10 Facts About Radka Donnell

Radka Donnell, was a feminist, painter, art therapist, poet, translator, storyteller, and pioneer of modern quilt-making.

Radka Donnell explored what quilts can mean and look like, as distinct from traditional quilting and the fine arts culture.

Radka Donnell lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the early 1970s, where she influenced younger artists, and worked to secure and organize shows of her own and other contemporary quilters, seeking recognition for quilt artists on equal footing with those working in more recognized media.

Radka Donnell was the first quilt artist to take a feminist stance and speak of quilts as a liberation issue.

Radka Donnell was one of the first to employ machine quilting for speed and sturdiness.

Radka Donnell employed other professional quilters to assure the quilts would stand up to hard use and repeated washes.

Radka Donnell created over 700 quilts in her lifetime, both hand and machine quilted.

Radka Donnell often used whatever fabric she had at hand, cutting up clothing as well as pieces of cloth she gathered or that others had sent to her.

Radka Donnell spoke about the tactile "touchy" nature of the quilt, the physical and symbolic comfort they provide as representations of "home" and their link to traditional roles of women as caregivers and homemakers.

Radka Donnell wrote and published in both German and English, with most of her poetry books in German.