Quilt Motif for Architecture of Harvey B Gantt African American Art Center

DH and I went to the Harvey B Gantt African-American Art Center yesterday and were mesmerized.

The architect used the patchwork quilt to develop the architectural motif for both inside and outside of the building. This is a small cultural and art center by US standards, but very user friendly for seeing the work in an afternoon. There are three galleries in the building. One is devoted to the John and Vivian Hewitt Collection of African-American Art collected by a couple over decades and purchased by the Bank of America and donated to the AA Center.

While all the art in collection was well worth seeing, we found several pieces in this collection that were stunning. I especially loved a piece called The Sisters by Ernest Crichlow (1914 - 2005). The gray, black and white graphic design consisted of angularity throughout except for profiles and hands. The piece consisted of 4 women in a building and garden in white head dresses, and gray and white uniforms. Three of the women were holding their hands behind their backs and the expressiveness in the bodies, the arch of neck, tilt of head, angle of shoulders gave very distinct personalities to each of the women. It is amazing how much was conveyed with such economy of color and and detail.

In addition to the permanent collection, there were two other exhibitions that were very strong. One exhibit, Romancing the Eye, had a series of delicate, strong wooden bowls, boxes and vases that were exquisite. The artist, Charles Farrar, is from Concord NC. I look forward to seeing more of his work.

The other gallery contained a solo show: Spirits & Spaces by Michael B. Platt, this exhibition is a delight especially for those interested in fiber.

Platt is a print maker, many pieces were printed in editions of 3 and gallery wrapped. Using photograhy in layers, his work was evocative and story telling. In the center of the gallery, he built a "shot gun" house, and a woman's shape was printed on thin gauze and hung in the door. Behind the house were 5 panels again printed on gauze. The combination provided a narrative for the viewer that the viewer and artist were jointly involved in telling and remembering. I will look for more of his work.

Quilters' Attic Sale at Guild

Several husbands lent a hand

On the hottest night in 3 years, a number of guild members and a few happy-to-help-us-get-rid-of-stuff husbands put on a quilters' attic sale at the July meeting of the Charlotte Quilters Guild.

I rented 3 tables at $5 each to help move some of my stash into other hands. Rent money went to support our guild library.


Jeri setting up

After bringing our supplies in, we tried to set up our sales in appealing ways. Folks used different approaches and had quite a variety quilt related items to sell. Always fun to see what others are getting rid of.


Wish I had seen the Elna Press

I wish I had spotted this press in my quick circle around the tables. That might be a very nice addition to my studio equipment.


Yummy hand dyes

And I am always a sucker for beautiful hand-dyed fabrics.


Color coordinated bundles in zip lock bags

This was my set up, easy to put together and remove again.


Organized on bolts

Thank goodness my stash is in smaller amounts, lots of different fabrics, but little that would go onto bolts.


Colorful bins and neatly folded fabrics well labeled

Some of the folks knew how to make a very inviting display.


Magazines and books

Conversation over quilts for sale

Lots of conversation and fun around the room. More talking than buying was the reality.


Conversations and fun amidst the hunt

Probably the most accurate comment of the night was made by one wag: "A quilters' attic sale is like holding open bar at Alcoholics Anonymous."


Most of us at least paid for our tables. I made enough to pay for an artist assistant for a couple more afternoons. I will now donate all the fabric, patterns and tools to continue moving stuff out. That will give me 9 drawers that are empty.

And that moves much out of our garage, which is my reserve space for my studio overflow. Would love to be able to put at least one car in the 2 1/2 car garage this winter.

Anyone with experience in donating lots of fabric, please share what you learned in the process.

Also, what do you think about a press?

Happy Quilting

Nancy

Edges and Finishes by Campbell-Harding

Edges & Finishes by Valerie Campbell-Harding, Quilters' Resource publications

Campbell-Harding's book is full of design and embellishment ideas that will be enough inspiration for years.This book is full of eye candy for the art quilter and embroiderer.

Chapters include multiple examples and high level how-to information on a variety of ways to use different finishes. Chapters include: fabric edges, stitched edges, fringes, cords and braids, tassels and suppliers, including on line suppliers.

Examples of the use of the techniques include 3 dimensional pieces, book covers, purses, and journal pages. Most of the work is done on a standard sewing machine, but one with fancy stitches can be used to create wonderfully imaginative work, including doing one's own decorative tapes to be used as finishes, and embellishment. I could use all those 100 + stitches on my Pfaff with these ideas. Several of the ideas include patterns.



Beaded Book

This book caught my eye. Loved the colors, the decorative beading and the beaded cord ends. Directions for the beading are included. This book is art itself, even if nothing is inside. But wouldn't it be lovely for an artist's portfolio? Be still my beating heart!!


Purse

Here is a purse showing a number of the techniques, edges, cording, raw edge fabric, embroidery, tabs, etc. While there are a number of finished works, including bowls and sculpture, there are many more small examples and sketches of ideas in progress and with great variety.

If you are looking for detailed projects and instructions, you may be inspired and frustrated at the same time. If you are looking for something new to do, want to increase your finishing techniques, or want to explore personally creative uses for those pretty embroidery stitches in your machine, I would recommend this book heartily.

Nancy

New Museums All Around

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art; Mario Botta architect

This is a very exciting time, there are lots of new and renovated museums opening this year.

Carol Miller, Quilt University, has great pictures of the reopening of one of my all time favorite museums, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond VA. I grew up in walking distance and took my first art classes there during elementary school. Several of Monet's waterlilies were in the downstairs hallway next to student classrooms, to give you some idea of how long ago this was. Currently they have an exhibition on Tiffany windows and glass. This fall they will have an exhibition on quilts from the Winterthur Museum collection.

In Charlotte NC we are blessed with 2 new or upgraded museums, one is The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. It is a marvel of architecture housing an incredible multimillion dollar collection of early 20th century art donated by Andreas Bechtler. He and his parents collected the art over the last 75 years from artists they knew personally. I was delighted to see a variety of fiber pieces by very well known artists. They were not fiber artists, but painters who had translated their art into fiber.

Another time I will write about the new Harvey B Gantt Museum of African-American Art + Culture. It is another wonderfully, expanded and upgraded museum in Charlotte. The architect used design motifs from the quilting tradition for the outside walls.

Have you visited any new museums or expanded museums? Any fiber art represented in them? Please share.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Nancy

1st Place Mixed Media at Mint Hill Arts

After The Frost

The quilt above won 1st place in mixed media at the juried and judged art show at Mint Hill Arts last night. Nice to know that what I am doing holds up in a really good art show.

It was particularly exciting because the judges were Regine and Josephine Bechtler. They are part of the Bechtler family who recently gave a $5+ million collection of 20th century art and founded a museum here in Charlotte for the contemporary art collection to reside.

The show will be up through July 1. I regularly have art in this membership gallery. For a small community outside of Charlotte, the quality of shows produced is quite excellent. I have been very pleased with how well my work is received in this gallery.

As one of my goals is to increase the awareness and acceptance of quilts as an art medium, this award feels really special.

Nancy

Art + Quilt, Lyric Kinard, Book Review

Just finished reading Lyric Kinard's new book, Art + Quilt, published by Interweave. This is the book that many new to the art aspects of quilting have been waiting for.

Lyric presents art elements and principles in easy to understand terms. Better still, she gives great fiber examples and presents some great exercises for the newer art quilter to try.

This would be a great book for a group to work through the exercises together and finish up with critique sessions.

Lyric concludes the book with examples from students showing how the elements and principles are used together. And with open candor, she critiques her own work telling both what worked and what she feels she could have done better.

Reviews of 500 Art Quilts and Pretty Little Mini Quilts can be found on the FiberArtOptions blog.

Why I Quilt

Holly Berries

I love nature, and finding a specimen that really speaks to me of the rhythms of life -- maturity, death and new life. The holly tree is very considerate in providing fruit in the dead of winter for the birds and me. While creating an image that conveys the form is nice, it does not convey my deep appreciation and wonder that this is a living, breathing, life-giving form.

The above image is before quilting and some hand embroidery details are added. Nice, but nothing special in my eyes. The image below is after the piece comes alive with the addition of quilting and embroidery. I never know what a piece will really look like until it is quilted. It never ceases to amaze me what quilting adds.


Holly Berries

To me the quilting line conveys that sense of a living organism that changes, matures, produces fruit that not only gives birth to new plants but sustains the life of many that partake in it. Quilting to me, along with hand embroidery details, take the image into something extraordinary beyond what painting of an image can do. The sculpting of the fabric with thread and needle, the contrast of the quilted areas with the unquilted areas is like bas relief sculpture. Art quilters have created a new art medium that brings a new richness to imagery whether realistic, abstract or non-objective.

And that is why I work in the quilt medium to create my art.

Your comments on this observation would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for looking

Nancy