After years as an influential feature in the Indianapolis art scene, Philip Campbell is much more concerned with creating accessible and intentional art than he is about following the rules and norms of the traditional art world. In fact, it’s those very norms that have inspired his latest body of work, a series of immersively tactile and evocatively nostalgic quilts.

How a piece feels, literally, became central to his artwork after he watched guards flock to a woman who had reached out and touched a piece on display at a sculpture exhibit. Since then, Campbell has adopted the heritage craft of quilting to create his “security blankets” in a variety of styles. They have hung on the walls in his exhibitions and served as the walls of quilt forts in others.

Blind Spots, Recycled clothing, 60” x 60 “

“Comfort” is a new collection of quilts made from old fabrics, with each portion a piece of “used clothing worn by our neighbors.” Even more than the “sense of home” created by the presence of a quilt itself, that brings up images of a grandmother somewhere, whether fictional or real, Campbell’s quilts connect to a sense of place. They are created from local clothing collected from Goodwills or given by friends, allowing the audience to participate in his craft just as the members of a family might, were the quilt their own.

Campbell refers to his current artistic delivery as a “language” we understand. Not only is the art tangibly accessible, it is emotionally accessible as well. The security blankets offer a sense of groundedness in their exhibition and in their process of creation. The meditative tedium in construction is an antidote to the rushed and isolated sensations of a modern life and a fitting product from a year spent at home.

Campbell’s quilts display a “sum of memories.” They represent the “collective strength and wisdom of many Hoosiers” whose lived experiences, once joined together, elevate the formerly individual parts. Bright colors and contrasting blocks that might appear harsh on a canvas are, here, the ideal balance of comfort and security— often, though not always, the same thing.

Comfort will be on display in the Harrison Center’s City Gallery for the month of May. The exhibit can be viewed by appointment as well as in our online gallery, where all pieces are available for purchase.