Hills, Fields, River and Two Trees: Scenes from Western Massachusetts

The four courtrooms of the U.S. Courthouse in Springfield are named after the four counties of the federal court’s western division: Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden.  Inspired by the verdant landscapes of these Massachusetts counties, artist Ann Brauer created four groups of quilted triptychs for the courtrooms.

Each quilt relies on careful modulation of pattern and color to evoke elements of the natural settings that inspired Brauer.  These quilts distill impressions of fleeting moments that she experienced in the western Massachusetts landscape, such as sun filtering through crimson autumn leaves, the blue haze on rolling hills in the heat of summer, and the subtle golden colors of a hayfield mowed and raked into rows. 

Brauer drew upon the distinct character of each county to give each courtroom’s quilts their own personalities.  For the triad of quilts that represent Hampden County, where Springfield is located, Brauer drew upon three major elements: the Connecticut River that flows through the city, the sun as it rises and sets across the landscape, and the massive copper beech and linden trees around which the courthouse curves.  Brauer referenced the rich farmland along the Connecticut River for the patterns and colors in the Hampshire quilts.  For the Berkshire quilts, Brauer was inspired by the majestic mountains that dominate this western-most county.  Franklin County reflects all three of the other counties, with the river, its farms, and the western hills.  (Brauer’s studio was in Franklin County, too – in Shelburne Falls, approximately 45 miles north of Springfield.)  Together, Brauer’s twelve quilts tell a simple story about the beauty of western Massachusetts, rendered as in impressionistic panorama across all four courtrooms.