Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Form, Not Function--The Winners

I wrote a blog post about having a quilt juried into the Form, Not Function Exhibit at The Carnegie Center for Art & History in New Albany, IN. You can check that out here. Today, I had a chance to revisit the exhibit with the SAQA IN (Studio Art Quilt Associates, Indiana). First, we met for lunch at The Exchange Pub & Kitchen in New Albany. From there, we took a quick look at the exhibit and headed to a meeting room for a SAQA IN meeting. (We did go back and spend a bit more time viewing the exhibit after the meeting.) What a nice day!

SAQA IN was well represented in this exhibit. Emily Bogard has a piece in the exhibit called “Layla the Layered Layer.” Her piece was given the Award of Excellence in Memory of Textile Artist Alma Lesch. Her piece is made of canvas, screen, recycled fabric, men’s ties, paper, and thread. It is placed above an air register, so the “feathers” constantly flutter. (I told Emily today that it is just the perfect place for the piece.)
  My piece, “Scorched Earth,” was given the Inspired by Nature Award. (I was thrilled!)  
Peggy Brown’s quilt, “Alike, but Not the Same II” was awarded an Honorable Mention. Her’s is a painted art quilt that is machine quilted.  
I wanted to “plug” the exhibit a bit, because you still have time to see it. It will be available until September 16, 2017. I might be a bit prejudiced (because I have a piece in the exhibit), but I feel like it is a really good show. Here are the remaining winners from this year’s exhibit.   The Best of Show Award was given to Niraja Lorenz’s “Strange Attractor #20.”  

Sandra Palmer Ciolino’s “Precaria #8: Crucible” (on the left)was chosen for an Award of Excellence as was Paulette Landers’ “The Ups & Downs of Uncertainty (on the right).”  
  The Creative Use of Stitching Award was given to Michele Hardy for "Geoforms Fractures #6."
The Award for Political and Social Commentary was given to Jennifer Reis for “Portrait of a Young Man: Trump in Drag.”  
The remaining Honorable Mention awards were given to Erika Carter (on the bottom right) for “Refresh IV,” Liz Kuny (on the top right) for “A440,” and Anne Parker (left) for “Chichi.”
There are many more FABULOUS quilts at this show. You might recognize some of the artists--Betty Busby, Susan Lenz, and others. If you live anywhere close to the exhibit (or would like to take a nice trip to New Albany, Indiana), give this show a look. (You can get directions to The Carnegie Center for Art and History on their website here.)  

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Retreat--Nashville, IN (1)

I am blessed to have the chance to attend several retreats during the year. Right now, I'm in Nashville, Indiana, for a retreat. These ladies meet at the Cornerstone Inn twice a year. Nashville is such a pretty little town with lots of shops and restaurants. I enjoy the retreat, I enjoy visiting with friends, and I enjoy shopping and eating here in Nashville.

This retreat is a good mix of people from Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, and (I'm sure) other states. Everyone works on their own projects. Several of the ladies work on charity quilts and Quilts of Valor. There is usually one or more product/technique demonstrations going on in the room at any given time. There are many stories told and lots of laughter coming from our room during our time there.

Let me share a few pictures with you from the last couple of days.

We started out with spool cookies complete with needle and thread.
So far, I have finished six of my 365 Project blocks I brought with me. I have another project going, but it is a secret--shhhhhh...
Robin finished a wedding quilt and a baby quilt (for different people).
Jan finished a charity top.
Bernice finished a quilt she said she has been working on "for awhile."
Sissy brought back a project she had worked on at the retreat last January.

We always enjoy going out to eat and doing a "little" shopping in Nashville.
There are lots of other things being completed; it is hard to get pictures of them all. I'm hoping to get some pictures during Show & Tell (if we have one), so I can share some more with you in the next few days.