Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) defines the art quilt as ‘a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure.’
Broad Spectrum IV: Evolutions proudly represents the SAQA Montana/Idaho region with works by 31 artists, chosen by our esteemed juror, Fuzzy Mall.
Artists were invited to explore the variety of meanings, images and experiences evoked by the theme Evolutions, and to submit artworks that interpreted the theme in their own unique way.
JUROR’S STATEMENT
Jurying is fun. It must be, right? It’s something that I had witnessed my wife do for years. I was always a little jealous of her. Coveting the experience to choose the show. As my career has become more established, over the past few years, I have begun getting asked more often to jury exhibitions. Well, be careful about what you wish for.
Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the experience, but would I say fun, not exactly. It’s a difficult job. One goes into the process blind, with only the call for entry to guide you. In some cases, as in this one, the call is broad (spectrum). It brings out the best in all the artists, allowing us to empty our bag of tricks, techniques, and ideas. These are the shows that I prefer to apply to as an artist but are far more challenging as a juror. When I begin making a new quilt, I start by taking tens to hundreds of photographs of my subjects.
Occasionally, I know immediately if a picture is a winner, and I start working with it instantly. Others take a few days, and I let the images marinate in my brain before I choose. Generally, I might be down to a few photos that I like, so I project the images on my wall to get a better idea of what the final quilt will look like at scale. I realized
that my approach to jurying mirrors that of my approach to initiating my work in portraiture. First, I open that email of entries, with the anticipation of a six-year-old at Christmas. I then spend some time with all the entries, not taking notes, but taking in first impressions. Seeing what’s catching my eye based on composition, colour, message, experimentation, or technique. Some of the entries will stand out from the others, and I know they will be making the cut. Then I close the computer for a few days and let the remaining entries swirl around my head. I then go back through everything and spend a few days carefully rereading the artists statements and studying the images. By this point, I may have chosen 2/3 of the show.
Next, I project the remaining images on my wall to get a sense of what the artworks will look like in proper scale and choose the remaining slots. Finally, I measure all the chosen works and map out the gallery space to see if I’m able to squeeze a few more pieces into the exhibition.
To allow for as diverse a show as possible, I try to enter the process by eliminating any biases I may have about techniques and subject matter, but I did
have some preconceptions cofirmed. Despite your part of the Mountain West being one of the few regions of the States that I haven’t had a chance to visit yet, its reputation for its natural beauty precedes itself. Living in its splendour has undoubtedly implanted itself. The majority of applicants depicted nature in some way. Whether it be a of an animal, a mountain in the distance, leaf motifs, or a maximalist abstraction that could be read as a forest or fields from above. I truly enjoyed seeing the varied approaches, and my selections represent that.
I would like to thank all the artists who applied and shared their vision with me. For those artists and or artworks not accepted, I apologize. This is an imperfect system, and selecting textiles (in particular) online is even more challenging. It is difficult for me to capture individual stitches, textures, sheens, scale and hours of dedication in the photographs of my work, and I’m sure many of you may struggle as well. I wear my rejection letters as a badge of honour and use them as motivation to further my practice. I encourage all of you to do the same.
Congratulations to all the artists who were selected. I am looking forward to seeing this show hung with the title cards attached, so that I can learn the names of the makers of these quilts. I have a few new favourite artists and am looking forward to watching the growth of all of you over the coming years.
Lastly, I would like to thank SAQA for allowing me to serve on the jury for Broad Spectrum IV: Evolutions. It’s a true honor to do so, and well, maybe a little bit of fun. Cheers.
Fuzzy Mall
Studio Artist/Peer
ALISON A BANKS
BOZEMAN, MT
I interpret my world in color and am inspired by plants and the natural environment. In early spring, the paddles of the prickly pear begin sprouting bright neon green buds. As the flowers bloom, it colors the desert with shades of yellow, purple, pink, orange and magenta. The colors are so saturated, they seem to vibrate and shimmer. I expressed this in my interpretation of a prickly pear in bloom. I daily photographed a beautiful 70-year-old plant that was the size of a small tree and that inspired my color palette.
Inspired by Wyoming’s iconic landmark, this quilt captures the dramatic silhouette of Devils Tower rising from the prairie. The layered sky was built from hand-selected fabrics and stitched with flowing rows of quilting to echo the movement and color of a western sunset. The tower itself was created using a carefully chosen fabric, allowing the natural rock textures and geological patterns to remain prominent. Dense stitching across the sky adds movement while the forest below grounds the scene. This piece celebrates the quiet power, scale, and enduring beauty of the Wyoming landscape.
SACRED FLAME AT DEVIL’S TOWER
2026 21 x 22.5 in.
commercial cotton and batik fabrics, cotton batting, Steam-A-Seam, polyester thread fussy cut fabric appliqué, strip-piecing, free motion quilting
APRIL M PENDLETON
LANDER, WY
I found this laser cut cross at a quilt shop. I had the red brick fabric to put the cross on. I hand embroidered each of the bricks on the wall to give it the details I wanted. The borders pull out the colors in the brick wall and cross.
I get excited when I feature an animal in a piece. It seems an easy entry; people care about them. They each have personalities, are engaging, and, as we anthropomorphize them, become symbolic of our own emotions and behaviors. Living in Montana, that animal has been a bison for a while. Queen (Crone) is the final figure in a Triple Goddess series. Bison are known to face into a storm and circle to protect their young, exemplifying the behavior I crave from my own community. Queen (Crone) is a leader in this movement.
In the past, I have created many small, pieced quilts based on a contemporary log cabin design. In this piece, it was my goal to work on a larger scale with a freer sense of design construction. I started the center block with various width strips working outward to the final curved pieced border. I had a general sense of a color palette and let the design happen naturally.
CHROMATIC PULSE
2026 57 x 57 in.
cotton and reclaimed silk fabric, cotton/polyester batting, cotton, metallic and monopoly threads
improvisational piecing, free motion quilting
CAROL LEASURE
WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT
I am always amazed by the beauty and intricacy of an aspen grove. Each tree records the history of its life – from the marks left by elk chewing on the bark or black bears leaving their claw marks to the scar left by an old branch. Just as these aspens miraculously evolved from the tiny shoots of its parent clone, so did the creation of this aspen grove scene. The background landscape was layered with strips of trees that came to life as paint, embellishments and threads were layered on top. I imagine myself walking deep into the welcoming wisdom of this scene.
ASPEN GROVE
2026 22.5 x 21.5 in.
snow-dyed and commercial cotton fabric, fabric paint, Inktense pencils, cotton, nylon and polyester thread
Encampment was made utilizing various colorful fabrics in a specifically designed tipi shape. It is a happy and proud encampment and pays homage to my Native American ancestry.
ENCAMPMENT
2024 20.5 x 19.5 in.
cotton fabric, hand dyed thread fabric collage, machine and hand stitching
CAROL ZOGRAFOS
MERIDIAN, ID
Bright and hopeful are the colors in this delightfully busy piece. The artist enjoys using commercial fabrics in her creations. The spiral is a study in movement and is suggestive of the many cycles natural to our lives, planet, and cosmos.
LIFE SPIRAL
2022 24 x 24 in.
commercial cotton fabric, batting, thread, tulle
fabric collage, machine stitching
CATHY CALLOWAY
KALISPELL, MT
Make a mark on the blank canvas. Then make another. Regular marks become more irregular and then erratic. Repeat until you’ve gone just too far.
A contemplation of impermanence and transformation, this quilt suggests the gradual unraveling of order, where patterns fade and overlap and boundaries blur, reflecting the inevitability of change.
Tangles of negative thoughts get lodged in the corners of the brain. Stuck on repeat. Dark patches appear and unexpectedly bloom. Depression lurks like a bomb waiting to explode. Even when its gone, fragments remain.
BRAIN TANGLES
2024 32 x 39 in.
cotton fabric, Procion MX dyes, thread
thickened dye printing, free motion quilting
CHRISTINE MULLANEY
RED LODGE, MT
Red Rock Memories evolved from spending a winter month in the arid southwest. This piece was inspired by the uniqueness of the arid landscape that is also rich in its unique vegetation. This work evolved thanks adding a new screen printing technique to my fabric dyeing portfolio. The challenge to myself is looking a white piece of fabric and asking myself “What if I….”
My artwork continually evolves. My inspiration may come from learning a new technique, nature around me, or a new experience. Red Sunset is inspired by experiencing a gorgeous sunset in Arizona along with learning a new screen-printing technique. The question I ask myself as I stand at my table with a white piece of fabric and an array of dye pots before me is “What if I… “
My summer garden is full of a variety of colorful flowers The real jewels of my garden, however; are the Broad-Tailed Hummingbirds the blooms attract. Thread-painted in vibrant layers, they shimmer like tiny living gems, darting and hovering among the petals. Playful witnesses to evolution’s subtle artistry, reflecting the vibrant colors and endless variety of the broad spectrum of nature.
machine sashiko embroidery, appliqué, machine thread painting, couching, hand embroidery, fabric and wire sculpting
DONNA DEAVER
TUCSON, AZ
I am drawn to the sea in many ways—by its sound, its scent, and its constant, rhythmic energy. Standing at the ocean’s edge can feel both familiar and new; while the shoreline appears unchanged, the tides ensure that no moment is ever the same.
‘Low Tide’, the first piece in my Ocean’s Edge series, focuses on the subtle patterns left behind as water repeatedly rushes over the sand and recedes. These markings, formed through countless small movements, speak to the beauty of simplicity and repetition in the natural world.
LOW TIDE
2014 47 x 28.5 in.
Pimatex cotton fabric, silk, polyester, and rayon threads, cotton batting hand dyeing, painting, fused and stitched collage, machine free motion quilting
DONNA DEAVER
TUCSON, AZ
After a fresh snowfall, tracks slowly begin to appear. What stories lie behind them? Are these the tracks of a nurse driving home after a long night shift, or those of a teenager slipping out to a friend’s house under cover of darkness? Perhaps they belong to a city worker who has spent the night plowing streets while his own family sleeps, safe and warm.
The sun rises and all that remains of these people and their stories are intertwined tracks in the snow, which weave together a rich – yet fleeting – tapestry. This work reflects my interest in unseen narratives and the quiet connections between strangers, captured in a moment before they disappear.
NIGHT JOURNEYS
2018 38.25 x 28 in.
Pimatex cotton fabric, silk, polyester, and rayon threads, wool batting hand dyeing, painting, fused and stitched collage, machine free motion quilting
ELLEN J HERMINGHAUS
RED LODGE, MT
In Spring 2021, our society evolved from the darkness of the Covid to a world familiar, but changed forever. Luckily, the nature of our world hadn’t changed, we only needed to embrace it again. As the emergence was happening, an article from the NY Times really spoke to me when they noted people were saying, “Aren’t the flowers brighter this year?” The concept was the inspiration behind this quilt. While many of the effects of the Covid era are clearly negative, our perception of natural spaces changed in a positive way. This quilt evokes the path from the dark to the brighter world, but as you look closer, virus and death are still present among the beauty of the flowers.
Canyons display a long and diverse fossil record that provides an excellent example of how life has changed through evolution across the expanses of time. Each geologic formation has a different record of life from the formations above and below it. Canyons are far more than dramatic scenery. They serve as open windows into Earth’s deep past, shelter unique ecosystems found nowhere else, channel water through arid landscapes, and hold cultural significance spanning thousands of years.
Reflecting on cycles in nature: Seasons fold into each other and plants and creatures in the wild adjust. Grizzly bears spend much of their year in relatively lower elevations, taking advantage of fish, gophers and the succulent vegetation that provides their spring and summer food supply. But in late summer many head to high elevations, to alpine and subalpine environments. There they find high-fat foods that will give them energy during the long hibernation ahead: Grubs are found underneath rocks on talus slopes, and together with Whitebark Pine nuts, found in nutcracker and squirrel middens, they provide a much-needed high-energy, high-nutrient diet.
CLOUD BEARS
2011 21.5 x 22.5 in.
cotton fabric, hand illustrated printed grizzlies, polyester batting, cotton, perle cotton, polyester and metallic threads, stone, shell, pearl and glass beads
rust dyeing, hand dyeing, impromptu piecing, appliqué, machine quilting, hand and machine embroidery, beading
HEIDI ZIELINSKI
STEVENSVILLE, MT
In 2025 I spent a week at a retreat experimenting and creating gelli plate monoprints on fabric to use in my work.This piece incorporates two of those prints and some commercial fabrics. The organic patterns and color blending that I achieved with this layered print method speaks to me of what you might see on a woodland walk when the seasons are changing.
A SEASON OF CHANGE
2025 22 x 21 in.
commercial cotton fabric, white cotton fabric, fabric paint, pearl cotton embroidery thread, beads and charms
Like the beautiful, gothic stained-glass windows the form references, this piece is meant to bring light and color to its viewers and surroundings. With their early spring blooms, the pasqueflowers depicted through the window bring hope for sunnier days.
The walls of Jordan’s studio and home are adorned with dresses, needlepoint works, paintings, and quilts created by the generations of resilient creative women that came before her in the prairies she calls home. These delicate heirlooms act as inspiration when choosing the mediums appropriate for each artwork’s message and composition, and Jordan aims to honor them directly through subject matter and materials.
WINDOW I
2026 50 x 24 in.
various fabrics and thread, oil-based printing ink
woodcut printing, raw edge appliqué, machine quilting
JOYCE KING FERRIE
ENGLEWOOD, FL
The immense structure of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is vast and statuesque. The details within the Cathedral continually draw the visitor’s eye upward making a person feel small and overshadowed. In quiet contrast, the surrounding colorful gardens create a space of openness allowing the guest to breathe and feel the softness and calmness of nature.
LES JARDINS DE NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS
2022 24 x 10 in.
commercial fabric, artist photographs printed on cotton, cotton embroidery thread printing, collaging, machine stitching, hand embroidery, painting with Inktense Blocks
KAREN FALVEY
BOISE, ID
An imagined landscape from cliffs to the river below.
CANYON I
2022 42 x 34 in.
cotton prints, batiks and hand dyed fabrics machine piecing and quilting
KATY K NYGARD
GALLATIN GATEWAY, MT
Contemplating the ever-shifting masses of earth and humanity.
MOVING & CHANGING
2026 26 x 20 in.
cotton and silk fabric, commercial cotton fabric, thread and fabric trimmings, Solvy, paint, dye, variegated cotton and rayon thread, felt backing painting, dyeing, shibori folding, raw edge reverse applique, fusing, free motion machine quilting, hand embroidery
LINDA HUGHES
IONA, ID
This piece was made for a challenge with my online working artists group. We interpreted a photo provided by one of the members. I was drawn to the colors in the brick and mortar, and how they had changed because of time and the weather.
COLORS OF TIME
2026 11 x 23 in.
cotton fabric, cotton variegated thread
freehand and stencil painting with Shiva oil paintsticks, shading with Prismacolor pencils, machine thread painting
LISA FLOWERS ROSS
I have been working on my Leaf Stack series for over 10 years and am still exploring the parameters I set up for myself. In this series, I am using the simple shape of a leaf to abstract and explore implied overlapping of forms, transparency and intersections of lines. The layered effect is achieved through the use of color, as there are no sheer fabrics or layers of fabrics.
LEAF STACK #39
2020 44.75 x 36 in.
hand-dyed cotton, thread
dyeing, machine piecing and stitching
BOISE, ID
MAGGY ROZYCKI HILTNER
RED LODGE, MT
The Jungian Spiral symbolizes the journey of growth and individuation of the inner self, representing a path that winds inward and outward, revisiting old points with new understanding, rather than a linear progression. The Shadow Self, a concept from Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung’s analytical psychology, represents the unconscious parts of our personality we repress, deny, or dislike—including negative traits, primal instincts, and hidden potential, desires, or talents, essentially our dark side. I have used the red x in my work for many years, symbolizing a pinprick or tiny pain.
JUNGIAN SPIRAL AND THE SHADOW SELF
2023 25 x 19 in.
found quilt (Tumbling Blocks pattern), found embroidery, linen, cotton overdyeing, mending and altering, raw-edge appliqué, machine sashiko stitching, hand-stitching
MAGGY ROZYCKI HILTNER
RED LODGE, MT
While making this quilt, I let my subconscious take the wheel. Inspired by the Crazy Quilt pattern that is its base, I grabbed bits and pieces intuitively to collage on the quilt. Many of these found patchwork pieces (the two-headed duck, the monkey tooting on the watering can) had been set aside in a pile of oddball findings, other motifs (hearts, flowers, and bones) often appear in my work. This crazy quilt seemed like a good place for them to frolic together; it captures the chaotic tone of the world and in my mind.
CRAZY QUILT
2020 16 x 26 in.
found quilt (Crazy Quilt pattern), found embroidery and applique, linen, cotton overdyeing, mending and altering, raw-edge appliqué, hand stitching
MARCI ROBMAN
KALISPELL, MT
Morro Rock is a sacred Native American volcanic rock located on the coast of Pacific Ocean, not far from San Luis Obispo, California. It is a protected area which helps the conservation of wildlife such as the peregrine falcons. The falcons and other birds use the rocks as their nesting grounds.
I wanted to capture the rugged textures of the rocks and to explore the use of thread painting in the foreground, which including stitching down half inch pieces of thread to represent tuffs of wildflowers. Photo by Lori Marz.
Trout love cold stream waters. Brook trout population numbers are dropping partly due to the waters warming, as the climate changes. Will our trout be able to evolve and adapt to these warmer waters? Or are the ghost fish lurking above telling of what’s to come.
GHOST TROUT
2026 29 x 34 in.
silk fabric, silk neckties, cotton, original hand cut rubber printing block, fabric paint
Sandhill cranes’ feathers evolve from slate-grey to a reddish-brown annually, due to using their beak to dig for grub in iron-rich mud which stains their feathers as they preen. Molting in the fall rids them of the rusty feathers, as the new grey feathers grow in, to complete the annual evolution.
RUSTY CRANES
2025 43 x 33.25 in.
silk neckties, silk fabric, thread, acrylic paint
silk necktie transfer to silk fabric process, appliqué, painting, machine quilting
MARY LANDON
BILLINGS, MT
This was truly an improvisation with scraps that I placed on my design wall. After all the strips were on the wall, it looked so painterly to me that I knew I had to engineer it into a quilt.
BRUSHSTROKES
2024 40 x 50 in.
quilting cotton fabric
machine piecing and quilting
MAURA GROGAN
TUCSON, AZ
Konchi-in is a Zen garden in Kyoto, Japan designed in 1632. In March 2024, I sat there for an hour soaking up its beauty and peace and admiring that is has been in place for nearly 400 years. My visit has stayed with me and inspired me to honor it in fabric.
ZEN GARDEN KYOTO
2024 32.5 x 32.5 in.
commercial cotton fabric, tulle, cotton and polyester threads, fusible adhesive raw edge appliqué, free motion machine quilting
MONIQUE KLEINHANS
BIGFORK, MT
This piece celebrates an evolution of my work as a fiber artist: combing thread painting, applique, wool roving, throwsters waste, hand-painted fabric and Lutradur with free motion stitching. And as owls are also synonymous with wisdom, the owl in this work represents being on the hunt to explore and constantly searching out other fibers and techniques yet to be discovered.
I am fascinated by the way that we constantly adapt to change and are continually reconfigured by our experiences and influences from the world around us. Honey bees contribute to our food ecosystem in their role as superpollinators. Their supportive relationship with flowers and plants allows our food to grow and thrive. The continual decline in our bee population propels me to keep cultivating a garden with many plants for bees to pollinate year round. I depicted images of bees pollinating yarrow, a common plant that bees pollinate in my specific region in Idaho. I hand stitched the honeycomb layer, symbolically mending our global environment for future generations.
LES ABEILLES
2025 40 x 55 in.
artist digitally designed fabric, hand dyed thread, fabric paint, dye digital fabric design, painting, soy wax batik dyeing, hand and machine quilting
PAT BUDGE
GARDEN VALLEY, ID
I love the oranges of the sand and the sunsets, the blues of the sky and the water, the greens of the forest and the greys of the rocks and the driftwood. My family has vacationed on the northern Oregon coast for almost 50 years, and those colors lie comfortably in my memories.
LIVING LIFE 1
2025 50 x 40 in.
commercial cotton fabric, scrap fabrics left over from previous projects
precision cutting, machine piecing, machine quilting matching thread color to individual fabric color
PAT BUDGE
GARDEN VALLEY, ID
I believe that the foundations of what I’ve learned about human relations are grounded in those stories that were told to me and that I tread as a child. Aesop. Grimm Brothers. Greek Mythology. The Bible. Learning Lessons 2 is one of two pieces that provides a visual memoir of this foundation, in geometric form.
LEARNING LESSONS 2
2024 50 x 40 in.
commercial cotton fabric, scrap fabrics left over from previous projects
precision cutting, machine piecing, machine quilting matching thread color to individual fabric color
SALLY K GLUTTING
KALISPELL, MT
Sunflower explores the quiet magic that happens when intention meets chance. The process of snow dyeing invites natural forces to shape the final image. Organic forms emerge through controlled unpredictability. Machine quilting brings structure and focus.
Summer is remembered; the sunflower emerges.
SUNFLOWER
2025 22.5 x 22.5 in.
commercial batiks, dye, thread, batting
snow dyeing on a commercial batik print, machine quilting
SHARON E STONEBERGER
GARDINER, MT
Walk through this enchanted flower garden that sparkles from the sunny day. Or move your chair to sit in the middle of the garden. A feeling of peace, a pleasant aroma, eye candy, bees and insects buzzing, birds singing, and pick a pretty flower to balance us in a chaotic world. Stay a while to renew your inner strength.
