Why Quilts Matter

For nearly three years I worked on the documentary, Why Quilts Matter: History, Art and Politics. The Amercian Quilts Society Blog has a preview of Episode 3 available for online viewing (went up today and I had a tough time finding it so I thought I would make it easy for you). I'm actually in it. You can also learn and watch more previews about this nine part documentary by visiting the Why Quilts Matter site. The film was produced by the Kentucky Quilt Project, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, under the leadership of Shelly Zegart.


Also if you are headed to Pacific International Quilt Festival XX in Santa Clara, California, please make sure you check out the special exhibition, The Unspoken Truth About Racism: A Dialogue in Art Quilts About Racism, by the Fiber Artists for Hope. My quilt, Me, You and Everyone, is there. A friend shared that they used a huge pipe so my quilt does not hang particularly well even with its four inch sleeve. I am learning to let go of these kinds of things that are beyond my control.  I can only hope that people can understand and overlook that and understand the message I am trying to convey. If you happen to see it or have seen the exhibition in your travels, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Make it a great weekend! I am.

War and Peace by Jeanne Marklin

Jeanne Marklin is a member of Fiber Artist for Hope. This is her quilt War and Peace. "It was started in 2007, and I was still adding things in 2010! It is 49.5" height, 29.4" width. The fabrics are hand dyes from Heide Stoll-Weber and Ricky Tims, commercial fabrics, and tulle. The silvery gingko leaves are fabric paints. Machine pieced and quilted. Exhibited at Sacred Threads exhibit 2011 in Virginia." It was too large to fit into the 9/11 exhibition so I'm sharing it here. It is my hope that now that the 10th anniversary is over that we simply won't just move on. I so agree with Tom Brokaw when he said that:

• We need to be more effective in promoting the American ideal without using guns and drones.
• We need to listen to each other more and shout less.
• We cannot keep our place as the greatest nation on earth if we are self-absorbed, deeply divided people too quick to forget the unity that prevailed immediately after 9/11.

On a personal note, I think today I finished the proofing (no fun) of my book, Quilts in the Attic, that will be out in January 2012. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. I danced around the block and got caught by one of my neighbors. When I explained why I was so happy (besides the sun shining and the weather being in the mid-70s), she joined me. She's in her late 70s/early 80s and loves doing crazy things with me. "What will people think?" Me, "Who cares?" Her, "So true." Everyone should be so lucky.

And More Quilts

Chaos and Confusion by Janice Willis ($100) and Be Peace by me ($125)

Never Enough Tears by Jeanette Thompson ($100)

Across the Universe by Jeanette Thompson ($100) and 

September Sky ($150) Jacqueline Bryant Campbell

Nobody's Socks by Sherry Boram and

Spirits Rising by Vivian Milholen (NFS)

More 9/11 Quilts

OH, NO! by Susan Walen ($150)

Reclaiming Ground Zero by Kathy Zieben ($500) and  

Surviving, Improving...Remembering by Marjorie Diggs Freeman ($150)

 

9/11 - Primer by Susan Shie ($500) and

Only Love Can Do That by Suanne Reed ($100)

Fiber Artists for Hope's 9/11 Exhibit

Today I attended 9/11 Primer: The Epoch of the Peacemakers organized by the Human Thread and co-sponsored by Chicago Fringe Festival. The Fiber Artists for Hope's 9/11 quilts, titled Reflections on September 11th, A Decade Later and curated by Jeanette Thompson, were on exhibit. I apologize for the fuzzy photos but the lighting made photography difficult and I did not want to use a flash. I'm drained from all the activities today so I'll post some tonight and more tomorrow.

September 11, 2011 Blue and September 11, 2011 Yellow by Bonnie Smith ($95 each).

A Time for Everything by Michelle Flamer (NFS) and Homeland Security by Betty Colburn ($100)

Frozen ($100) Susan Levering whose quilt was a favorite of several people I talked with after the program.

Reflections on 9/11

I have three pieces (including the one shown) in an exhibition called Reflection on 9/11: Ten Years Later by artists in the Fiber Artists for Hope group. Most of the quilts are 9 inches by 11 inches. Be Peace is 11" by 11" because I couldn't get it to work in the 9" by 11" format. Jeanette Thompson, the curator, asked for the piece and I was happy to send it. The quilts are on display at the Meridian Stage, 1932 S. Halsted, Chicago until September 11. This is part of the Chicago Fringe Festival. On September 11, from 11:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.  will be the 9/11 Primer - The Epoch of the Peacemakers. I will be there and hope to see you too! I can't wait to see all the quilts in the exhibition up close and personal. I'm also curious to see if any of them sell. I promise to share about the event and the exhibition.

Fiber Sisters for Hope

I was asked to join the Fibers Artists for Hope which made me happy. I know this group well. They originally began by making Obama quilts. I interviewed many of them for Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories, an oral history project of the Alliance for American Quilts. They had begun working on a new exhibition called "The Unspoken Truth About Color: A Dialogue in Art Quilts About Racism" which deals with racism. I had less than 10 days to make my quilt. Sometimes it takes a quick deadline to get me from over thinking and just creating. This piece makes me happy. You can visit the group's blog to learn more details about the exhibition--Unspoken Truth and Hope blog. Now it's back to writing for me!