Local Color Goes Wide

Our Connecticut Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA-CT) group created a juried exhibit, focusing on our local landscape.  Titled Local Color, it traveled widely though out the state from a university, an art center, the CT Legislature Office Building to a very fine museum, The Slater Museum of Art.

After what we thought would be the end and time to return all pieces, we were asked to contribute eight, selected by Quilting Arts Magazine, to be featured in this August/Sept issue.  It includes work of Kate Themel, Ruth Anne Olson, Phyllis Small, Cathy Smith, Barb McKie, Kendell Storm, Norma Schlager and my own.  Yeah!

Kate, who was co-rep with me at inception, wrote a wonderful piece to accompany the mini-exhibit.  The two of us have had such a wonderful trip with Local Color.  Every step:  'let's put on a show' to this last 'hurrah' has been informative, interesting, exhilarating, frustrating, and most of all FUN!  Thank you, Kate for being my co-rep, partner-in-crime and cohort.  It was a blast!

What Fun!! Fiber Revolution!

Today I got to help my friends Kate Themel and Barb McKie hang a Fiber Revolution exhibit in 919 Gallery, Unity of Greater Hartford in South Windsor.  I love hanging art shows.  I get such a charge!

Years ago while I was representing some communities and a couple of individual Australian Aboriginal artists' work here in the US, I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful mentor.  My mentor was, at that time in the 1990's an art professor, but in his undergraduate days he had been a window display artist for many up-scale, pretty swanky shops in Palm Beach, FL.  He had such an eye and he was articulate with his explanations.

Before that I had been a real estate broker for almost 20 years.  At that point I learned to imagine and 'see' space, floor plans and architects drawings.  Put the two together and you spell L O V E  to  Hang Exhibits.

"Fragmentations" will be displayed until September 22nd.  The Opening Reception is Sunday, August 18 when site-curator Kate Themel will be on hand to talk about the art work.  The installation really flows beautifully.

I took some quick snapshots after we had finished.  Enjoy ;^)

Entry: L-R McKie, Schwartzman, Hansen

                                                      .

Cochran

                                                                                                                                                                  

Schepps, Friedman

 

Debbie Bein, Kevan Lunney

Redmond and Vehslage

Plotner and Litchman

Caneill, Chipetine and Lauterborn

Abrams and Trefethen

Themel and Halpin

Aikens and Fowler

Leaving thru the entry McKie and Schwartzman

:^)

SAQA/CT Summer Meeting

Our regional meeting was yesterday at The Guilford Art Center where On Higher Ground: Contemporary Hooked Art, along with SAQA's Trunk Show D, was on exhibition.

Liz Alpert Fay, one of the four featured "hooked" artists, graciously accepted our invitation to tell us about the collection. Wow!

And Wow on so many levels...the color, the texture, her journey, the journey of Contemporary Hooked Art (which is remarkably similar to Quilt Art...even with some of the "push-pull" we encounter between "contemporary" and "traditional" labels and practitioners) and her growth as an artist in moving into collaborative work with scientists...yep...you heard (read) it right...scientists!

Speaking of scientists...in this case former scientists...our Barb McKie developed

samples to survey the membership about sun exposure over time on cotton/silk/poly combined with various adhesives. Very scientific: Surveys, controls...lots of thinking, touching, opining...very interesting stuff.

Of course no meeting would be complete without food (thank you, Barb Adams for coordinating another yummy lunch) and a terrific Show and Tell (as usual). AND we got two new CT members! We may be a small state but we are loud...er...enthusiastic.

Identity in Fiber Opening

Identity in Fiber's Opening Reception at the Windsor Art Center last night was a huge success! AND a ton of fun! The place was packed the entire time and at seven o'clock people needed to be reminded to leave ;^) That's when you know people are having a great time!

This first photo is a detail of Kate Themel's piece. There were knots of viewers around it ALL night. Kate answered everyone's questions...patiently repeating that her wonderful, detailed stitching was just like drawing...only with the sewing machine. Many were understandably skeptical that it was something just anyone could do.

Next...yep, me with DH standing in front of my work and Karen Loprete's just peeking over his shoulder. Hers also garnered a bunch of attention....marvels over her incredible embroidery. Thank you, Cathy for taking & sending this pic to me.

This last photo is a snap of friends and fellow SAQA members Cathy Smith and Betty Warner with a good view of Barb McKie's celebratory piece.

I was SO pleased with the turn-out. Lisa Chipetine (former SAQA prez came from NY!) and Susan Ferraro (former SAQA/CT co-rep) were a welcomed addition to the night's lively conversations. Lisa's very brave Flowers for Allah (I THINK that's the title....it's my sad little grey cells that are becoming harder and harder to depend on) was another conversation starter for the crowd.