Upcoming Exhibits

This exclusive exhibit features quilts from 17 respected and admired Japanese quilters including Shizuko Kuroha, Keiko Goke, Reiko Washizawa, Suzuko Koseki, Yoshiko Katagiri, and others. Quilts were introduced from the U.S. to Japan around 1980, creating a boom which spread all over Japan, and now their work influences quilters around the world. This exhibition features some of the best Japanese quilts that express Japanese aesthetic senses through design, coloring, and workmanship. The exhibit curator is Naomi Ichikawa, Chief Editor of YOMIURI QUILT TIME magazine.

Quilt: A Night with the Hazy Moon by Yoneka Maruya

The Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi, finding beauty in things that are imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete is at the core of all of my art work. I like to capture the essence of images made of light and movement, images that are infinitely variable. Images that connote the beauty that comes with age or disintegration. I think about the following concepts as I work: What does the eye see? What does the camera see? What does the mind see?

Leaf Patterns is an exploration and interpretation of leaves, pods, and tree bark by enlarging and shaping them until they become sculptural objects. I collect them at the end of summer when they begin to wither, twist, fragment and disintegrate. The textured and shaped surfaces combine with light and shadow to enrich the overall perception of the final artwork.

When the Apollo astronauts went to the moon, the whole world watched. When the Fly Me to the Moon art quilt challenge went out, it went global. This book showcases the curated results of that call for entries: 179 art quilts by over 130 artists from 8 countries, expressing their interpretation of the space program and all things lunar. Walk down memory lane or discover the story of the missions for the first, but most importantly, enjoy a trip to the moon and beyond without the time and rigors of space training. As you travel into space, meet the astronauts, hum the tunes, and listen to the artists tell you about their pieces. Find endless inspiration and discover what the moon is really made of: cotton, thread, crystals, paint, ink, tulle, and crocheted lace. –Susanne Jones, exhibit curator

Quilt: Moonlight in Vermont by Kate Themel

The Challenge was put forth to quilters asking them to interpret Artisan as a celebration of excellence. The resulting entries were juried by a panel of experts including Kaffe.

Contest Details:

Artisans celebrate excellence. Artisans start with thoughtfully-chosen materials to create an item with inherent beauty and attention to detail and design. The focus of the I Am An Artisan juried exhibit, is on quilts designed to showcase the harmony of color and texture. Each quilt will speak to a time when hand creation included dedication, appreciation, skill and love of the craft. It’s about simplicity, intention, approach, quality, and a sense of connectionto a time when craftsmanship and artisanship were celebrated.

The entries can be art quilts that speak to the theme or traditional quilts. Any techniques—piecing, appliqué, embroidery, and/or manipulated fabric, etc.—may be used. Competition is open to artists in the United States and Canada. Roughly 80% of each work (60”x 60” quilt) must feature the Artisan fabric collection by Kaffe Fassett for FreeSpirit, www.freespiritfabrics.com/artisan.

A jury of experts, including Kaffe Fassett, will select the works. The jury’s decision is final. The organizers reserve the right to decide about the quilts for the exhibition upon seeing the actual quilts. The organizers reserve the right to refuse any work that does not match the slides submitted to the jury.

Marilyn Belford is an award-winning quilter, well known for her realistic fabric portraits and art quilts. She comes to the quilting community after a long, successful career in the art world. Marilyn finds the congeniality of quilters a delight. Having been brought up in a home where sewing was paramount, it is no surprise that she now combines her love of art and sewing in a new career in quilting. It was after moving up to Chenango Forks, NY, from Brooklyn, NY, that her interest in quilting was sparked. In talking about her portrait quilts, Marilyn says, “A face expresses much emotion. It can tell a complete story in a single viewing. I try to stitch a personality rather than just a face. It is in the details that the emotions rest. I try to give my students the technical background to enable them to produce a portrait in fabric that makes their loved ones seem to breathe.”

Quilt: Medea Escaping by Marilyn Belford