Special Exhibits for Quiltfest 2008

From the antique to the contemporary, from around the corner and across the world, quilts tell us stories of their makers and intrigue us with new materials, techniques and ideas. APNQ is pleased to be able to present, at Quiltfest 2008, five very special exhibits comprising nearly 200 works of art gathered from the around the globe. We will be adding samples for each of the special exhibits, please check back later.

Canadian Expressions by FAN

As quilt artists, images form in our minds to start us on a journey of quiltmaking. That creative energy leads us to produce unique quilts, expressing our thoughts and feelings. Each of the 25 quilts in this exhibit is made with innovative methods and minute detail to interest and amaze the viewer.

The Fibre Art Network (FAN) is a cooperative of art quilters based in Western Canada. The cooperative was first conceived in the spring of 1997. FAN members come from the Western Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon and Northwest Territories. FAN engenders fellowship of like-minded friends and celebrates differences as well as common interests. It is a long-distance meeting of minds that spans artistic challenges as well as geographic ones. FAN membership includes emerging fibre artists, teachers, authors, judges and award winning quilt artists. Many have shown their work and won recognition both nationally and internationally. www.fibreartnetwork.com

Quilts: Spanning Two Centuries - Underwritten by In The Beginning Fabrics, Inc.

View a group of 50 antique quilts from the collection of In The Beginning Fabrics Company that span the years form the early 1800s through the 1900s. Many of these quilts have never been exhibited before.

This collection has evolved over the past 35 years, lovingly gathered by Sharon Yenter, who opened the late, lamented In The Beginning quilt shop in Seattle 30 years ago. She had the opportunity on her business trips to find many quilt treasures. Sharon says that for her, the anonymity of many antique quilts has always evoked feelings of both sadness and curiosity, and so she considers herself a caretaker of the historically valuable works of these anonymous women.

The fact that quilts survive in spite of being constructed of fragile textiles emphasizes the pride that the makers and their families had in these prized works. Some are elegant and contain exquisite workmanship, others are quirky and colorful and were probably a "best effort." These quilts are a legacy from another era and can be enjoyed from artistic, historic, and emotional perspectives.

Featured in the exhibit will be an amazing film in video form: Quilts in Women's Lives [© by Pat Ferrero, Ferrero Films 1979]. Seven women talk about their quiltmaking, reveal the inspirations for their work, describe the joy of the creative process, and tell how it has become an important part of their daily lives.

The Currency Exchange

Each of the 90 artists in the three groups that created this exhibit chose a motif from a coin or a bill from any country--not to replicate the entire coin or bill, but to use that motif as inspiration. Many different techniques have been used in these 20" x 20" quilts.

The American group is coordinated by APNQ member Sue Cutsogeorge, the Exhibit Curator. Many of the US quilters are from Oregon.

The Japanese group is led by Izumi Takamori, a quilter from Tokyo, Japan. Izumi is perhaps best known in the USA for winning first prize in the Museum of the American Quilters Society "New Quilts from an Old Favorite" contest.

The New Zealand group is coordinated by Anne Scott, publisher of the New Zealand Quilter magazine.

Shown below are samples of quilts in the "Currency Exchange" special exhibit. Click on any of the pictures to see an enlarged view of the quilt.

A South African Spirit

This exhibition comprises 10 works by contemporary quilt and fiber artists from South Africa. Each has chosen fiber--and particulary quilt making--as an art medium because of the multifaceted possibilities, offering a tactile means of expressing both individual and universal concerns.

These works embody personal views informed by a vibrant, changing society full of contrast and surprise. Colors and textures reflect strong emotional ties to being part of this modern, changing world, and the buzz of today's urban Africa as well as the timeless atmosphere of ancient landscapes.

The Exhibit is curated by Rosalie Dace, a studio artist who has been embroidering and making quilts since the '70's. With a background in art and education, she combines her interests in exhibiting, teaching and judging. She has taught, exhibited and judged internationally, and her work is in several private and public collections.

Transatlantic Quilt Challenge II

The 36 quilts in this exhibit are the result of an international collaboration between US and UK quilters. The quilters were challenged to use specific fabrics in designated amounts.

The UK quilts are curated by Christine Porter, international quilt teacher, lecturer, judge and author of "Tesselations and Quilt Designs From Decorative Floor Tiles." US curator Tracey Brookshier is a quilt teacher, lecturer, judge and owner of Brookshier Design Studio, a quilt pattern company.