The Hendricks Collection and Alegre Retreat by Sandra Sider
M
aureen Hendricks developed an interest in contemporary art quilts when she participated in a series of studio workshops taught by Katie Pasquini Masopust, Sue Benner, and others. Many of the workshops she attended were offered at Masopust’s Alegre Retreat, which was originally conducted in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2005 Masopust had to end her workshops in Santa Fe. Since the Alegre Retreat experiences had become so important to Hendricks, she invited Masopust to establish a new Alegre Retreat at the Gateway Canyons Resort, which Maureen and her husband John had built at the western edge of Colorado for the purpose of offering a variety of enrichment opportunities in a spectacular natural environment. The Gateway Canyons Resort site also houses the Gateway Colorado Automobile Museum, approximately 30,000 square feet showcasing more than
forty classic American cars. Both wife and husband have a collector’s eye for quality and style — Maureen for quilt art and interior design, and John for automotive design and photography. They also understand American popular culture, having founded the very successful Discovery Channel. To enhance the Hendricks’ Colorado ranch and Gateway Canyons Resort,
Maureen Hendricks commissioned two quilts from Masopust and purchased a third one, Grapes, after she saw it in an exhibition in California. She also purchased dozens of 12-inch-square quilts in the SAQA online auction, with 36
Palisade Triptych Katie Pasquini Masopust 72 x 186 inches, 2009
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 3
