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Quilt National 2013 opens in San Jose, California

Quilt National 2013 quilts in San Jose

Quilts by Molly Allen, Rita Merten, and Joan Schulze at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles.

San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles hosts Quilt National 2013

Quilt National 2013 (collections A & B) is now on view at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. Deborah Corsini, curator for the museum, has hung the show with thoughtful placement of works in the museum’s main galleries. The opening reception for the show was held on Sunday, May 18, in conjunction with a celebration of the San Jose Quilt & Textile Museum’s 37th anniversary, and a special artists gallery walk through the Quilt National exhibit.

NEW: be sure to check out the Quilt National ’13 slideshow

Go to 2013 Slideshow

San Jose museum is a great place to see Quilt National

The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles is a special venue for viewing Quilt National 2013. The three large gallery spaces provide room to enjoy the artwork both up close and far away, enabling exploration of both the exquisite craft and overall composition of each piece.  The beautiful lighting in the museum shows the Quilt National 2013 works to their best advantage.  Seen from across the large spaces, some works, like Deidre Adams’ Tracings III and Judith Content’s Cenote Azule actually glow.

Derdre Adams, Tracings III

Deirdre Adams and her quilt, Tracings III

The Quilt National 2013 artworks have been hung so as to suggest subtle themes of color, content, and composition.  In many cases the artwork seems to whisper quietly to its adjacent neighbors, as on the wall of subtle yet powerful artists quilts by Ellen Noble, Carol Goosens, Leslie Bixel, Judith Content and Jan Myers-Newbury in the main gallery, or the environmental themes of three quilts in the grey gallery by Leslie Rego, Katherine Knaur, and Nelda Warkentin.  The overall effect is an enjoyable, inspirational, and intriguing experience.

Gallery walk features seven Quilt National artists’ talks

Seven Quilt National artists were on hand to participate in a gallery walk through the exhibit.

  • Leslie Rego – Sun Valley, ID, Four Seasons at the Beaver Pond
  • Laura Fogg – Ukiah, CA, Jammin’
  • Kris Sazaki of the Pixeladies – Cameron Park, CA, American Still Life-The Weight of the Nation
  • Deidre Adams – Littleton, CO, Tracings III
  • Leslie Bixel – Los Gatos, CA, Decay
  • Judith Content – Palo Alto, CA,  Cenote Azule

Each artist shared their stories, inspirations and techniques.  Leslie Rego spoke passionately about her love for the natural beauty of Idaho, and how it informs her work.  Laura Fogg told the story behind Jammin’, and how she just happened to be at an event with her sewing machine and strolling musicians, enabling her to sketch with her machine from life.

Laura Fogg and Jammin'

Laura Fogg and her quilt Jammin’

Kris Sazaki described the process of making American Still Life – The Weight of the Nation with her partner “Pixelady” Deb Cashatt, as one of the funnest experiences in her life.  Deidre Adams talked about the unique “post quilting” painting technique she uses in her work.  Leslie Bixel spoke to the theme of her quilt, Decay and the surface design techniques of rusting and bleach discharging cloth that will also decay over time.

Kris Sazaki

Kris Sazaki of the Pixeladies with American Still Life- The Weight of the Nation

Wrapping up the event, Judith Content explained the arduous process of judging a Quilt National biennial competition, and her own experience in judging Quilt National 2013 with fellow jurors Linda Colsh and Penny McMorris. Judith also talked about her quilt Cenote Azul and the magical light of the skies in Pinnacles national park that inspired it.

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles logoTo find out more about the Quilt National 2013 exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles please visit their website for hours and upcoming events, including a special Fiber Talk organized by Curator of Collections, Nancy Bavor.

Special Event

Fiber Talk: Inside Quilt National with Judith Content and Joan Schulze, Sylvia Gegaregian, Leslie Bixel, Miriam Nathan-Roberts

Sunday, June 8, 2014: 1pm to 3pm

Ticket information is here on the museum website.

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Earth Stories opens at MSU Museum

by Leni Levenson Wiener, curator

Earth-Stories-at-MSU-photo-by-Pearl-Yee-Wong

Earth Stories will be on view at the MSU Museum until November 20, 2014. Photo by Pearl Yee Wong.

The idea behind SAQA’s Earth Stories exhibit was simple enough; artists were challenged to create large works (or installations) inspired by a person or project anywhere in the world doing something positive for the earth. The word positive was important—we wanted inspiring stories of people who were working to change the course of over consumption and decay, rather than to embrace negativity.

Earth-Stories-at-MSU-photoB-by-Pearl-Yee-Wong

The exhibit has 24 large quilts and 24 smaller summary quilts by the same artists.

Artists were chosen by a call for consideration. Each artist presented a portfolio of their work and Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi carefully chose the artists who would be included in the exhibition. They were given a little more than a year to complete their work in a very specific size—a footprint of 72” square or 72” on one side and at least 60” on the other.

As the curator of this exhibit I enjoyed watching the pieces develop and evolve and hearing the artists share their thoughts and progress. As one of the selected artists, I also shared the frustrations of finding an appropriate theme and creating such a large work.

brooke.Atherton

Palimpsest by Brooke Atherton, Billings Montana

Most remarkable about this exhibit is the breadth and scope of the projects that inspired the work of these twenty four magnificent pieces. Many of the artists in Earth Stories are QN artists, and although I do not have the space to celebrate them all, here are a few of their artworks.

Brooke Atherton, Billings Montana: Palimpsest

Inspired by: Floating Island International

Using a matrix formed from recycled plastic drinking bottles and native plants, floating islands manufactures artificial islands that are moveable or can be tethered in place to rebalance water ecosystems that humans have upset. Brooke has incorporated a Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt which has outlived its original purpose and repurposed into a new story that centers on repurposing for the sake of our planet.

MayaChaimovich_ASourceofLifeintheDeadSea

A Source of Life in the Dead Sea by Maya Chaimovich, Ramat Gan, Israel

Maya Chaimovich, Ramat Gan, Israel: A Source of Life in the Dead Sea

Inspired by: www.onlinedeadsea.com

The Israeli government has invested more than a billion dollars in a project called “The Dead Sea Harvest”, the intention of which is to extract mineral rich healing salt that has sunk to the bottom.

kathy_nida

Wise Choice by Kathy Nida, El Cajon, Ca

Kathy Nida, El Cajon, Ca: Wise Choice

Inspired by: International Planned Parenthood Federation

Many world-wide die from starvation or limited access to earth’s natural resources. When women can plan their lives and care for their families as they choose, the strain on limited natural resources will be reduced.

Light Towers by Mirjam Pet-Jacobs, The Netherlands

Light Towers by Mirjam Pet-Jacobs, The Netherlands

Mirjam Pet-Jacobs, Waalre, The Netherlands: Light Towers

Inspired by: The L Prize awarded to Royal Philips Electronics for an energy saving bulb with light similar to that of a common incandescent bulb.

Mirjam’s husband wrote the patent for this bulb. She was inspired by the skyscrapers in the US or the enormous tower apartment blocks in the outskirts of St. Petersburg, Russia. The ‘Light Tower’ is the nickname of the Philips building where bulbs and tubes are tested.

kathy-york

Crowded House by Kathy York, Austin, Texas

Kathy York, Austin, Texas: Crowded House

Inspired by: Annie Leonard (The Story of Stuff)

Kathy York took Annie Leonard’s famous book about massive consumerism quite personally. She counted all the objects in her house over a period of six months. The Number, (which she calls the humiliating and nauseating number) spills out of the confines of her house.

 

Michigan State University Museum, the opening venue for this show and a partner in its development, is a center of regional, national, and international quilt-related scholarly and educational activities, including the Quilt Index (quiltindex.org), an online tool for centralized public access to quilt and quilt artist-related materials. The MSU Museum is also home to an outstanding collection of quilts and quilt-related materials, both historical and contemporary, from around the world. Earth Stories provided them with an opportunity to share a collection of contemporary quilts that reflect the power of this art form for personal expression, education, and activism.

Leni Levenson Wiener is the curator for the Earth Stories exhibit. She also created a piece in the show entitled it’s a shell of a problem this piece focuses on both the helping hands of humans and the desirability of turtle and tortoise shells. Her website is www.leniwiener.com

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Quilt National ’15 call for entries

QuiltNational_logo_blueThe Dairy Barn Arts Center is pleased to announce the opening of entries to Quilt National ’15. As the Dairy Barn celebrates its 100th birthday, Quilt National begins its 19th biennial exhibition process. Entries for Quilt National ’15 are now being accepted online via the Dairy Barn website (www.dairybarn.org/quilt).

Quilt National ’15 will be the nineteenth in the series of international juried competitions dedicated to promoting the contemporary quilt by serving as a showcase for NEW work (completed after September 1, 2012) that provides the viewer with an appreciation of the variety of techniques and innovative trends in the medium of layered and stitched fabric. The jurors will select works that represent unique approaches to the medium and demonstrate the breadth and diversity of contemporary expressions. Typically over 1000 entries are received from 500 – 700 different artists. There are over $6000 worth of cash and prizes awarded to exhibiting artists.

This year’s panel of jurors includes:

Rosalie Dace

Rosalie Dace

Rosalie Dace (South Africa) Rosalie is a studio artist who has been embroidering and making quilts since the ’70’s. With a background in art and education, she finds exhibiting, teaching, and judging combine her interests admirably. She has taught, exhibited and judged internationally, and her work is in several private and public collections. While she values the traditions from which our quiltmaking has come, she believes that a quilt should say something about its time and place in history. This, and her awareness of being a South African artist, gives her work its particular character. To learn more about Rosalie go to her website: rosaliedace.co.za

Ann Johnston

Ann Johnston

Ann Johnston  (Oregon) Ann learned to sew, and then she learned to dye fabric. In between, she earned a B.A. in literature from Stanford University and taught for the Peace Corps in Peru, where she started her first quilt. In the mid 70s she started dyeing fabric and earned a Master’s degree in geography from the University of Oregon. Ann’s many years of exploration— dyeing and quilting as well as traveling–have led to worldwide friendships, piles of quilts and hand-dyed fabric, numerous exhibitions, six books, and a DVD. Her collectors respect her viewpoint and her students admire her generosity and skill in teaching what she knows. Please find more information on Ann’s web site, www.annjohnston.net

Judy Schwender

Judy Schwender

Judy Schwender (Kentucky) Judy Schwender became a quiltaholic in 1985 the first time she walked into a quilt shop.  In 2006 she obtained her Masters Degree in Textile history with an Emphasis in Quilt Studies and a minor in Museum Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  She is a current Board Member of the American Quilt Study Group and has presented study centers on fiber identification at their seminars. She has written the block commentary for the New Quilts from an Old Favorite books series published by AQS.  Since 2004 she has been the Curator of Collections and Registrar at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky where she has curated over 34 exhibits.

Calendar

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 Deadline for submission of entry materials
OCTOBER 6, 2014 Notice of preliminary acceptance
MAY 22—24, 2015 Opening Weekend Receptions & Awards Ceremony
MAY 23, 2015 Quilt National ’15 opens to the public
SEPTEMBER 7, 2015 Exhibition closes at The Dairy Barn Arts Center

For a full copy of the prospectus, go to the Dairy Barn website at: dairybarn.org/quilt

The inaugural Quilt National exhibition was featured in 1979. Each biennial exhibition features 85 new, never before seen works by 85 different artists representing many of the 50 United States and numerous other countries. After its full exhibition at The Dairy Barn, the collection is divided into smaller collections and tours to venues across the US and around the world. The Dairy Barn Arts Center features an online gallery shop and Quilt National ’15 will feature a full color printed catalog.

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Fiber Frenzy in Philadelphia

Naomi Adams 252x395

Naomi Adams, Complement

Spring is here, and with it comes lots of opportunities to see Quilt National artists work on exhibit. Cindy Friedman, Director of ArtQuilt Elements wrote to let us know about ArtQuilt Elements 2014 at the Wayne Art Center in Wayne, PA. ArtQuilts Elements 2014 is the 11the exhibition of this internationally acclaimed show and includes 43 quilts selected from over 600 entries.

“One of the distinctions of our show is our professional presentation of art quilts. The exhibition has been widely praised by reviewers and artists not only for exhibiting the quilts in a gallery setting but also for promoting the art quilt as an art form.”

Kirpich-Anxiety-No8David333x316

Judy Kirpich, Anxiety No. 8, David

Several Quilt National artists were juried into this show, including Marianne Burr, Dianne Firth, Valerie Goodwin, Michael James, and more.  Quilt National artists, Jill Ault and Judy Kirpich,  are also among the prize winners. The jurors for ArtQuilt Elements 2014 are Susie Brandt, Full-time Faculty, Maryland Institute College of Art, Gerhardt Knodel, Internationally Recognized Fiber Artist and Educator and Jan Myers-Newbury, Quilt Artist and Educator.

ArtQuilt Elements 2014 is open at the Wayne Art Center in Wayne PA  from March 21- May 3, 2014.

For more information, including a full list of artists and prize winners, please visit www.artquiltelements.org

Three more reasons to plan a trip to Philadelphia right now.

Whatastitch

Snyderman’s International Fiber Biennial

3rd and Cherry Sts. Philadelphia, PA

until April 26th, 2014.

www.snyderman-works.com

 

What A Stitch at the Gravers Lane Gallery

8405 Germantown Ave, Phila PA until April 20th, 2014

www.graverslanegallery.com/exhibitions-present

Lisa Call at the Bluestone Gallery  

301 North 3rd St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106.

 2/25/14 – 3/29/14

Gallery Hours: Tue – Sat, 11am – 6pm 267-773-8114.  

www.Bluestone-gallery.com

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