Art Quilts of the Midwest by Linzee Kull McCray

I received this book as an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I saw this book on my NetGalley Dashboard, and I was instantly drawn in by the cover. Something about the colors, and the texture, and the balance really appealed to me. I was also drawn in by the subject; my mother has been quilting my entire life, and it's always appealed to me. I've even made a few small projects of my own. It was interesting to see the different approaches, and interpretations of quilts in thi I received this book as an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I saw this book on my NetGalley Dashboard, and I was instantly drawn in by the cover. Something about the colors, and the texture, and the balance really appealed to me. I was also drawn in by the subject; my mother has been quilting my entire life, and it's always appealed to me. I've even made a few small projects of my own. It was interesting to see the different approaches, and interpretations of quilts in this book, and even when they didn't appeal to me visually I was interested in the artist. It was nice to have, instead of artist biographies, the artist talk about their process, their inspirations, and their themes and ideas. It added a richness and a depth to the book, and let me better appreciate their work. It would have been nice to have more than just one man, but overall it felt like a diverse group, and I liked the diversity of quilts. There were touches of snobbery, and elitism in some of the artists, but I'm glad that didn't feel overwhelming, and not everyone was wrapped up in the idea of artist versus quilter. I liked how the variety in the theme of the book as well, and how a sense of place carried through, but was different for each artist. It's not a place I've ever been, but it was interesting seeing how these artists reflected on, identified with, and reacted to their surroundings. Overall an interesting book, and one I'm glad that I took the time to read. mle