Midtown Direct

This quilt tells the story of my daily commute between Maplewood, New Jersey and Manhattan, on a train called "Midtown Direct." It was designed to represent a fictitious commemorative stamp honoring the ten-year anniversary of this train service. I began this quilt in 1998, by piecing together a woven picture of the World Trade Center and fabric with train imagery. It was my intention to create a grid over the image of the WTC that would resemble train ties and rails. The power lines and transformers that would obstruct a passenger's first glimpse from the train of the Twin Towers suggested to me this grid. This was my most favorite view during my commute. Other fabrics were chosen to represent seats on the train, views through the windows, and the tunnel passing under the Hudson River. Collection of The Newark Museum, Newark, NJ, Purchase 2006, Estate of Eileen Keely Hunnikin.