An Atlas Composed of Quilts:
The Textile Art of Adrienne Yorinks
A Mishkin Gallery Summer Showcase

June 6 - June 28, 2000

Textile artist and quilt-maker Adrienne Yorinks uses her creations to tell stories, evoke distant places, and illustrate America's history and heritage. Her quilted geography lesson, "A Journey from Australia to Zimbabwe," will be on view at Baruch College's Mishkin Gallery from June 6-28, 2000. An exhibition of 31 small (most are approximately 21 x 32'1 quilts, each emblematic of a country or region of the world, this collection of vibrant fabric art is the basis of a children's book, The Alphabet Atlas, produced by Ms.Yorinks in collaboration with her husband, the writer Arthur Yorinks.

27 of the 31 quilts in the exhibition depict a contour map of a country or region and incorporate the animals, plants and design elements associated with it. Whenever possible, Ms. Yorinks uses indigenous fabrics-luminescent silks for Japan, the coarse brown "mud cloth" of Africa for a textile map of Kenya. Her designs combine both traditional and modem elements in a harmonious whole. Complementing Yorinks' evocative use of fabric colors and textures is the "letter art" of calligrapher Jeanyee Wong, who collaborated on The Alphabet Atlas.

Ms. Yorinks loves fabrics and believes that their "feel" is imbedded in peoples'earliest memories, from the time they first become aware of their mother's clothing. Her profound affinity for cloth of all textures, hues and designs is part of what makes her quilts so vivid and full of emotion and meaning.

Ms. Yorinks' earlier work, including "Stand for Children," a series of 24 quilts illustrating Marian Wright Edelman's book of the same name, has received extensive praise. In 1996, Ms. Yorink created a giant ( 119 x 103") quilt called "Look at Their Faces," to commemorate the 150th anniversary of The City University of New York. The quilt, which utilized archival photos and fabrics from over 20 countries, celebrated CUNY's rich history and diverse student body.

Adrienne Yorinks' work has been exhibited in university and crafts museums around the country. For the past five years her quilts have been shown in the Quilter's Heritage Celebration in Lancaster, Pennsyvlania. "A Journey from Australia to Zimbabwe: Textile Art by Adrienne Yorinks" will be at the Mishkin Gallery from June 6 to June 28, 2000. Opening Reception June 6, 5-7pm.

The Sidney Mishkin Gallery is located at Baruch College, 135 East 22 Street, New York City.
Gallery hours are:
Monday-Friday, 12 noon-5 p.m.
Thursdays, 12 noon-7 p.m.
All exhibitions at the gallery are free and open to the public.

© 2000 Sidney Mishkin Gallery, Baruch College

Zane Berzins (news office)
(212) 802-2881
zberzins@newton.baruch.cuny.edu