Schweinfurth Gallery Walk w/Exhibiting Artists; Quilts=Art=Quilts 2017

I don’t know about you, but I’m always curious about what the space looks like at quilt exhibits. Is it large? Is it small? Is is well lit? Is the exhibit cohesive? Unless you have a chance to attend the exhibit, you don’t know—unless you get to see it in a blog post or other pictures.

Yesterday, was the Director’s Tour with the Quilts=Art=Quilts exhibiting artists. Attendees had the opportunity to hear about the work of the artists from the artists themselves. I found it to be VERY interesting and informative. 

I took some pictures so you could get a feel for the space and a (far-off) look at some more of the quilts. I’ll be posting more quilt pictures and artist’s statements from the exhibit later.

The pictures above shows you what you see when you first walk into the gallery space.

Donna Lamb, the Executive Director of the Schweinfurth, spoke about some of the pieces in the exhibit. In the top photo, she is discussing Kathy Nida’s piece. In the bottom pic, she is talking about a two-sided piece made by Paula Kovarik. In the following photos, the artists are speaking about their own work.

I got to speak about my piece too. I was nervous going in, but I calmed down once people started asking questions. I always say, “You don’t grow if you don’t do things that scare the crap out of you every now and then.”

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner—Quilts=Art=Quilts 2017

I did not win one of the awards presented opening night at the Schweinfurth, but (especially after seeing the show in person) I feel like a winner by being juried into this show. The competition was REALLY steep! I sat at the artists’ brunch today with two Quilt National artists. One of them was this year’s Quilt National Best of Show winner. Esterita Austin, Betty Busby, Shin-hee Chin, Patricia Kennedy-Zafred, Kathy Nida, Wen Redmond, and The Pixieladies all had pieces in this show. (I specifically mention these artists because they are artists I have followed for awhile now.)

My husband attended this show with me. He is beginning to realize I might have some artistic ability. I heard him say to one of his friends, “We’re in Auburn, NY. Beth has a quilt in a big show here. It isn’t the “Superbowl of Quilting,” but it is like the playoffs!” I remember telling him about Quilt National. When I realized he didn’t quite “get it,” I told him it is sort of like the Superbowl of Quilting! He got that and is now using sports analogies to explain to his guy friends about our travels to exhibits I’m in.

And now for the winners...(I lifted these words from Pam Holland’s blog. The images of the quilts are not for publication by anyone viewing this blog, please respect the rights of the original designers and creators. I’m sharing them for your sheer enjoyment.)

Best of Show—lots of surface design work (as you can see in the detail photo).

First Prize—lots of thread on this piece.

Second Prize—great movement in this piece.

Third Prize—lots of color in this piece.

Schweinfurth Award for Excellence—I had to take extra pics so you could see that this is three dimensional. The artist hand dyed the batting (which is the color you see in this piece).

Award for Surface Design—loved the graffiti on the buildings.

Catherine Hastedt Award for Workmanship—Full picture on the left and detail on the right. The beauty of this piece was not apparent to me when I first took a look at it (from afar). The stitching detail was wonderful upon closer inspection.

Shirley Hastedt Award—I know you can’t tell from this picture, but these pieces were Huuuuuuge!

There were three Juror’s Choice Awards

These pieces were each very different. I loved the color of the bottom two. The intricate piecing on the middle quilt was fascinating. I was lucky enough to sit by Julia at the artist brunch, so I got to hear a bit more about this piece.

If you get a chance to see this exhibit in person, do it! You won’t be disappointed. I’ll be posting some more pictures from the show later this week, so stay tuned. There are some FABULOUS quilts to come.

 

On An Adventure

I’m off on a big adventure in Auburn, New York. The opening for Quilts=Art=Quilts is this weekend. There are activities for the artists—opening reception, artist brunch, and a gallery walk with the artists. I don’t know if I’ll ever get into this exhibit again, so Nate (my husband) and I decided to take a little vacation and head up North.

Nate booked a suite at the Hilton Garden Inn. He said, “We might as well be comfortable while we are there.” I’m not sure why he did it—probably because I tend to stay up later than he does, and he will be able to sleep if I decide to stay up. Regardless of why he did it, I’m a happy camper. 

Tonight we went to a little pub within walking distance of the hotel. It felt good to take a walk after a long day in the car. What a nice little pub—good food and good beer. What more could you want?

Tomorrow the exhibit festivities begin; the opening reception is tomorrow afternoon. I hope to get some pictures to share. In the meantime, check out the exhibit information here—http://www.schweinfurthartcenter.org/exhibits_upcoming.cfm Yep, that is my quilt at the top of the exhibit announcement. (I’m one proud mama!)

Cabin Fever Spring Mill Retreat 2017

I just got back from a retreat at Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell, IN, put on by Marcia and Cindy of Cabin Fever Retreats. It is always a fun retreat, and I get to visit with friends I don't get to see very often. I took a few pictures to share with you.

Day 1 we found these cute name tags at our tables. (They DID spell my name wrong.) Later in the day, we got the embroidered blocks (shown at the bottom of the pic). The theme of the retreat was "Are We There Yet?". The room was decorated with strings of Mason jar lights and colorful bunting.

Day Two and Three "Gifts"--My Mason contained quilting clips. The little camper is on the cutest card.

 I worked on my latest piece. I didn't even bring a sewing machine!

We have a beautiful room for the retreat. The lighting in this room, however, is the biggest drawback to this retreat. I know you wouldn't think so, but this is the darkest room in which to sew. With all the windows, you'd think it would be VERY light--not so. Two walls and the ceiling are dark wood. There are few overhead lights, and they aren't very bright. Many of the retreat attendees bring floor lamps. I didn't have a floor lamp, but I used four lights and still felt like I was in the dark.

Robin made a colorful table runner. Barbara worked on a quilt-as-you-go braid quilt. I loved the elephants on the "jungle" quilt. The row-by-row quilt had the cutest mice (under the cats).

We had a surprise guest who brought us gummy bears!

I'm already looking forward to next year's retreat!

 

Declaration of Sentiments--Paducah Fall 2017

The SAQA Regional Exhibit Declaration of Sentiments debuted at the Fall AQS Show in Paducah. This exhibition celebrates women's accomplishments and honors their struggles throughout American history. Whether abstract, graphic, and representational artists' voices illustrating the passion, anger, hope, perseverance, or celebration of women's rights is relevant and important. 

I hope, if the exhibit comes to a place near you, you will take the time to check out the entire exhibit. 

Here are a few of the quilts (and their stories). Enjoy. (If you need to, you can click on the picture to enlarge it.)

 

These quilts and all the others in the exhibit will travel for a couple of years. I know the exhibit will be shown at AQS Quiltweek in Des Moines, IA (October 4-7, 2017) and at the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show in Bloomington, IN (March 1-3, 2018). Other venues are in the process of being scheduled.

Australia Wide Five at Paducah

I went to the first fall AQS show in Paducah, KY, just recently. I was anxious to see how this new show would go. I was pleasantly surprised. The show wasn't as big, the crowds weren't as large, and (frankly) it wasn't quite as overwhelming as the spring show. I must say that I really enjoyed it. 

Because the crowds were smaller, it was easier to shop and easier to see and photograph the quilts. I met SEVERAL people who were attending a quilt show in Paducah for the first time (which is what I took as a good sign), and I took a class for the first time in a long time. All in all, I would consider this a good show. I would definitely attend again.

One of the exhibits I really enjoyed was the Australia Wide Five. This exhibit is a juried, touring exhibition showcasing the artwork of members of Ozquilt Network Inc., Australia's organization for art quilters. There was a collection of 39 works reflecting contemporary art quilt practices from across Australia. Each quilt was 16" X 16". Here are a few of them. If you get a chance to see the exhibit, be sure you do it. The quilts are, of course, much cooler in person.

You can click on the pictures to see the description and maker of each quilt. These two quilts (on the right) were made by the same person. Details of each are on the left.

The following four quilts were really interesting. I liked the hand stitching on each of these.

I liked the colors of these quilts. From the more colorful to the tranquil, these quilts didn't disappoint.

Numerous techniques and materials were used in these small quilts--traditional screen printing, discharge screen printing, monoprinting, digital printing, fusing, piecing, appliqué, natural dyeing, hand embroidery, machine stitching, hand stitching, and photo transfer.

 

This last sample had A LOT of threadwork on it. The detail pic at the right is of the quilt on the bottom left.

I was really impressed with this exhibit and think you will be too. I hope you get a chance to view it in person.