Since I was going to be in Grand Central Station to go up to the Capitol Theatre to see Trombone Shorty, I decided I’d stop in the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex to see the Grand Central Centennial Quilts exhibit, which is running until 6 July 2014.

From the site: “Last year, The City Quilter, a Manhattan-based fabric store, partnered with American Patchwork & Quilting for a national quilt-making contest of landmark proportions…For the contest, The City Quilter designed two beige and aqua fabrics, one modeled off the Main Concourse sky ceiling, the other a collage of distinctive features of the Terminal, including the Information Booth Clock, 42nd Street’s imposing statuary group, train track numbers and timetables. With the requirement to use these fabrics in their design, 81 contestants from 25 states submitted quilts for the chance to win a $2,000 grand prize and display their work at the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store.”

The 30 displayed quilts are beautifully made and gorgeous representations of Grand Central Station.

This is the Grand Prize winner:

Looking at the quilts I was thinking about Judy Chicago’s work and how artwork done by women are traditionally called crafts. Yet the quilt I liked the most was probably the least “crafty”.

Second Prize winner:

There were other abstract quilts:

Clocks:

Mandalas (First Prize winner):

The windows:

Outside:

Inside:

Tracks:

And a cake:

This is a wonderful free exhibit and doesn’t take long to walk through – it all depends how long you like to look at beautiful artwork.

More photos here.

By Carene Lydia Lopez