Chicago Art Deco

Entry #: TT 2133

Entrant: Lynn Anson-Cartwright

Dimensions: 43" x 63"

Materials: Cotton fabric, cotton and silk embroidery thread and coloured marking pens.

Techniques: Machine piecing, as well as hand embroidery, appliqué and quilting.

Credits: Design taken from a large steel grille set into a marble wall of the (then) "Chicago Daily News" building (now, Two Riverside Plaza), built in 1929, Holabird and Root Architects. Artist unknown. The design is in keeping with a simplified Edgar Brandt style. Photograph by Michael Anson-Cartwright.

Artist’s Statement: Art deco buildings offer breath-taking gems with every aspect of their design elements. This quilt pattern is taken from a steel grille I saw in the concourse. I colourized the pattern, used a fabric-reverse technique to shade the steel bars and added curly-cue motifs to the corners.