A Trip to Ken Burns’ “Uncovered” Exhibit
A Guest Post by Vanessa Denniston
I have two avocations in my life. They are films and quilts. They have both magically intersected at the exhibit of The Ken Burns collection of quilts called “Uncovered.” Thankfully, I was able to attend the exhibit here in Greenville, South Carolina at the Upcountry History Museum.
I minored in film during my undergrad years. My first job was at a production company editing videos and working with large multi-screen productions for corporate clients. Learning video editing was when I first heard of Ken Burns the filmmaker and the now-famous library of techniques called the “Ken Burns Effect.” His “Effects” include panning and zooming when not enough video images are available. This is a common occurrence while producing corporate videos (long before iPhones arrived that can now film everything).
Ken Burns is most well-known for his documentary series on The Civil War, baseball, jazz, the national parks, America’s Best Idea and more. He has been well recognized and applauded in the film industry with Emmy Awards and Academy Award nominations.
In 2018, Ken Burns elected to publicly share his quilt collection that contains 28 quilts at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. You can see a 5-minute video tour on this YouTube video from Nebraska Public Media.
The “Uncovered” exhibit here in Greenville, SC holds the same integrity as the initial exhibit and respectfully displays hand-sewn quilts that date from the 1850s to the 1940s. The traditional quilts are a historical glimpse of our country in a medium that chronicles women and their families during this era of an emerging America.
Ken Burns’ visual commentary frames the quilts in the exhibit and brings to life his personal connection and appreciation of the art and beauty found in quilt making. Burns believes quilts and film both bring a collective expression to individuals, geography and culture. An example of his passion is portrayed in this statement: “Quilts are the art form that really excites me. The calculus in all art is that the effect of something is more than the individual materials that have gone into making it.”
Now, as I work for a fabric manufacturer, one of Ken Burns’ profound statements in the exhibit struck my heart and gave validation to this part of my career. The statement goes like this: “There’s nothing more directly linked to who we are than the fabric that we make.”
Below are a few pictures that I took at the exhibit, but unfortunately don’t do justice to the entirety. If you have the chance to see this exhibit it is a worthy endeavor. It would be best to see the experience in person. “Uncovered” will be displayed at the Upcountry History Museum in Greenville, SC through January 22, 2022. The exhibit’s next stop will be at the Riverfront Museum in Peoria, Illinois beginning March 5 to June 5, 2022.
