Displaying four vibrant quilts from the late 1970s and early ’80s, this show of Rosie Lee Tompkins’ work invites the viewer to consider both the front and back of the textiles, with three of them hanging from the ceiling. Intricate and tactile, the quilts incorporate various materials, from the American flag to patterned silk scarves to pieces of other quilts, mostly cut into traditional square or half-square triangle patches; while clusters of dangling yarn give them a three-dimensional texture, her compositions are like geometric paintings held together by colorful thread. Upon close inspection, you can see where her sewing machine started and stopped, what was hand-sewn, and how she pieced everything together. Hanging at more than six feet long, Tompkins’ quilts are full of detail and painstaking dedication, and each one tells its own story.

“Rosie Lee Tompkins (1936-2006)”
GGLA
3407 Verdugo Road
Los Angeles, CA 90065
On view through July 15, 2023