keywords: Kyrgyzstan; Quilt history; Quilt shows/exhibitions; Teaching quiltmaking

Partial Transcript: Well I've enjoyed this interview, and I want to thank you for doing it with me.

Segment Synopsis: Kolzow and Musgrave conclude the phone interview.