We know that some of our quilter friends on the East Coast are without power, but we are thinking of you and hoping you have come through the storm ok. If any Quilt Guilds are putting together relief efforts for comfort quilts, let me know and I will pass it on to our followers.
Mission of Love is preparing to send an airlift to Guatemala today, and then they will be immediately starting on another Hurricane relief project for Haiti. If you are interested in helping, watch for more announcements in our newsletters.
Last night I returned from Ohio, where I was speaking at the Dairy Barn, and even more importantly, I was able to see the “Mastery: Sustaining Momentum” exhibit which is there until November 27.
If you are in driving distance to Athens Ohio, I strongly urge you to go see this fantastic exhibit in person! I hand-carried copies of the show catalog back with me, which you can purchase from eQuilter this week, but if you are a Nancy Crow fan you must plan a trip to see this in person!
As I have written about before, I like to watch the space in the middle between supposedly polarized quilt movements, because the most interesting things bubble up in that no-man’s-land in between supposedly opposite quilt movements.
It happened when there was a polarization between traditional quilts and art quilts, and it is happening now in the fertile mid-ground between contemporary quilts and modern quilts. If you go to see the Mastery exhibit, you will see what I mean. An added plus is that you can also see on either end of the gallery, smaller pieces that show the artists’ process of developing the ideas for these huge quilts. (Samples, paintings, paper auditioning of colors and shapes.) It is a fascinating glimpse of the artists’ process.
This show was curated by Nancy Crow, and there are 12 artists (including Nancy) who contributed 3 large quilts each. When you walk in the room, it is a visceral experience. Modern quilters especially should go to see this exhibit.
Built in 1914, the Dairy Barn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features a 6500 square-foot gallery. While I was there, 2 exciting things were happening behind the scenes. Workmen were out back pulling up the original bricks, which have been there for 100 years. This is where the expansion of the Dairy Barn will happen, and I have to give credit and kudos to the executive director Jane Forrest Redfern, for raising a mind-boggling amount of money for this capital improvement. The bricks will be saved and laid down again when the expansion is finished, by the way.
The other quiet event going on behind the scenes was that the boxes containing Quilt National 2017 entries had just started arriving, and those boxes were being opened and the contents catalogued in the back room. After all of the quilts are seen in person, the list of names will be confirmed and announced.
As you may know, to be accepted to the biennial Quilt National at the Dairy Barn is one of the most prestigious shows for a quilt artist. Collectors travel from far away to see and buy at Quilt National. It is not unusual for a professional fiber artist to tell me it is their #1 goal to get into this show. Many of you may have catalogs from past shows, that you have bought from us over the last several years.
So if you are curious, you can buy the Mastery book, or you can plan to see the Mastery show in the next 6 weeks, and/or plan to see Quilt National next year! We are a sponsor for Quilt National so I will write about it again next year.
sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana
