Art Quilt Quarterly #34 (SAQA)

art quilt Studio Art Quilt Associates

Michael James Quilt National 2023

Racine Art Museum

131

art quilts

quarterly 2023

Issue No. 34

The music has stopped But our song goes on After nine years of publication, Art Quilt Quarterly will end with this issue due to increases in production costs and the demise of our commercial distribution system during the worst of the COVID pandemic. SAQA has been proud of our magazine’s accomplishments and regrets that the publication must close. Selected content will live on in Martha Sielman’s Exploring Art

Quilts with SAQA book series produced by Schiffer, including our museum-related articles, the Portfolios organized into thematic sections, and Diane Howell’s popular “Artists to Watch” interviews with numerous images. Diane covered an impressive total of 112 quilt artists from Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Lithuania, Sweden, New Zealand,

photo by KOM Studio

the United Kingdom, most of western Europe, and the United States, featuring fabric portraits and landscapes to political commentary to graphic abstraction. Patty KennedyZafred has regaled our readers with her keen analyses of SAQA Global Exhibitions. Our “Collection Care and Development” feature has discussed insurance, digital documentation, photography, storage, sales, pricing, exhibition preparation, and disaster recovery. We hope that you have enjoyed and benefitted from every aspect of Art Quilt Quarterly, and we sincerely thank you for your support. (Back issues can be purchased in the SAQA store. More details at www.saqa.com/aqq.)

Sandra Sider, Editor

Contents Racine Art Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Michael James. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 SAQA’s Virtual Gallery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Artists to watch Helene Hein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Judith Quinn Garnett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Regina Marzlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Jana Šterbová. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Quilt National ’23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Portfolio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Spotlight on collections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development, documentation, and publications. ©2023 Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

SAQA Art Quilt Quarterly is published by Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization.

Publications Office: P.O. Box 141, Hebron, CT 06248 ISSN 2379-9439 (print) ISSN 2379-9455 (online) Editor: Sandra Sider Managing editor: Martha Sielman Artists to watch contributing editor: Diane Howell SAQA Global Exhibitions contributing editor: Patty KennedyZafred Designer: Deidre Adams Now available in digital format.

Details: www.saqa.com/aqq-digital Questions: aqq@saqa.com

Cover: Letting Go by Marian Zielinski 41 x 32 inches (104 x 81 cm), 2022

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see p. 92

T The Racine Art Museum at 70 Art quilts in context

by Kris Sazaki

he Racine Art Museum (RAM) boasts an impressive collection of more than 11,000 pieces, half of which represent the museum’s focus on contemporary craft. In an interview for this issue of AQQ, Bruce W. Pepich, RAM’s executive director, shed some light on RAM’s collecting history.

Pepich does not downplay the advantages of RAM’s location in Racine, Wisconsin, a one-hour drive north from Chicago. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, Racine was known as a factory town.

Many of its industries centered around what Pepich describes as craft friendly. Even SC Johnson, known for its household cleaning products, started out in 1886 as a parquet flooring company in Racine. Today’s population, just shy of 78,000, has remained small, yet its citizens continue to support the museum.

The Racine Art Museum was founded as the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, a couple of miles from downtown Racine. Having no surviving

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Ai Kijima children, Jennie E. Wustum bequeathed her home, 13 acres of grounds, and an endowment to the City of Racine to create an art museum in memory of her husband Charles. It was an auspicious and fortuitous start.

Katherine Johnson Boyd, the great-granddaughter of Samuel Curtis Johnson, was herself a gallery owner and proponent of fine craft. She donated a 200-piece craft collection to RAM in 1991. Her gift raised the profile of RAM and helped increase its emphasis on

Lilla Kulka

.

Na Ściezce (On The Path V)

Groovy Valentine 30 x 50 inches (76 x 127 cm), 2005 photo by Marc Wollman

Rosita Johanson Garden of Eden

13 x 15 inches (34 x 39 cm), 2001

8 x 9.5 inches (21 x 139 cm), 1990-1995

photo by Jon Bolton

photo by Jon Bolton

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Susan Shie and James Acord Ohio Blues Moon (Revised) 50.5 x 40.5 x 1 inches (128 x 103 x 2.5 cm), 1990 photo by Jon Bolton

mixed-media exhibitions. In total, Boyd donated approximately 1,700 pieces to RAM. With this increase in the size of its collection, the museum had outgrown its original location in the Wustum estate.

The Johnson family, already dedicated to revitalizing downtown Racine, donated a building there, providing the museum with a new exhibition venue. Boyd’s daughter, Karen “Henni” Keland, later donated a 1,000-piece collection to RAM. Pepich is rightly proud of RAM’s 1930s Works Progress Administration (WPA) items, crediting the museum’s first director, Sylvester Jerry, with these acquisitions. Jerry had previously been supervisor of a WPA program during the Depression. Jerry was able to enhance the museum’s permanent collection with 294 works from WPA artists when the U.S. government was looking to rehouse a large portion of the artworks collected from these artists. With this acquisition, Wustum Museum had an instant focus of works on paper and craft (block-printed textiles).

Pepich, RAM’s third and current director, has worked for the museum since it was housed at the original Wustum campus. He was first employed as project manager in 1974, and was then appointed director in 1981. RAM has benefited from Pepich’s deep understanding of its institutional history and close bonds to the city. When planning the museum’s new building in downtown Racine, Pepich helped visualize RAM’s mission and new name. In his conversation with AQQ, he explained the reasoning behind changing the name from Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts: the new name should tell people where the museum is, people who live in Racine should take pride in themselves and in what they see at the museum, and RAM is a fine arts museum. It’s

Susan Shie Fortune Telling 20 x 18 x 1 inches (51 x 46 x 2.5 cm), 1988 photo by Jon Bolton

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Michael James Home Economics 127 x 85 inches (322 x 139 cm), 2005 photo by Jon Bolton

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not a craft museum. Craft, Pepich emphasizes, is a fine art, and that’s that.

RAM’s exhibitions are generally curated from its own collection. Pepich, also curator of collections, collaborates with Lena Vigna, RAM’s curator of exhibitions. Vigna, Pepich points out, contributes a different viewpoint, making their collaboration more fruitful. They are constantly exhibiting pieces in different contexts. The museum also has a strong interest in collecting representative pieces from individual artists that show the arcs of their careers, including sketchbooks, notes, and sample materials.

At the downtown venue, RAM can focus on craft, breaking down the artificial barriers among media.

Pepich explains that you may not see your favorite work of art at any one time, but over a ten-year period, you may see that piece three times in three different exhibitions and in three different contexts.

“The objects stay the same, but they have different

Ana Lisa Hedstrom Coat 41.5 x 15.5 inches (105 x 39 cm), ca. 2000 photo by Jon Bolton

see “Racine Art Museum” on page 94

Virginia Tiffany Swamp Tree 24 x 30 inches (61 x 76 cm), 1979 photo by Jon Bolton

Cindy Hickok The Crowd Gather at the Nighthawk Diner 19 x 31.5 inches (78 x 80 cm), 2011 photo by Jon Bolton

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photo by David Kostelnik

“The places where we live form us.”

Michael James

M

Wild Dreams (collage #9) 19.5 x 28 inches (50 x 72 cm), 2023

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ichael James spent the first fifty years of his life on the Massachusetts coast. Then, in the summer of 2000, he transitioned from full-time studio artist, author, and workshop instructor to professor and eventually, textiles department chair at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, a place with vast open land, farms, and prairies. This East coast native was transformed not only by geography, but also by the unexpected and surprising delights to be found in this unknown landscape.

James’s impact on the art quilt movement from the early 1970s to the present has been, quite simply, profound. His work sets a bar that demands consideration on equal footing with painting and sculpture.

Through exhibitions, commissions, and acquisitions, he has carved impressive inroads for the entire art quilt movement and the acceptance of quilts as art on par with any other medium. James and his work have been formed not only by his choices within the art

Haveli 3 (Varanasi) 50 x 65 inches (127 x 165 cm), 2018

form he pursued, but also by the domestic roles of husband and father that influenced his work and initially motivated him to pursue an art career in textiles.

Formally trained as a painter and printmaker, James earned a BFA from the University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth, followed by an MFA at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in 1973.

The desire to be a hands-on father to his newborn son Trevor motivated him to pursue an art form that would allow him to work in a home studio.

He also had concerns about the toxicity of the materials used in both painting and printmaking. Although he had dabbled a bit in textiles in graduate school, he had not considered textile art a possible serious pursuit, let alone a career path.

At RIT, James was attracted to work being made by students studying craft — fiber, metalwork, jewelry, and ceramics. He began researching quilts and quilt history, realizing he had found his niche.

His commitment was unwavering and has continued throughout his professional life, with utmost concentration on materials, process, and artistic

The Concept of Qi 52 x 50 inches (132 x 128 cm), 2008 photo by Larry Gawel

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Razzle Dazzle 96 x 84 inches (244 x 213 cm), 1975

vision. James believes that quiltmakers must be open to and study other mediums, in an effort to inspire and motivate themselves and to balance out the long hours spent alone in a studio. As an avid reader, traveler, and music and theater lover who is preoccupied with national and local politics, culture, and cuisine, James is wide-­ranging in his interests. His eclectic life experience has provided the basis for inventive work that continues to evolve.

In 1975, James began working with traditional quilt concepts, learning methods, techniques, and color, some of which were based on his study of Amish designs. He approached making quilts with the same serious intent that he had for painting, bringing to the work his art training and its intellectual framework.

He was a modern artist working in a traditional, primarily female, medium, and his self-imposed demands and high standards of technical excellence aligned him with the values of the best traditional makers. The first quilts were pieced and hand quilted, and each successive piece was another exploration into the possibilities of the quilt as art.

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In 1985, James began working at a far more complex level, reflecting his ambition and desire to ­establish himself in the field. In his thirties, he invested himself completely, both mentally and physically, in the pursuit of his work. Painting stripes on watercolor paper, he realized he could create plays of color, light, and pattern with panels of fabric strips. Thus began a decade of using these strip-pieced fabrics in technically challenging ways, resulting in a signature style that brought recognition in the wider domain of studio craft.

Commissions and sales, both corporate and private, followed. Eventually, James began to feel that he had exhausted all of the questions he had about the striped figurations.

During the 1990s, he began working again with pieced figures reminiscent of traditional quilts, inspired in part by patterns in icons of the Eastern Orthodox Church. His brilliant palette was limited, in some works, to just two colors. Although many would consider setting aside such a recognizable style risky, James saw this transition as a creative impulse worth pursuing.

His move to Nebraska in 2000, away from friends and family, becoming a professor rather than a full-time studio artist, was artistically and personally challenging. Yet James, buoyed by a short list of initial requirements — a good coffee shop, public radio station, art cinema, and a successful literary scene, embraced the inspiring peace and vastness of the plains and prairie. In 2002, a cutting-edge digital textile printer was purchased by James’s textiles department. He spent two years learning to use it, inspiring another pivot in style and technique.

Creating digital fabrics opened innovative expressive opportunities.

Ghost Figure 79 x 37 inches (199 x 93 cm), 2005

Moonshadow 100 x 80 inches (254 x 203 cm), 1979 photo by David Caras

Sky/Wind Variations II 51 x 86 inches (130 x 214 cm), 1990 photo by David Cara

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In Matsuzaki 51 x 89 inches (130 x 225 cm), 1999

Sadly, less than a decade later, his beloved wife, Judy, began a descent into early-stage ­Alzheimer’s disease, a diagnosis that would affect their personal life in a drastic way and alter his work. The pieces made during this period reflect the personal loss they were both suffering and the changes the disease effected in their lives. James’s somber, melancholy quilts from this time reflect an artistic voice not heard previously.

Following Judy’s death, and feeling the need to place himself in ­completely unfamiliar territory, he traveled in late 2016 to India. This experience inspired yet another shift in style, color, and construction. He found peace in this diverse foreign land, returning to Nebraska renewed and full of inspiration.

James remarried in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic put him and his wife, Linda Esterling, into lockdown just as both launched into “retirement.” James began hand stitching English paper patchworks, using the digital fabrics he had printed on campus. These new works, typically framed under glass, are made with an obsessive’s precision. Although they were tedious to construct, James found the process meditative.

During lockdown, James decided to write a memoir of his and Judy’s experience of her illness — the slow ebbing of her life and the fading of their long

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photo by David Caras

­ arriage. That recently published memoir, Dear m Judy — A Love Story Rewritten by Alzheimer’s, is a compelling window into the life of a husband and artist struggling with a diabolical and confounding enemy. Kirkus Reviews describes the book as “A sadly tender and fiercely intelligent remembrance of a loved one and loss.”

James has now turned his focus to mixed-media collages, a better fit with the smaller studio space in the new home he and Linda share. He continues to work with the latest digital tools, using various software programs to paint digitally, often working on his iPad. As a model of seriousness of purpose and belief in the value of “just doing the work,” this consummate artist has inspired makers the world over to pursue their own paths and to find their own individual voices.

Patty Kennedy-Zafred is an award-winning textile artist, printmaker, and writer who lives and works in southwestern Pennsylvania. Her work, evincing a passion for photography, history, and stitch, is included in public and private collections.

Midday darkens over (melancholy) 58 x 68 inches (148 x 174 cm), 2014

Untitled (No. 4) 25 x 35 inches (64 x 88 cm), 2021

“ I have not known another quilter, artist, teacher, administrator, or writer, who has shown more intelligence, intellectual curiosity, and excellence than Michael James.”

––Jan Myers-Newbury SAQA Art Quilt Quarterly | 11

Shaping curatorial visions SAQA’s Virtual Gallery

by Patty Kennedy-Zafred

Lea McComas Ann Houle

Busy Signal 25 x 36 inches (64 x 91 cm), 2017

Gymnast Pyramid 55 x 40 inches (140 x 103 cm), 2022 photo by David Reese

Lynn Czaban The Memories That Remain 32 x 59 inches (81 cm x 150 cm), 2020 photo by Angela Peterson

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Zara Zannettino Absurd Birds 21 x 60 inches (53 x 152 cm), 2021

David Charity Raining Cats on Dog II 42 x 27 inches (107 x 70 cm), 2020

T

o be selected as a Virtual Gallery curator, SAQA members are encouraged to submit an application specifying their proposed theme and concept. If the proposal is accepted by the Exhibition Committee, a call for entry goes live on the SAQA website.

The Virtual Gallery has grown steadily, not only in the number of curator applications, but also in the number of pieces submitted for consideration. In a blind jury process, the curator shapes a personal vision and intention and is given the option of arranging the accepted works in a specific order for viewing. A new component was recently added to the site, with the exhibition arranged on virtual gallery walls to create a self-guided tour The initial incentive for the creation of this online exhibition concept was twofold — to provide members seeking jurying and exhibition experience with the ability to design and curate a themed concept, and to offer additional opportunities for SAQA members to participate in an online juried exhibition. This virtual format encourages artists whose work is large, three

dimensional, or fragile, including installations, that may be difficult to ship to SAQA’s brick-and-mortar venues, with the added advantage that these art quilts do not become unavailable due to an extended travel period.

The most recent Virtual Gallery exhibitions reflect the artistic excitement of SAQA’s Virtual Gallery project with dynamic, diverse themes.

Body Language Body Language, designed by Fuzzy Mall, presented an exhibition based on nonverbal expression, the concept of speaking with our bodies rather than our voices, which forms the cornerstone of his own artistic practice.

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In Busy Signal by Lea McComas, a single gesture is the focal point, commenting on technology disconnecting human interaction. With the face of her subject partially hidden, McComas explains that this piece “epitomizes the changes in human communication, where electronic contact supersedes face-to-face dialogue.”

A wistful gaze captured the imagination of Lynn Czaban in The Memories That Remain, an appliquéd and stitched portrait that reveals the complexity of facial expression, leaving the viewer to pause and interpret. Ann Houle channels the joy of play and interaction in Gymnast Pyramid, a beach scene featuring the delight of physical strength and balance, a piece that feels both youthful and exuberant.

HumorUs Artists Helen Blumen and Andra Stanton combined talents as curators, collaborating to present HumorUs, a challenge to submit light-hearted works that might cause the viewer to smile with delight or even laugh out loud.

Raining Cats on Dog II is a cartoonish stylized quilt by David Charity. Not only a play on words, this piece is also filled with movement and wonder. With comical expressions and apparent interaction among helmeted guinea fowl, inquisitive birds are given lively personalities in Zara Zannettino’s triptych Absurd Birds. Painted, heavily stitched, and embellished, this work engages the viewer in the fantasy gossip taking place.

Imprisoned The most recent Virtual Gallery exhibition features an entirely different mindset. Imprisoned, conceived

by Mieke Leenders, addresses the personal, physical, or psychological prisons limiting our freedom and individuality. Alcatraz 2 by Dan Olfe is a compilation of layers of photographs taken at this infamous prison, digitally crafted to leave behind a somewhat surreal ghostly image in abstract, colorful rendering.

Harsh conditions faced by thousands of children, even in modern times, inspired Linda Anderson to create Finding Comfort. Her hand-painted and thread-painted portrait of three young boys, framed

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with a mat of small handprints, references child labor around the world Half In Half Out, a highly personal piece by Kathy York, reflects on the lasting effects of decades in prison, even after a prisoner is freed. York states that this dark, solemn quilt addresses “the degree to which we are prisoners of our past.”

Virtual Gallery exhibitions remain online indefinitely and are available gratis for everyone to peruse, whether for a short dose of inspiration or a deep dive into what SAQA members are creating in response to thematic challenges.

Linda Anderson Finding Comfort 48 x 44 inches (122 x 112 cm), 2022 photo by Jamie Hamel-Smith

Dan Olfe Alcatraz 2 59 x 39 inches (150 x 99 cm), 2014

Kathy York Half In Half Out 37 x 37 inches (94 x 94 cm), 2023

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artists to watch

Hélène Hein Munich, Germany Helene Hein is learning as she goes. Her growing portfolio is enriched with each new experiment she undertakes. Her enthusiastic approach is infectious, and she invites others to embark on an artistic journey.

“ Artists to watch” feature stories are edited by Diane Howell

New direction I was a traditional quilter for twenty years before a friend suggested I enroll in the judging class offered by The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles. I never dreamt of becoming a judge, but this decision turned out to be life changing. The coursework led me to study the principles and elements of design as well as experiment with materials and processes I had never heard of. I came to appreciate art quilts, developed a keen interest in dyeing, and became a SAQA member.

If you had asked me three years ago if I would ever call myself an artist, I would have said that you were joking. I now trust myself to use the term, at least among like-minded people, and refer to my recent work as textile art. I take every opportunity to encourage other people to give it a shot.

Finding inspiration

Medieval textures 30 x 23 inches (76 x 58 cm), 2007

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I draw inspiration from structures and colors. I take pictures of trees, reflections of water, glass façades, and textures. People often look at me strangely when

Married Life 51 x 51 inches (130 x 130 cm), 2021

I take close-up shots of rusted surfaces, graffiti, bark, or pavement. But a close-up shot abstracts the subject.

I find that inspiration for color can come from anywhere, including nature and paintings. Being French, I was first attracted to the work of the Impressionists, but after thirty years in Germany, I have grown to love Expressionism, too.

Two textile artists who have had a strong influence on my work are Maryline ­Coullioud-Robert and Erica Waaser. I studied color with ­Coullioud-Robert years ago and her lessons are still a reference point. Waaser’s class allowed me to play with block structure and alternate colors between background and foreground.

For the love of trees was the result of my studies with Waaser.

Materially speaking My favorite materials are my own hand-dyed cotton fabrics and my favorite technique is piecing. I’m open to experimentation because I’m still in the learning phase. I also love machine quilting, especially for a whole-cloth piece. Even if an art quilt is meant to be seen and normally not used or touched, I find the

For the love of trees 32 x 22 inches (81 x 56 cm), 2018

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far left:

Tout feu, tout flamme (All fire, all flame) 45 x 25 inches (114 x 64 cm), 2022 left:

Riverside 45 x 25 inches (114 x 64 cm), 2022

Seasons of life 42 x 33 inches (107 x 84 cm), 2022

t­ actile pleasure of a quilted piece difficult to resist. I have always had a passion for color samples, and I’m keen on systematic exploration of tools such as dyes and new pencils. Some of my art quilts were built around color choice. Married Life is one example, being the first piece for which I dyed all the fabrics using various techniques: breakdown printing, immersion dyeing, and thickened dyes, using petrol (dark blue-green) turquoise, and orange. The rich browns in it are a mix of these colors and an expression of how spouses influence each other over the years.

Step-by-step process Homage to Florence street artist K. (Exit.enter.k) 23 x 16 inches (58 x 41 cm), 2021 18 | SAQA Art Quilt Quarterly

When I begin a new art quilt, I first choose a color theme. The fabric choices determine which techniques I want to play with, and then I just get going.

Exchanging opinions

For the love of trees 2

33 x 20 inches (84 x 51 cm), 2019

32 x 24 inches (81 x 61 cm), 2019

Enjoying the fun along the way as I work out how to create a piece gives me the most pleasure.

For instance, experimenting with raw-edge fusing led to Seasons of life, made with commercial solids. Hommage to K. is a linen whole-cloth quilt that required lots of experimentation to achieve a dirty background.

I have come to enjoy the creative process without having specific expectations for the result in mind.

I like a logical approach, an underlying structure or recipe, and sequencing the steps in my mind. However, I find my best results come from playing around.

Letting go and not taking yourself too seriously helps creativity.

I was not aware of having a style until I heard friends comment, “That’s a Helene quilt.” As a traditional quilter, I often worked with reproduction fabrics and was inspired by antique quilts, in particular Amish, Welsh, and Dutch examples. While the engineer in me relishes precise piecing, I find satisfaction in coming up with creative solutions when something goes wrong.

Expression in cloth My work is not meant to share an articulated message.

It is a channel to express feelings that I can’t put into

words. This could be the childlike joy of observing nature, discovering a new place, or the satisfaction of solving a tricky puzzle.

I don’t expect the viewer to seek a literal meaning in my work. In photography I lean toward the abstract, and my textile work follows a similar trend. If my work strikes a chord with the viewer, it will be different from the one that sparked the inspiration for me.

What’s ahead As an electrical engineer, I don’t get tangible results at work. Quilting began as a hobby to provide balance with my career, bringing physical and emotional comfort. Now quilting keeps my curiosity active, keeps me learning, and gives me opportunities to meet new friends who share the same passion.

I still have a lot to learn. I continue to find my voice, develop a body of work, and be a presence in the field. Among my more immediate plans, I want to explore more techniques that build on my love for photography — perhaps through a series on trees, or impressions of cities and other places I have visited.

Some people make plans for retirement, but my inner child is still thinking of all the things I’ll do when I grow up!

Instagram: @hhquilt

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artists to watch

Judith Quinn Garnett Portland, Oregon Judith Quinn Garnett creates stitched paintings with paint, rust, and thread.

Her work is a textured portfolio alive with movement and color that allows the viewer to enter her world and willingly linger.

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Eclectic toolkit While I’m primarily a painter who started with figurative work, I have explored many ways to make art: books, woodblock prints, and more. I dabbled with traditional quilts by making a few for functional uses. This allowed me to see the potential of quilts and prepared me to engage with the art-quilt world. Two things still had to happen before I began to make art quilts.

First, dyeing caught my eye, as it offered a way to move beyond the color and design limitations of store-bought fabrics. A friend familiar with fiber art wondered why I would master fabric dyeing when I was already a painter. That made sense.

Second, one day I cut a painting off its frame and took it to my sewing machine. This painting was calling for more, and I saw an opportunity to explore stitch with paint.

This, then, became my path in the world — an exciting path as it started with what I loved best: paint.

As an inveterate explorer, I didn’t stop with painted canvas and stitch. I followed other interests and began

Quilt Of Fantastical Things 40 x 40 inches (102 x 102 cm), 2017 photo by Nora Q. Garnett

to embellish works with beloved materials often found in hardware stores or recycling centers.

Work flow My primary technique is stitched painting. At first, these works all started with acrylic paintings on traditional gessoed canvases cut apart, stitched back together, and embellished with more stitch.

Over time, I found more ways to use stitch as an artistic element. Sometimes I collage my paintings or stitch before beginning to paint. It’s exciting to use stitched lines to bring new dimension to paint while using paint to bring unusual work to art quilts.

Metal remains a favorite material, and many of my works include it, such as Quilt of Fantastical Things, which was exhibited in Quilt National 2017. This work is embellished with a grid of ­bottle caps. Other works use bits of metal, metal leaf, or recycled post-consumer and post-­ industrial waste to add texture and interest.

For a period, I worked with plastic bags from newspaper deliveries, shops, and more. This led to 2050, which was part of Shifting Tides, a SAQA regional exhibition. In that work, I created “fabric” by fusing plastic bags, then pieced the fabric before embellishing the result with stitch.

2050 50 x 41 inches (127 x 104 cm), 2019 photo by Nora Q. Garnett

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Machine Artifact No.1 24 x 24 inches (61 x 61 cm), 2021 photo by Nora Q. Garnett

Recently I’ve begun creating monoprints on stitched paper that is imprinted with rusted industrial artifacts such as gears, scissors, and machine parts. I then apply paint and other pigments to complement the rust. These unusual, one-of-a-kind works reference 20th-century machines and are important connections to my childhood.

Inspirational process My projects start subconsciously, making them difficult to know, much less discuss, for some time. My process is like that recommended by Chuck Close, who says that artists must “just show up and get to work.” It turns out many artists find that inspiration mostly emerges through their hands and through their work. My hands, my materials, and my process, then, are my inspiration. Over time and through work, emotional connection and meaning emerge in the piece.

Style defined Most of my early stitched paintings were a mix of open abstraction with grids and other forms of 22 | SAQA Art Quilt Quarterly

organization drawn from quilt patterns, Islamic tile designs, and other sources. This duality helped me get past my own struggle with unstructured abstraction and makes the pieces more compelling. It also fits well with the world of art quilts, where some structure is evident even if a design is intended to feel unstructured.

In creating these, I never lost touch with my figurative beginnings. To stay fresh with figures, I continued to paint live models and draw or paint in sketchbooks.

Eventually, figures began to move into my larger pieces. I find figures both exciting and intimidating within this stitched-painting medium. A figure on its own can carry unintended meaning or even distract the viewer from what I think most compelling. On the other hand, figures make a piece more human and strengthen an observer’s connection with it.

Most of my pieces aren’t created with an idea of a specific message but rather explore the way visual work touches us emotionally. For example, 2050 is one of my most clearly message-focused works. It’s about the build-up of plastics threatening the Pacific

Correspondence With Hope 48 x 48 inches (122 x 122 cm), 2020

Syncopation No. 1 52 x 36 inches (132 x 91 cm), 2020

Ocean. The fused plastic fabric draws the viewer inches, I hope my titles point an observer toward things to consider as they look at my works. Correspondence with Hope was made while I processed difficult challenges in life. I was struck by how we must engage with hope before it can emerge. Syncopation No. 1 reflects the play and interaction of paint and structure throughout the piece, as well as how we live syncopated lives as we encounter the threads that move through them.

What’s ahead I’m working on a number of projects, including a self-portrait, which I continue to explore in paint and stitch. I’ve now added rust monoprints of industrial artifacts. My hands and heart lead the way forward through touch, observation, and experience. My path is to follow where they lead, and that makes the future pretty exciting. www.blackdogdesignpdx.com

Standpoint 24 x 24 inches (61 x 61 cm), 2023

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artists to watch

Regina Marzlin Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada Regina Marzlin loves creating expressionistic works on cloth. She translates her world-view through mark making and surface design, inviting viewers to share her artistic journey.

A happy accident After immigrating to Canada from Germany in 2003, I went into a Calgary quilt shop by accident. At the time, I didn’t own a sewing machine and had no background in sewing, quilting, or art education. I was intrigued by what I saw and taught myself how to make traditional quilts. Soon I wanted to design my own quilts and learn design principles.

I took an online course with Linda and Laura ­Kemshall, the mother-and-daughter team behind DesignMatters TV in England. They taught me techniques and instilled in me the habit of making small samples to explore ideas. After two years, I earned my City and Guilds Certificate in Patchwork and Quilting.

In the meantime, I started to sell small fiber art items in local galleries and had success with exhibitions and sales.

I saw art as a career and began to introduce myself as an artist.

Driving force I want to understand the world around me and my reaction to it. My emotional response to details in nature, current events, and memories all flow into my art. I’m also an introvert and an immigrant who grew up speaking a language different from what I use now in everday life. Expressing myself through art is often easier.

A lot of my inspiration comes from my personal history. Moving several times between continents and living in different parts of the world has shaped my outlook and influenced my aesthetic. I also use a lot of nature references, an important theme for me. We should be aware of our connection to nature and see its beauty as well as acknowledge its fragility and preciousness.

I love surface design: printing, painting, and stamping on white cotton fabric. I like to dye or use liquid dyes on top of quilts that are already quilted and treated with gesso.

Monoprinting with gelatin plates is a favorite technique. I love the ability to layer thin paint layers to create an element of transparency. Printing with plant materials is a fun way to get beautiful textures and also

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Late Season Beauty 35 x 18 inches (89 x 46 cm), 2023

Line Play 41 x 27 inches (104 x 69 cm), 2023

reference the natural world without being too literal.

My resulting fabrics are collaged or pieced together in grids. I do hand and/or machine stitching on most of my pieces, depending on the needs of the artwork. I like to cover whole areas in simple stitches to provide texture.

Color use I don’t shy away from intense colors. The mood of a piece is set by the colors. Sometimes I start by monoprinting black lines on white fabric and color in the resulting shapes afterward. I like the spontaneity

Dandelion Dreams 18 x 21 inches (46 x 53 cm), 2020 SAQA Art Quilt Quarterly | 25

and personal expression of quick mark making. I work freely, but there is a plan for the outcome.

I tend to use primary colors that get mixed on the fabric via monoprinting or painting. In addition to creating transparency, I like to blur edges and make ombré effects. I have to really know the materials I’m using for the latter or I would end up with muddled brown or dull gray colors. I try not to be too predictable in my color choices, but blue is a favorite.

Style defined

Tangled #2 35 x 30 inches (89 x 76 cm), 2020

My work has been described as expressionistic, a style I saw in Germany. I always admired such work in the European art museums I visited.

I’m not interested in depicting realistic subjects.

Though some of these are alluded to in my art, they are stylized and out of context. I abstract my surroundings, noting my emotional response to what I observe. In my most successful pieces, viewers connect because they elicit an emotional response.

I’m delving more into abstraction; it’s an ongoing learning process. I enjoy exploring basic shapes like circles and ovals.

Process in play I often work to a given theme, particularly for group shows. The theme gives me a direction. I work through ideas, maybe sketch some layouts, but mostly I just think it through. When I have a plan, I create fabric with gel printing or fabric painting. Then it’s off to the design wall where I pin my fabric pieces and work on the layout. An important tool in this stage is my phone camera; I take a lot of photos of every layout. I look at thumbnail-sized images to gauge design impact and use the camera’s black-and-white filter to see if I have good value distribution. Once the layout is done, I piece the parts together. My piecing is usually quite simple, sometimes curved but often

Late Night Conversations 38 x 26 inches (97 x 66 cm), 2022 26 | SAQA Art Quilt Quarterly

Laws of Motion 35 x 31 inches (89 x 79 cm), 2020

with straight lines. Once I’m satisfied, I decide on the stitching.

What’s ahead?

Today I’m more confident about what processes and techniques work for me. I’ve narrowed my materials list and set parameters. This approach allows me to focus on the conceptual aspect of my art and be more intentional about what I want to express. My goal is to create bigger and bolder work and have it exhibited in prestigious exhibitions.

Being a member of the Art Cloth Network, a group of artists from Canada and the United States dedicated to promoting cloth as an art form, is important to me. This group is a support network with like-minded colleagues. It pushes me to delve deeper into my art practice.

I’m working more on paper, using different printing and collaging techniques. It’s good to stretch oneself and incorporate new media into art. www.reginamarzlin.com

Familiar Territory 30 x 20 inches (76 x 50 cm), 2018

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artists to watch

The beginning I have always been interested in textiles. For ten years, I attended an art school academy two times a week while enrolled in regular school courses.

My specialization was textiles, focusing on woven tapestry and sewn collages — today known as contemporary art quilts. After school, I concentrated on making clothing for my family, which was difficult to purchase while my country was under Communist rule. When that need eased, I returned to making art on a more professional basis.

Inspiring innovation I find that colors, structures, and shapes in nature inspire me. But abstract images can provide direction for me as well. I use a large variety of mixed

Rusty Squares 55 x 35 inches (140 x 89 cm), 2019

Jana Štěrbová Prague, Czech Republic Jana Štěrbová is an impressive presence in the quilting world.

Once a tourism professional, she now creates introspective art quilts, teaches artists, and promotes the art quilt through an international exhibition.

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News Nonstop 39 x 39 inches (99 x 99 cm), 2020 photos by Petr Nikodem

media. For the last decade, I have focused on the use of Evolon, a nonwoven fiber. It has a great many surface-­design possibilities. It can be dyed, cut, burned through, and quilted. Recently, most of my art quilts are built on a piece of Evolon that has been dyed with sprinkled powder dyes.

Other materials include Lutradur, Tyvek, digital prints, batiks, and paint. To add structure, I use foils, meshes, and felt.

Natural Resources 38 x 37 inches (97 x 94 cm), 2019

Color and process Color is an important component in my art. One whole series was based on the color red. My latest series is largely based on rust, which in fact is also a color scheme. I also quite often work with different shades of blue. With rare exception, I do not use green.

I begin a new piece by visualizing the design. This step usually takes the most time, sometimes months for certain art quilts. Once I have developed the basic design idea, I sketch it on paper, capturing the basic lines of the pattern. If I’m making a quilt that must be a certain size, I scale the sections to meet that requirement, taking care to follow the pattern established by my drawn lines. Then I pull and sort fabrics in my chosen color scheme — including

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digitally printed images — to find the best fabric choices for each section.

Very often this means I have to seam together three to five pieces to create the base of my top.

Then I make a quilt sandwich. Onto this prepared foundation, I place all the elements needed to create my collage. I take frequent photos to be able to track my progress from my first draft through any adjustments I make. When everything is sewn, quilted, and ironed flat, I decide on final touches: thermofax screen printing, lettering with acrylic paint, etc. Then I hang the quilt on a wall for a few days, allowing time for further small changes.

Often, I add some small detail or color note for balance.

At other times, I just start with a square of dyed Evolon and let the batik pattern lead to a collage creation.

A new tradition

Blue Moon 55 x 35 inches (140 x 89 cm), 2019

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In 2006, as Czech quilting became more popular, I saw the opportunity for a new show that presented work from central and eastern European countries. The first Prague Patchwork Meeting event was in 2007. Since 2022, it is operated by

Bars II 40 x 38 inches (102 x 97 cm), 2017

Bars IX 45 x 33 inches (114 x 84 cm), 2017

BVV Brno Trade Fairs as PPM BRNO International Quilt Festival and takes place in Brno, Czech Republic. I remain as its artistic director. In 2024, there will be more than 900 works to enjoy from around the world on a show floor of nearly 20,000 square feet (6,000 square meters).

What’s next?

I did not have many goals when I began to make art quilts. I always wanted to express myself in textiles and was pleased when others found my designs interesting. All my art quilts are made to be viewed. Every piece must please me so that it can be part of my home’s interior décor at any time. I’m happy to hear from visitors to the many venues where my quilts have been exhibited that they like the designs and are inspired by my ideas or materials. www.janasterbova.com

Parasites 55 x 35 inches (140 x 89 cm), 2019

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Jen Broemel Still Blood Boils 48 x 72 inches (1122 x 183 cm), 2022

Quilt Q National’s 23rd Biennial Exhibition

by Ann Jacob

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uilt National 2023’s inspiring and varied collection of art quilts can only move the public forward in terms of gaining recognition and respect for this medium as a true art form. The 81 quilts selected for the show out of the 673 submissions reflect heartfelt and personal expressions of textile art. Consistently thought provoking, they reference such topics as the environment, personal loss, and social justice issues, as well as the COVID19 pandemic and its far-reaching effects.

Jen Broemel’s Still Blood Boils represents the overwhelming concern we feel over the state of the world as we strive daily to remain positive and seek beauty.

Sara Impey’s Tangled Web highlights our struggles to separate fact from fiction. In addition, many of the artists celebrate the wonders of nature and use color and texture with abandon while quilting with few rules.

All photographs by Sam Girton, Sam Hamel-Lambert, Gary Kirksay

The topic of personal loss is prevalent in QN 2023. Say Their Names I by Patricia A. Montgomery honors the Black Lives Matter movement in a focused, intense manner through one of her signature swing coats. Mary Mattimoe’s Best of Show Award winner Not Enough Time is a moving tribute to two friends who lost their lives to gun violence, while Pilar Donoso’s Metastasis and Dance of Dementia by Cheryl Rezendes remind the viewer that much work needs to be done to fight disease and make our world a safer, more equitable place.

Three of the award winners, Deborah Fell’s Lines: People Waiting, Emilie Trahan’s Lifelines, and Rachael Dorr’s Interwoven 3 use recycled and upcycled materials, highlighting sustainability as an urgent goal and making textile art more rele-

Sara Impey Tangled Web 36 x 36 inches (91 x 91 cm), 2022

Patricia A. Montgomery Say Their Names I 40 x 40 x 10 inches (103 x 103 x 25 cm), 2021

Mary Mattimoe Not Enough Time 66 x 63 inches (168 x 160 cm), 2022

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Rachael Dorr Interwoven 3 40 x 40 inches (102 x 102 cm), 2021

Pilar Donoso Metastasis 34 x 51 inches (86 x 130 cm), 2022

Deborah Fell Lines: People Waiting 44 x 50 inches (112 x 127 cm), 2022

Cheryl Rezendes Dance of Dementia 54 x 36 inches (137 x 91 cm), 2021 34 | SAQA Art Quilt Quarterly

Anne Smith Saint Jude by the Dumpster 56 x 57 inches, 2022

Emilie Trahan Lifelines 65 x 58 inches (165 x 147 cm), 2022

vant. Anne Smith’s Saint Jude by the Dumpster evokes traditional quilting with her use of vintage clothing.

By distorting feet, faces, and bodies, she made her piece contemporary yet surreal. Reusing fabrics from worn clothing has always been a way to bring emotional ties into a quilt. The topic of recycling cannot be separated from other environmental issues. Susie Monday’s tumultuous Where Hurricanes Are Born underscores the suffering of those living in extreme heat and drought, wishing for relief in any form. Her use of digitally designed cotton fabrics and her altered images suggest the havoc and devastation seen after a major storm.

Wen Redmond tells us, “The act of noticing, of paying attention, increases awareness of photographic opportunities.” Redmond’s Noticing, based on her photo of the view outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, incorporates pine needles, kozo paper, paint, and glass beads into a spectacular winter scene. Many

Susie Monday Where Hurricanes are Born 54 x 33 inches (137 x 84 cm), 2022

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Wen Redmond Noticing 54 x 26 inches (137 x 66 cm), 2022

Hilde Hoogwaerts Summer Garden 79 x 79 inches (201 x 201 cm), 2022

Barbara Schneider Forest Floor, Tree Bark Fragment, var.5 58 x 15 x 6 inches, 2022

Diana S. Fox Forest of Seasons 89 x 96 inches (226 x 244 cm), 2022 36 | SAQA Art Quilt Quarterly

other QN 23 entries celebrate the beauty of nature. SAQA Award winner Barbara Schneider’s Forest Floor, Tree Bark Fragment, var. 5 is part of a three-dimensional series based on remains found on the forest floor.

Several pieces are abstract in their approach to nature as a topic. Hilde Hoogwaerts’ Summer Garden feels like an aerial view of a dense, colorful garden inviting in birds and butterflies. Forest of Seasons by Diane S. Fox was inspired by the rings of trees and changes of season. Fig by Maren Johnston reminds us while there may be competition with insects and other animals at harvest time, ultimately, there is enough for all. Desert Mother artist Kathy Nida sums it up well in her artist’s statement: “The diversity of nature astounds.”

Many of the quilts are simply a joy to view due to their interesting use of color. Jean H. Howard creates an effective feeling of depth in Monuments II with vibrant-colored shapes in contrasting value seeming to jump forward while the same shapes in muted colors and

Maren Johnston Fig 55 x 58 inches ( 147 x 140 cm), 2022

Kathy Nida Desert Mother 57 x 57 inches (145 x 145 cm), 2022

Jean H. Howard Monuments II 47 x 47 inches (119 x 119 cm), 2021 SAQA Art Quilt Quarterly | 37

Denise L. Roberts

Michael J. Ross

Finding Connections #24

Spring Folly

85 x 40 inches (216 x 102 cm), 2022

83 x 89 inches, 2022

similar value recede. The eye struggles with where to land in the equal values of red and blue in Finding Connections #24 by Denise L. Roberts, while the analogous color palette of Channeling Ernest ­ Haeckel 22 by Sandy Gregg is rich and restful.

Finally, Michael Ross’s Spring Folly is not only a fine example of dramatic use of color but also a tribute to his own challenge “to step out of old habits and create something wild.”

Sue LaWall Cortese works with indigo as seen in Bound to Tradition 2. She has extensively researched the Japanese technique of shibori — various binding techniques resulting in beautiful patterns that work well with indigo. Whether taking Ross’s attitude of radically changing technique or using Sue Cortese’s approach of immersion in tradition, the artwork in QN 23 abounds with originality. Deborah Fell asks in her artist’s statement “When is it a good idea to cross a line?” QN 23 clearly demonstrates that the

Sandy Gregg Chanelling Ernst Haeckel 22 43 x 43 inches (109 x 109 cm), 2022

see “QN 23” on page 96

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Portfolio Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) is pleased to present our Portfolio gallery. Each issue of Art Quilt Quarterly features a selection of artwork by juried artist members of SAQA, the world’s largest organization devoted to art quilts.

We hope you enjoy this opportunity to immerse yourself in these pages of wonderfully innovative artwork merging the tactile, technological, and traditional aspects of quilted art.

Founded in 1989, SAQA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt through exhibitions, publications, and professional development opportunities. We host an annual conference, publish a quarterly Journal, and sponsor multiple exhibitions each year.

www.saqa.com

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Portfolio Regula B. Affolter Oekingen, Solothurn, Switzerland www.regaffolter.ch

Marianna’s Quilt 2022 63 x 43 inches (160 x 110 cm) | 2022 Private collection | photo by JEA

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Frieda L. Anderson Sarasota, Florida, United States www.friestyle.com

Reaching for the Light 40 x 30 inches (102 x 76 cm) | 2023

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Portfolio Geneviève Attinger Arradon, Morbihan, France www.attinger-art-textile.odexpo.com

Under the Shirt 55 x 53 inches (140 x 135 cm) | 2020

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Alice Beasley Oakland, California, United States www.alicebeasley.com

Food for Thought 43 x 80 inches (109 x 203 cm) | 2022 collection Stanford University

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Portfolio Pat Bishop Shawano, Wisconsin, United States www.patbishop.info

Harbinger 40 x 27 inches (102 x 69 cm) | 2022

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Sarah Catherine Blanchette Lake Orion, Michigan, United States www.sarahcblanchette.studio

My mirror lives again so I keep it 57 x 38 inches (144 x 97 cm) | 2022

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Portfolio Joke Buursma Tipperary, Ireland www.jokebuursma.weebly.com

The Old Church at Coolagh 26 x 36 inches (66 x 91 cm) | 2022 Private collection

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Deb Cashatt Cameron Park, California, United States www.debcashatt.com

The Center #2 40 x 35 inches (102 x 89 cm) | 2022

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Portfolio Linda Colsh Middletown, Maryland, United States www.lindacolsh.com

par hasard (by chance) 9 x 28 x 14 inches (23 x 71 x 36 cm) | 2020 photo by Ryan Stein Photography

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Jennifer Conrad Burnsville, Minnesota, United States

70’s Child 38 x 43 inches (95 x 109 cm) | 2010 photo by Jeff Conrad

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Portfolio Sherri Culver Portland, Oregon, United States www.sherriquilts.com

Sisters at the Coast 10 x 24 inches (25 x 61 cm) | 2022 photo by Hoddick Photography

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Marcia DeCamp Palmyra, New York, United States www.marciadecamp.com

RoundAbout 68 x 68 inches (173 x 173 cm) | 2012

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Portfolio Chiaki Dosho Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan www.chiakidoshoart.com

Cocoon 9 63 x 31 x 2 inches (160 x 80 x 5 cm) | 2021 photo by Akinori Miyashita

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Noriko Endo Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan www.norikoendo.com

Birds 53 x 78 inches (135 x 197 cm) | 2015 photo by Yuji Nomura

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Portfolio Petra Fallaux Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States www.petrafallaux.com

Polder Night Horizon 66 x 43 inches (168 x 109 cm) | 2022

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Katriina Flensburg Storvreta (Uppsala), Sweden www.katriinaflensburg.se

On Loose Base 55 x 51 inches (140 x 130 cm) | 2022

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Portfolio Sheila Frampton-Cooper Ventura, California, United States www.zoombaby.com

And She Rises...

41 x 46 inches (104 x 117 cm) | 2022

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Linda Gass Los Altos, California, United States www.lindagass.com

When we listen to the watershed...

49 x 71 x 30 inches (124 x 180 x 76 cm) | 2022

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Portfolio Cindy Grisdela Reston, Virginia, United States www.cindygrisdela.com

Fireflies 53 x 23 inches (135 x 58 cm) | 2021 private collection | photo by Gregory R. Staley

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Betty A. Hahn Sun City, Arizona, United States bettyhahnfiberart.com

Under the Surface 48 x 36 inches (122 x 91 cm) | 2020

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Portfolio Lynne G. Harrill Flat Rock, North Carolina, United States www.lynneharrill.weebly.com

Gray/Brown 36 x 51 inches (91 x 130 cm) | 2019

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Sue Hotchkis Ross-shire, United Kingdom www.suehotchkis.com

Caught In The Mirror 63 x 35 inches (159 x 90 cm) | 2023

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Portfolio Laura Jaszkowski Eugene, Oregon, United States www.joyincloth.blogspot.com

Scirocco 32 x 48 inches (81 x 121 cm) | 2022

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Lyric Kinard Cary, North Carolina, United States lyrickinard.com

Codex Unspoken 37 x 4 x 2 inches (94 x 10 x 5 cm) | 2022

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Portfolio Sherry Davis Kleinman Pacific Palisades, California, United States

Self Portrait: Teddy and Me 17 x 13 inches (43 x 32 cm) | 2022 private collection | photo by Steven Kleinman

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Irene Koroluk Taroona, Tasmania, Australia www.irenekoroluk.com

50 Shades of Lichen 39 x 19 inches (100 x 47 cm) | 2021 photo by Bruce Champion

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Portfolio Karol Kusmaul Inverness, Florida, United States www.kquilt.com

Tenacious 54 x 39 inches (137 x 99 cm) | 2022

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Susan J. Lapham Vienna, Virginia, United States www.susanjlapham.net

Playland #6 79 x 83 inches (201 x 211 cm) | 2020

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Portfolio Sandra E. Lauterbach Los Angeles, California, United States www.sandralauterbach.com

Discovered in Delphi 30 x 34 inches (76 x 86 cm) | 2016

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Hsin-Chen Lin Tainan City, Taiwan, Republic of China www.linhsinchen.idv.tw

Queen of Tropical Flowers 59 x 28 inches (150 x 70 cm) | 2018

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Portfolio Jeanne Marklin Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States www.jeannemarklin.com

Leaf Shields 25 x 42 inches (64 x 105 cm) | 2023

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Kathleen A. McCabe Coronado, California, United States kathleenmccabe.art

High Voltage 45 x 15 inches (114 x 38 cm) | 2022 photo by Phil Imming

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Portfolio Diane Melms Anchorage, Alaska, United States dianemelms.com

Thinking Outside the Block 27 x 43 inches (69 x 109 cm) | 2018

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Karen Illman Miller Corvallis, Oregon, United States www.nautilus-fiberarts.com

Dancing with the Stars 37 x 41 inches (94 x 104 cm) | 2021 photo by Hoddick Photography

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Portfolio Jeannie Palmer Moore Kerrville, Texas, United States jpmartist.com

Swiss Miss 40 x 26 inches (102 x 66 cm) | 2022

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Alison Muir Cremorne Junction, New South Wales, Australia muirandmuir.com.au

families 39 x 39 inches (100 x 100 cm) | 2021

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Portfolio Bobbe Shapiro Nolan Eagle Lake, Texas, United States

And the Land Falls Away 36 x 44 x 2 inches (91 x 112 x 5 cm) | 2022 photo by Rick Wells

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Tina Sommer Paaske Fuglebjerg, Sjaelland, Denmark www.tinasommerpaaske.dk

A girl (No more #me too) 28 x 39 inches (70 x 100 cm) | 2021 photo by Henrik Nielsen

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Portfolio Pat Pauly Rochester, New York, United States www.patpauly.com

Rite of Spring 86 x 80 inches (217 x 203 cm) | 2023

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Margaret A. Phillips Cos Cob, Connecticut, United States

Spring 67 x 37 inches (170 x 94 cm) | 2020 photo by Jay B. Wilson

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Portfolio Heather Pregger Fort Worth, Texas, United States www.heather-quilts.com

Leaves of Grass 42 x 30 inches (107 x 76 cm) | 2022

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Sue Reno Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, United States suereno.com

Fever Dream 53 x 68 inches (135 x 173 cm) | 2022

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Portfolio Jane Ann Sassaman Harvard, Illinois, United States www.janesassaman.com

Turkey Tail 45 x 40 inches (114 x 102 cm) | 2022

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Susan Schrott Shelter Island, New York, United States www.susanschrott.com

The Seven Sisters 60 x 60 inches (152 x 152 cm) | 2022 photo by Lorin Klaris

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Portfolio Maria Christine Shell Anchorage, Alaska, United States www.mariashell.com

tiny bubbles 43 x 40 inches (109 x 102 cm) | 2022 photo by Chris Arend

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Teresa Shippy Santa Ana, California, United States www.teresashippy.com

1959 Chevrolet Bel Air (Backend) 23 x 26 inches (57 x 66 cm) | 2018

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Portfolio Bonnie J. Smith Port Hueneme, California, United States www.bonniejofiberarts.com

Alviso Blue 34 x 43 inches (86 x 109 cm) | 2020 Private Collection | photo by Deb Wong

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Karen Sunday Spencer Portland, Oregon, United States www.karensundayspencer.com

All Shook Up 48 x 53 inches (122 x 135 cm) | 2022 photo by Hoddick Photography

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Portfolio Kathy Suprenant Lawrence, Kansas, United States www.kathysuprenant.com

CELL-evision 34 x 58 inches (86 x 147 cm) | 2022 photo by Aaron Paden

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Gwyned Trefethen Cohasset, Massachusetts, United States www.gwynedtrefethen.com

Celestial Celebration 32 x 38 inches (81 x 97 cm) | 2022 photo by Dana B. Eagles

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Portfolio Jean Wells Sisters, Oregon, United States www.jeanwellsquilts.com

Surfside and Beyond 32 x 66 inches (81 x 168 cm) | 2023 photo by Gary Alvis

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Libby Williamson Villa Park, California, United States LibbyWilliamson.com

Etiquette in Connecticut 40 x 38 inches (102 x 97 cm) | 2018

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Portfolio Marian Zielinski Macon, Georgia, United States www.marianzielinski.com

Letting Go 41 x 32 inches (104 x 81 cm) | 2022

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Pamela Zave Summit, New Jersey, United States zaveartquilts.com

Purple, the Reconciliation of Two Extremes 21 x 32 inches (53 x 81 cm) | 2018 photo by Yolanda V. Fundora

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Racine Art Museum from p. 5 interpretations,” he says. And that’s what makes the artwork exciting.

RAM’s fiber collection consists of 1,244 pieces to date. This does not include the clothing collection, which has 381 pieces. RAM depends on donations to grow its collection, with approximately 95 percent of its acquisitions obtained via gift. Beyond that, RAM has received a grant to acquire more work from artists of color, who currently represent about 10 percent of the collection.

Pepich acknowledges that the museum reflects in large part its donors’ own interests. That, unfortunately, has not included much in the way of quilt art.

Nonetheless, RAM owns some wonderful examples, including a provocative piece from Ai Kijima that highlights her

use of Pop culture iconography, four early works from Susan Shie and from Shie and James Acord, and Home Economics from Michael James, included in the 2006 exhibition Material Response: Michael James at RAM. James spent an extended period of time at RAM, responding to its architecture and collection to create new work.

When the conversation moved to what actually constitutes an art quilt, “a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure,” as Studio Art Quilt Associates defines it, Pepich began to rethink RAM’s fiber collection and to find examples he had not associated with the term. “I think we’ve been collecting works that incorporate

techniques that fit SAQA’s criteria even if they frequently don’t represent what many would commonly think of as the formats for contemporary quilts.” He cited the late Canadian artist Rosita Johanson and her work, about twenty pieces of which are in RAM’s permanent collection.

Cindy Hickok’s The Crowd Gather at the Nighthawk Diner, created from paper, leather, and dyed rayon thread, is another fascinating example from the collection that came to Pepich’s mind once he started to recall the collection in terms of what was “layered and stitched.” Other impressive pieces include work by Ana Lisa Hedstrom, Sharon Kerry-Harlan, Lilla Kulka, Rosy Petri, and Virginia Tiffany.

Hudson River Valley Fiber Art Workshops Create, experiment, and learn with us at our historic Victorian property in New York’s inspiring Hudson Valley.

2024 Workshops Maria Shell Mar 17-23 Sue Spargo Apr 14-20 Sheila Frampton Cooper Apr 21-27 Apr 28-May 4 Paula Nadelstern May 26-Jun 1 Sue Stone Nancy Crow Jun 9-16 Pat Pauly Jun 16-22 Jane Sassaman Aug 4-10 Susan Brubaker Knapp Aug 11-17 Irene Roderick Aug 18-24 Katie Pasquini Masopust Aug 25-31 Artist Retreat Week Sep 1-7 Barbara Yates Beasley Oct 13-19 Sue Benner Oct 20-26 Oct 27-Nov 2 Rosalie Dace David Taylor Nov 10-16 info@artworkshops.com | (518) 966-5219 | www.fiberartworkshops.com | @HudsonRiverArt 94 | SAQA Art Quilt Quarterly

One of Pepich’s reasons for granting the interview with AQQ was to begin pursuing the acquisition of more contemporary quilts: “We would be interested in speaking to both collectors and artists.” Pepich recognizes a need to become more active in collecting quilts, as well as putting layered and stitched pieces that the public does not necessarily view as quilts in a quilt context.

Here’s to RAM’s next 70 years and more collecting!

Kris Sazaki is a freelance writer and former president of Studio Art Quilt Associates. In autumn of 2023, she and Deb Cashatt retired the Pixeladies brand after twenty years of collaborating on art quilts and teaching photoshop.

spirituality

healing

PEACE

inspiration

Breaking Dawn by Linda Henke

joy GRIEF Exciting News!

The next Sacred Threads will be held in Indianapolis in 2025. Check the website for all the details.

Traveling Exhibit

Our 2022 exhibit is traveling through the summer of 2024.

Check the website to find a location near you!

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www.sacredthreadsquilts.com SAQA Art Quilt Quarterly | 95

QN 23 from p. 38 artists have pushed themselves to cross their own personal lines into approaches resulting in fresh and exciting pieces.

The jurors, Dr. Carolyn L. Mazloomi, Irene L. Roderick, and Chiaki Dosho, selected dramatic and unusual pieces that also reflect their personal philosophies. Chiaki Dosho says of her work, “One of my themes is to add unconventional materials and techniques.” This is evident in her selection process and in her choice of Interwoven 3 by Rachael Dorr for the Juror’s Award.

Dr. Mazloomi describes the judging process as initially overwhelming but that soon the three jurors were in sync and finally in agreement on the 81 quilts selected for QN 23. They welcomed entries from emerging artists and applauded the use of new materials and methods. Dr. Mazloomi expressed hope that even more emerging quilt artists would enter QN. She ends her juror statement by encouraging quilt artists to “embrace new ideas, materials, and techniques to keep Quilt National as the definitive competition for art quilts.”

Ann Jacob earned her BA in interior design from Wayne State University and her MA degree from Northwestern State University in Louisiana. She is currently working as a textile artist while teaching fiber classes at Flint Institute of Arts and Grosse Pointe Artists Association in Michigan. Jacob’s love of all things fabric started with her grandmother teaching her to sew at an early age. Animals, nature, and environmental issues are the subjects of her art quilts.

96 | SAQA Art Quilt Quarterly

Sue LaWall Cortese Bound to Tradition 52 x 36 inches (132 x 91 cm), 2022

spotlight on collections new acquisitions

Below the Surface 29 x 29 inches (73 x 73 cm), 2020 collection Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum photo by Aaron Paden

Kathy Suprenant

As a cell and molecular biologist, I bring a unique perspective to my art quilts. In many cases, my artwork appears magnified and somewhat distorted as if viewed through an imaginative lens. This quilt began as four separate sun prints/paintings, two with sumac leaves and two with found objects as stencils.

I manipulated digital images of the four paintings with a variety of photo editing software. The resulting image was commercially printed on a cotton panel, which I heavily stitched by machine and hand to create an imaginary seascape.

SAQA Art Quilt Quarterly | 97

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS

Light the World

Aviary

Fur, Fangs, Feathers & Fins,

Art Evolved: Intertwined

Science Central, Fort Wayne, Indiana Jan. 13 – May 26, 2024

Detroit Zoo, Royal Oak, Michigan April 1 - Sept. 30, 2024

Gadsden Art Center, Quincy, Florida Sept. 20 – Dec. 14, 2024

Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Mass.

Feb. 1 – March 1, 2025

SAQA is dedicated to bringing thoughtprovoking, cutting-edge artwork to venues across the globe. Our members continue to challenge the boundaries of art and change perceptions about contemporary fiber art.

For complete listing: www.saqa.com/art

For more information, contact William Reker exhibitions@saqa.com | 216.333.9146