I am writing to you tonight from Nantes in France, after a long day of travel.
Tomorrow morning I am going to take the tram across town early in the morning, to help jury the contest and photograph the exhibits at the Pour l’Amour du Fils quilt festival, which is organized by QuiltMania Magazine. I’ll be seeing so many friends from France, Netherlands, and other countries in Europe. The anticipation of these reunions is wonderful! The last time I was here was April 2019, right after Notre Dame burned. I stopped in Paris for a couple days on the way home, to see the fire damage for myself. However the good news is that the planned 5 year restoration is on track, and this historic building will return to its former glory. I have been visiting the cathedral since the late 80s, so the fire and the collapse was very shocking to me.
Over the last week I finished 3 magazine articles for publications in 3 countries, and also spent a lot of time with my mom who is in further decline at a local nursing home. Needless to say I am starting this trip with exhaustion, but I’ll take it easy and try to get lots of sleep tonight. I had a very interesting seatmate on Lufthansa – an American businessman and young father who was on his way to India for a construction trade show. He is starting a new job after this trip – as a church deacon. We had an interesting discussion about politics and religion. The two forbidden subjects! I got to tell him some stories about taking Pan Am from New York to Asia…back in the Old Days. Ha.
We agreed that young people need to take the lead on bringing people together and healing the planet. His point of view was very refreshing and gave me hope.
Speaking of which, the subject of my power point talk here on Thursday is “Art and Activism”. I will be giving this same presentation at Quilt National (Dairy Barn in Athens Ohio) the end of May. It is such a huge trend in the arts today. Once you start paying attention to this trend, you will see people expressing their opinions and concerns everywhere in the arts…not just the visual or textile arts, but also music, dance, poetry, plays and new operas. When I express my concerns about climate change, toxic pollution, children’s issues, and human rights…I hope that my visual message gently invites my viewers to give some thought to the topic. (And perhaps take action.)
When I got here, I took a shower and then took a sunset walk around the Chateau next door. They are still protesting in the streets in France, about raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. It was a peaceful protest but there were lots of police. There were about 700-800 people singing, marching down the street, carrying flags. People were sitting in the outdoor cafes having a glass of wine and watching the protesters march past. An interesting way to start my trip!
Sharing your love of fabric…and color….
Luana and Paul
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Travel/Quilt Calendar:
April 18-26 – Pour l’Amour du Fil – Nantes, France (Apr 20 – Art & Activism Lecture)
April 27-30 – Amsterdam, Netherlands
May 27 – Dairy Barn, Athens OH – Quilt National – Art & Activism Lecture
June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia
August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska
