Artist Rachel B. Hayes has been commissioned to make sculptural textile installations by many types of organizations. She has created works for Missoni, the Italian fashion firm, and has a permanent installation inside the headquarters of Facebook. Her work is in museums too. But she was extra excited when the International Quilt Museum (IQM) commissioned a work in 2022.
“I was surprised and thrilled by the invitation because it is like a new world that I sometimes reference in my work and have dalliances with,” Rachel said. “Though I am very much inspired by quilts, I know I am not making quilts. Quilters come from all over to visit this museum and see amazing exhibitions and collections, and it is probably a surprise to see my work. This installation makes me feel accepted into that world.”
Quiltfolk has already welcomed Rachel as one of us: she was profiled in Issue 31: Oklahoma, in an article titled “Patchwork in the Sky.” Her work at IQM in Lincoln, Nebraska, wasn’t installed yet when that issue was published, but I happened to be attending a board meeting there this summer, right after her piece was unveiled. I got a chance to speak with Rachel then and afterward, in a Zoom interview.
While Rachel creates both indoor and outdoor artworks, The Space Between is both. There is an enormous, brightly colored patchwork triangle that hugs part of the building’s glass façade, and inside, there is a series of 10 smaller triangles hung from the ceiling over a dramatic staircase leading to the galleries.
From inside looking out, the big triangle takes on the appearance of a stained glass window. When light streams through both the outdoor and indoor elements, bands of color dance on the floor below, making it seem very kinetic.
Rachel, who has a poetic way of expressing herself, loved observing the dance of light when the piece was installed. “It’s like the piece comes to life and goes to sleep and has moods,” she said. “In most spaces where I’ve installed pieces, there is no direct sunlight, and you don’t get that moment of glory from the sun.”
Visitors to the museum are entranced by those interactive qualities. Leslie Levy, executive director of IQM, said that longtime fans of the museum have made a point to come check out the new installation and are giving it rave reviews. “New visitors and children are really awed by it,” she said. “One volunteer who is here every week told me, ‘I can’t get enough of it!’”
Leslie has noticed that many visitors take photos, including selfies, of the constantly changing reflections that dapple the floor, as well as themselves. “We knew this piece would be a show-stopper, but it has definitely surpassed our expectations,” she said.
And it’s not just visitors to the museum who are wildly enthusiastic: Leslie said the first big surprise was that, as soon as this project was announced in IQM’s donor newsletter, “we immediately had someone reach out about funding it.”
Rachel’s work first attracted Leslie when she noticed it on social media and immediately wondered if it would fit in the museum. She started discussing the possibility with Collections Manager Sarah Wolcott, who also admired Rachel’s work. For a year, they talked through logistics and costs internally before reaching out to the artist.
Many times, Rachel has to design works without getting a chance to visit a site, so she was delighted to accept an invitation to see the museum. It turns out she has a personal connection to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, whose campus IQM sits on: Rachel’s uncle taught at the university for 40 years and was an agricultural researcher. Rachel grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and had visited him often. Her uncle, now in his 80s, was happy to host her and her family when she, her husband, and children came to see the museum.
Just taking that long, winding walk up IQM’s stairs, Rachel knew she wanted to hang flag-like elements up high, but there weren’t a lot of places to attach the fabric. “I like to work with a Log Cabin pattern, starting in the middle and working outward, but because of the constraints of hanging things, I thought triangles would be easier than squares,” she said.
Rachel and the IQM team during the process of hanging her installation. Photos by Jackson Wilde.
Rachel likes to think about “how a body is going to walk through a space, and what they will see along the way.” She made some quick sketches “from my gut” on that first trip, and Leslie immediately said, “Go for it.”
“There is a delicate balance between overpowering a space and having a real presence without overpowering it,” Rachel said. Without a doubt, she found that balance here. Her bright, kite-like banners draw the eye but seem to float near the ceiling as one mounts the stairs. They make the place seem bigger and airier and hint at the artworks coming at the top of the stairs.
This work is meant to be a “permanent” installation, but obviously, sun and wind will affect the materials over time, especially outdoors.
For anyone worried about the work’s longevity, Rachel was proud to report that it has already survived its first real trial: a summer storm with 90-mile-per-hour winds. “I’m so proud that the outdoor piece rode out this storm,” she said. “The thing is that people build shade structures with these types of materials in parks. They are strong, industrial-grade textiles that I’ve tried to make beautiful. It’s further proof of my thesis that textiles can be everywhere and anywhere.”
The materials Rachel uses indoors are completely different: see-through “shimmer organza that is used in theater productions to catch light.” Organza strips are sewn next to bright acetate fabrics used in theater lighting gels, which Rachel said are available in 1,000 colors.
Rachel was working on her piece for IQM while Quiltfolk was there for her photoshoot, which accompanied her feature in Issue 31: Oklahoma. She’s seen here holding a roll of theater lighting gel and working with it on her machine. Photos by Azuree Holloway.
For those who are curious about her process, Rachel recorded a fascinating Zoom Textile Talk inside her vast studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She demonstrates how she uses her favorite materials and stitches them together on her industrial sewing machine for this piece and others she has created throughout her career.
And for anyone who might want to travel to Lincoln in late September, there is going to be a public opening with the artist present at the museum on Saturday, September 28, 2024, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Meg Cox joined the Quiltfolk team in 2018 and has written for the magazine and contributed to many other projects since. Learn more about Meg on her website.
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