When the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) opened the call for virtual exhibits last spring, it didn’t take long to think of three interesting ideas for quilt art virtual gallery themes.
My favorite idea was how quilt artists expressed a sense of place and time in their quilts.
Looking back, I can trace this to:
- The Melrose History Quilt
- Adapting to my latest home
- A class with Linda Colsh in Val d’Argent (good grief, was that 20 years ago?).
Linda sent us outdoors to take note of what we saw and report back. The quilters who lived in the Alsace region didn’t see the wooden window flower baskets, the rooftops or sense the small scale in roundabouts or sidewalks. So many decisions that created the sense of time and place.
Quilters use a wide range of techniques. Wouldn’t it be interesting to view a range of techniques that interpret world locations? SAQA is an international organization, after all.
“Historic Detail” sought to explore the sparks of inspiration cued by time and place.
Well, the Historic Detail virtual gallery is live now!
What an rewarding experience – and a fun way to explore the art of my fellow SAQA members. I worked to highlight techniques and perspectives, yet created a unifed experience.
I hooked my computer up to the TV so I could see the images in a larger format. SAQA told me to only accept one piece per artist, aiming for 28 – 32 works in the exhibit. However, when I accidentally chose two pieces from one artist, picking between them wasn’t easy. Taking this one away meant others didn’t glide together, so maybe I needed to mix it up a bit. What a good way to spend my time.
Check out “Historic Detail” and let me know what you think – or let the artists know!
And if you’re a SAQA member, think about submitting to the Virtual Gallery – it’s free and allows your work to participate in other shows.
Thanks to SAQA for this fun member perk!