Quilts of Many Contributors

By Linda Lee —

While Andrea Grover, the director of Guild Hall, was undergoing treatment for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a chronic disease that attacks the brain and spine, she often felt weak and cold. She sometimes needed a Rollator to walk. Members of her board of directors even turned up at her house, she said in an interview, to help clean.

A definitive diagnosis of ALS, which normally offers a lifespan of only three to five years, wasn’t made until January, 2026. She eventually got the good news from the Mayo Clinic, like winning Powerball, she says, that her ALS was from a genetic error known as SOD1 for which there is an effective medication. With that, it is possible that the progression of ALS will be halted or even reversed.

Andrea Grover, arriving at the Gala, uses a cane when walking on uneven ground. (Photo credit: Katlean De Monchy)

Meanwhile, she needs rest and time for doctor visits, which can be a problem for a normally dynamic leader of a thriving cultural center, a wife, and mother of two daughters. She was in fact reluctant to go along with the idea, from Marty Cohen, president of the board, that Guild Hall’s summer gala could be a celebration of her ten year anniversary at the museum.

But with hope that she would be able to rally, and wanting to mark this moment in her life, she said yes.

Two quilts, side by side, with blocks provided by 81 artists and the staff of Guild Hall, a labor of love.

That was when her staff came up with an idea: a quilt made with squares by the many artists in her life. Amy Steinhaus Kirwin, Guild Hall’s chief impact officer, and Kristin Eberstadt, chief philanthropy officer, schemed it up. Kirwin was the engine behind reaching the artists, gathering their contributions and organizing the actual production of the quilt.

“I sent letters to every artist I could think of,” Kirwin says, “and everyone who wrote back contributed a piece.” Their remit was to produce a piece of material 12 inches square, something personal for Andrea. The outpouring of creativity included reproductions of works artists knew Grover had on her walls (a famous photo of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat from 1985 by Michael Halsband), a comic turn on her name (Karen Simon’s image of the muppet Grover holding a mic), Robert Longo’s easily identifiable black-and-white tree, Arcmanoro Niles’ sensitive monochrome painting, Clare Watson’s abstract six-pointed star, Mary Hellman’s color-field painting of Playa Del Ray (1996), an Eric Fishl etching, and April Gornik’s offering: a dog wearing sunglasses that reflect two portraits, one of Andrea Grover, the other of her husband, Carlos Lama.

Apri Gornik’s clever double portrait: Carlos Llama and his wife, Andrea Grover.

Stitching the quilt fell to a five-person team led by the wife of the chairman of the board, Michele Cohen. Guild Hall staff members contributed small artworks that were incorporated into one 12-inch block. Allowing one inch on each side for stitching the pieces together, then pressing, the resulting blocks were ten inches each. When the pieces that arrived by the deadline were counted, they had enough to make two quilts: one six-by-six blocks, the other six-by-eight blocks.

In addition to producing the two quilts, Amy Kirwin wrote, created and edited a 100-page book, “A Quilt of Many Colors,” about the project, which can be pre-ordered from Guild Hall for $100 plus $12 for shipping and handling. It handsomely reproduces the individual blocks and details the making of the quilt.

At the Gala, the presentation; daughters Lola and Gigi Llama with Andrea Grover are presented with the two quilts by Kirsten Eberstadt and Amy Steinhaus Kirwin, holding the book. (Photo credit: David X Prutting/BFA)

Now this is the part of the story that is hard to believe. Amy Kirwin swears it is true. Remember that Grover was dealing with many things in the months leading up to the gala, her health, treatments, decisions about invitations, her family. She often felt tired, and had to take time off. Amy Kirwin swears that Grover had no idea the quilts were being made.

When they were presented to her at the gala, and she was shown the book, she was floored.