In This Issue… See Page 25 Mary Mattimoe on a Plein Air Adventure

SAQAStudio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. Journal Volume 25, No.4 Fall 2015

Cat and Mouse Game (detail) by Martha Ressler In this issue… see page 25 Mary Mattimoe on a plein air adventure. . .5 Philly here we come...... 16 Barb Wills’ focused printmaking...... 6 Building a traveling exhibition...... 18 Inside track on gallery shows ...... 10 Member gallery: Health & Wholeness. . . . 20 Wash & Wax from Greaves & Rich...... 12 Selections from Wild Fabrications ...... 24 Mentorship program launched...... 14 Are regional shows for you?...... 27 ® Innova Sequin Stitcher Automatically Sequins while you Quilt! Patent Pending

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MythBusters: SAQA exhibitions edition

any of on the number of entries received. rep about volunteering to help mount Myou Historically, 45 percent of all artists one. International members do have may know who have submitted entries have had the additional burden of shipping about the popu- their work exhibited in at least one their work to the shipping facility lar television exhibition. Over the past two years, when they are juried into an all-SAQA program that acceptance rates have ranged from 21 exhibition. Maybe when members say tests rumors percent (Two by Twenty) to 38 percent SAQA exhibitions aren’t for interna- and urban legends against scientific (Celebrating Silver). One thing is cer- tional members, they’re focusing on fact. MythBusters is a great educa- tain: If you do not submit work, the that extra financial burden, but there tional show, and after chatting with chance of your work being accepted are no restrictions imposed by SAQA. my son about it one day, I thought is exactly 0 percent. You can increase Verdict: Busted. how great it was that people were your odds of getting your work countering popular belief with fact. accepted by submitting top-quality SAQA exhibitions aren’t in museums. In my current role as president, I am images of your work, adhering to the There are seven exhibitions going often baffled by the comments SAQA size limitations, submitting work that to 10 museums in 2015, and nine members make to me about why they addresses the theme, and submitting exhibitions going to nine museums don’t submit work for SAQA exhibi- your best work. in 2016. These numbers do NOT include all the museum venues for tions. Here are some popular beliefs Verdict: Busted, because I’d take those that I would like to test using Myth- chances any day in the lottery. regional exhibitions. While museum Busters’ scheme of “busted,” “plau- venues are coveted by our members, The same people always get into the sible,” or “confirmed.” they often take more coordination SAQA exhibitions. Since 2010, 405 and collaboration with the museum SAQA Exhibitions are only for Juried individual artists have exhibited in at itself than quilt venues do. SAQA Artist Members. To date, the only least one SAQA exhibition. Of those exhibitions at all venues help fulfill exhibitions that have had a restric- 405 artists, 290 have exhibited in one the organization’s mission to promote tion on who can submit work are exhibition and the other 115 have the art quilt through education, exhi- the ones for members who have exhibited in two or more exhibitions. bitions, professional development, NOT been in a SAQA exhibition Some of you might be thinking of an documentation, and publications. for a specific length of time. While artist who has been in eight exhibi- Verdict: Busted. a JAM-only show is occasionally tions, but she has entered 10. I should proposed, one has not been mounted work so hard. SAQA exhibitions are only for abstract/ since 2006. Reasons cited include the Verdict: Busted. only for representational artists. desire to have the best work in every Artists tend to think many exhibi- exhibition regardless of membership SAQA exhibitions aren’t for interna- tions don’t apply to them. Maybe category and concern that there is tional members. The only exhibi- the theme of the exhibition doesn’t not enough interest among JAMs for tions that have restrictions based on speak to you, but that is all about a specific exhibition. geography are regional exhibitions. In the theme, not about the art. Some Verdict: Busted. fact, the regional exhibition program themes may point to more abstract or has been flourishing, and regional representational work. When con- The odds of getting into a SAQA exhibitions are yet another way to sidering which exhibition to submit exhibition are so slim it isn’t worth give our artists high-quality exposure. work for, think about the theme. my time. The odds of getting into If your region has never mounted a Does your work really speak to the any one SAQA exhibition depend regional exhibit, talk to your regional see “President” on page 30

SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 3 4 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 Featured volunteer:

Mary Mattimoe photo by Erin Mattimoe Taking risk proves wild success at Atlanta Zoo event

by Cindy Grisdela

ary Mattimoe of Clovis, New in an isolated area in New Mexico, MMexico, sees herself as a bit and SAQA provides a much-needed of a gambler. When an opportunity link to the outside world and pushes presents itself, she jumps at the her to do more. “I want to push chance. So she began volunteering myself to the next level,” she said. for SAQA less than three months after She tries to surround herself with she joined last year. And this past people whose work she admires. summer she applied to demonstrate Coordinating the online gallery gives her art quilt process at a plein air Mattimoe the opportunity to see the spent at the zoo. When she saw the event at the Atlanta Zoo in Georgia, work of many different SAQA artists. call for entries for the zoo’s Art Gone even though she had experimented Not only has Mattimoe found a Wild event on Instagram, she sent with combining painting and quilt- good fit within SAQA, but her ability an email to the event organizers that ing for only a year. to recognize a good thing made her very day, with a note: “Please give Mattimoe joined SAQA in July 2014 an ambassador for fiber art at the me a chance!” She submitted her bio, after taking a class with artist Katie Atlanta Zoo. The zoo’s plein air event artist statement, and images of three Pasquini Masopust. By September last was an unusual venue for a quilter. whole cloth painted quilts of animals. year, she was helping with the SAQA All of the work was created outside She was accepted, the only textile website, posting calls for entry and during a specified time period, mak- artist among the field of 40 artists, events, and coordinating the mini ing it an event that would usually mostly painters. gallery that changes monthly. appeal primarily to painters. She wasn’t sure whether her process “The best way to get involved is to Mattimoe grew up in Atlanta and would work outdoors in front of an volunteer,” Mattimoe said. She lives has many fond memories of days audience. To prepare, she made quilt sandwiches a little larger than 16 x 16 inches and took them with her sewing machine to the zoo. Mattimoe’s process starts with a rough sketch from photos, then she uses an enlargement of the sketch as the base for free-motion stitching. After the image is stitched, she paints it using acrylic paints. She got a lot of double-takes when people realized she was working with

see “Mary Mattimoe” on page 31

Mary Mattimoe quilts at the Atlanta Zoo.

photo by Melinda Rushing

SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 5 Featured Artist Barb Wills: Focused artist makes her mark by Linda McCurry

arb Wills spent the summer contemplating B the large work in progress on her design wall, Land Marks #70. That work — the largest one she has created to date at approximately 76 x 88 inches — will be part of Material Pulses: 8 Viewpoints , an invitational show curated by artist Nancy Crow set to open May 5, 2016, at the Riffe Gallery in Columbus, Ohio. While the in-progress art quilt cannot yet be published, it was ever present as Wills moved from one task to the next, working out its every intimate detail. The work embodies Wills’ love of mark making and uses her proficient printmaking skills. And while the scale was different for her, the work displays several characteristics that are part of Wills’ distinct look. She tends to work with a limited palette — there is an absence of bright yellow and white — and often prints in black using her own recipe of dye and printing inks. Her handmade woodcut printing blocks create a harmonious rhythm throughout the piece. She works to create a flow of lines from block to block, in some ways resembling the flow of electrical impulses through a circuit board, reminiscent of her work as a high-tech engineer. She seeks balance as she chooses her creative options, weighing a number of choices and

A first step in each of Barb Wills’ pieces is printmaking.

photo by Larry Wills

6 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 Land Marks #39 37 x 39 inches

Land Marks #20 54 x 58 inches constantly asking: “What is too much? What is too little?” Wills’ work is informed by her reflective, spiri- tual approach to life. Her practice of meditation and application of Buddhist philosophy is vital. “It keeps me centered. If I have a success or get an invitation to participate in a big show, it brings me back to earth. I find the actual work to be medita- tive. It calms me down,” she said. Wills emphasized the importance of letting go of stress and cited meditation as the key to liv- ing a calm, centered existence. She said she and her husband, Larry, make an effort to live simply. She recently sold her large printing press after realizing that she enjoyed the more tactile experience of printing her fabrics by hand. The words “grounded,” “centered,” and “focused” came up regularly as she spoke about her process.

All quilt photos by Christopher Marchetti Marchetti Photography SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 7 Her award-winning quilts have was the only art quilt entry, which is returns to Crow’s workshops every been in dozens of noted exhibitions, another key element to Wills’ artistic year and has come to trust Crow’s including Crow’s Color Improvisa- life. Wills views herself as a profes- supportive instruction and honest tions, which toured the United States sional artist working in the quilt criticism. and Europe from 2012-2014. Other medium, not as a quilter. This distinc- The role of honest criticism in exhibitions include Textiles of the tion allows her to bring her work the formation of Wills’ unique style 21st Century and Quilt National 2007, to a larger audience, presenting the is something she reveres. Her abil- when she won the Lynn Goodwin medium to new groups of art lovers. ity to hear and apply constructive Borgman Award for Surface Design. Her training and experience as a criticism comes from her many years She recently had a large work quilt artist stem from her first class as an engineer in the process devel- accepted in the 2015 Southwest Invita- with Crow in 1996, when she arrived opment department at Motorola. tional show, sponsored by the Yuma with a brand new sewing machine She explained: “As an engineer, my (Arizona) Fine Arts Association. Hers still sealed in its factory packing. She team would design and execute experiments that would take up to six weeks and cost thousands of dollars. Our outcomes would be critiqued by a board of our peers. These frequently harsh reviews would be expected and were, in fact, essential to the development of successful products.” The critiques taught Wills that the ultimate reward for working through exhaustion and challenges was a breakthrough that could bring quality to new heights. The process also cued a spirit open to deep self-reflection. Wills’ result- ing approach is illustrated today in the dozens of carefully documented sketchbooks filled with work-in-progress photographs, and the copious notes scattered about her studio in Prescott, Arizona. Wills and her husband, Larry, acquired their mountainside home and freestanding studio in 1997, first traveling to it from Phoenix as a weekend getaway before moving there permanently in 2003. Wills’ studio occupies half of the ground floor,

Barb Wills’ two-story, 1,800-square-foot studio is adjacent to the Prescott National Forest in Prescott, Arizona.

photo by Larry Wills

8 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 Land Marks #46 34 x 47 inches

where she prints and dyes fabric, and an upstairs sewing room, brilliantly lit with skylights cut into the sloping walls. The space is open and airy and features a huge design wall measuring 22 x 30 feet. The other part of the ground floor is reserved for Larry’s woodworking. Over the past 12 years, she has incorporated printing into her work, expanding her love and use of mark making. She began printmaking stud- ies at Yavapai College shortly after the move to Prescott; she continues to expand her knowledge through independent study in advanced printing. When she began, no one at the college was printing on fabric. Wills developed her own formulas through trial and error, using a mixture of Land Marks #50 dye, soy, and other printing inks. 57 x 38 inches She now runs the college’s print studio two times a week, maintaining see “Barb Wills” on page 32

SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 9 Quilt art in the gallery world Growing trend builds artist resumes, creates new audiences

by Dr. Sandra Sider

f you want to make sales, boost the Only 30 percent of the U.S. galler- While you might have a chance to I strength of your resume, and gain ies reported as selling quilt art are on borrow your work back if purchased visibility among art consultants, gal- or near the coasts, something of a by an institution, that sort of sale lery exhibitions of your work are very puzzle when we consider how many rarely happens in a gallery show. helpful. This is especially true if the art galleries are in cities such as New Purchasers include individuals buying gallery maintains an effective online York, Miami, Los Angeles, and San for themselves or art consultants buy- presence promoting your pieces. Francisco. Interestingly, 65 percent of ing for their clients, usually corporate I queried more than three dozen quilt artists reporting sales are local entities. From my own experience quilt artists in 2014 who either show artists, similar to the successes of with art consultants, I can tell you their work in galleries or have done local makers with art consultants and that once a corporation acquires an so in the past. Those interviewed public art projects (probably because artwork, the work can become lost as ranged from well-established indi- site visits are easier, usually leading to time goes by. A building is renovated viduals commanding five-figure prices stronger proposals). To my surprise, or a corporate collection is liquidated, per piece to emerging artists. Mon- 66 percent of the sales reported are and the art disappears. Several years tana artist Nancy Erickson sums up for representational quilts containing ago, well-known artist Caryl Bryer the sweet feeling of a $12,000 sale: recognizable imagery, often depicting Fallert-Gentry learned that quilts she “Ecstasy reigned for a bit!” nature. Collectors acquiring quilts for created that had been on view in a Let’s address what most likely is their residences seem to prefer this corporate office were being auctioned your first question: How much is the style rather than abstract designs, and on eBay for a tenth of their value. commission for gallery sales? Respon- occasionally commission their art- Partly because very few galler- dents reported galleries took from 35 ists to create one or more additional ies show quilt art exclusively, our to 50 percent in exchange for exhib- quilts in the same mode. artists typically exhibit in gallery iting and selling their work. Some What can we learn from these spaces showing other media, often galleries that take a 35 percent com- responses? The first lesson is that your paintings, photographs, and prints. mission do require artists to share in work might be sold. Once you sign Several artists have had great success the publicity costs, with an up-front a contract with a gallery, you cannot selling their work in frame shops, payment that varies depending on change your mind and withdraw a even when the quilts are not framed the square footage of exhibition space quilt. This means that whenever you or on stretchers. This success makes assigned to an artist’s work. create a work that you consider pivotal sense to me because many people The answers provided for this article or transitional in your style, you coming into a frame shop already give us some interesting generaliza- might want to hold that piece back have acquired art and are receptive to tions. We shall ignore one purchase from a gallery exhibition. The same pieces conveniently displayed in such price ($25,000) that is more than dou- applies for a quilt that you especially an environment. ble the next highest number. Doing like for personal or aesthetic reasons. The location of galleries plays a so, we find that the average price per No matter how early you may be in crucial role in impromptu purchases, square foot for quilts purchased in gal- your art career, it’s a good idea to have and a storefront at street level obvi- leries is $190, and the average size is a vision of the possibility of a solo or ously brings in the most traffic. If the 16 square feet, or a quilt measuring 48 retrospective exhibition in the distant gallery is situated in an arts neighbor- x 48 inches. The quilts of prestigious future. Keeping important quilts in hood or near popular restaurants or artists, regardless of size, bring in the your own collection will guarantee other attractions, so much the better. highest prices. that you have significant work for that Also, check whether the gallery has exhibition. regular store hours or is visited by

10 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 Betty Busby’s Vortex, 66 x 52 inches, sold at a solo show at the Dunedin Fine Art Center in Dunedin, Florida. Photo by artist.

offices of a hospital, a credit union, a bank, and other businesses. Gallerists often cultivate art consultants, which means that you may be asked to create several quilts in a similar style to the quilt being shown in the gallery, a process that might not appeal to some people. The gallery usually expects a commission from this sort of networking, and artists sometimes are surprised to discover that they are expected to pay a commission to both the gallery and art consultant. While gallery contracts with artists can seem straight- forward, it’s always a good idea to have a lawyer look over any contract to search for hidden costs. On the plus side, building a working relationship through your gallery with a well- appointment only, which can dis- into their quilts, such as architec- connected art consultant can lead to courage traffic. ture, landscapes, seascapes, and even lucrative commissions for your work, More quilts seem to be purchased cuisine. New Mexico artist Betty Busby such as a 2013 corporate installation out of solo shows than group shows, has sold eight quilts over the years to by Carol Ann Waugh purchased by perhaps because a body of work can the same Rhode Island woman, a suc- the City of Denver, Colorado, for be both impressive and informative. cess story indicating that artists should more than $10,000. In 2012, Kate Stiassni sold her first cultivate their collectors after the quilt While quilt artists consistently quilt for $2,800 from a solo show in leaves the gallery. Quilt artists working report higher prices from their work a Connecticut gallery that had never in abstract modes who sell to the tour- purchased from the nationally juried before exhibited fiber art. Nearly all ist market tend to keep their works exhibitions, especially Quilt National, of her pieces were purchased during relatively small, allowing the buyer to in general they express satisfaction the exhibition, causing the gallery to transport the work home in a suitcase. with their gallery sales. Galleries excel change its attitude toward contempo- Galleries appreciate and support in promoting your work, and they rary quilts. artists who are willing to cooperate may keep an inventory of your quilts, Quite a few quilts on the smaller with them in developing markets for usually for six to nine months, which side are purchased by tourists who their work. Some galleries employ a can result in sales after your exhibition prefer to bring home something corporate sales director, as mentioned closes. Gallerists usually earn their special by a local or regional artist. by Nelda Warkentin, whose quilts commissions, and since the 1990s To this end, quilt artists sometimes have been placed by the gallery in the they have been gradually expanding incorporate local imagery or themes see “Gallery world” on page 34

SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 11 Wash & Wax: A Collaboration Virginia Greaves & Leisa Rich

by Virginia Greaves

n 2011, I approached Aberna- hers in abstraction. After carefully but planning was key. Abernathy is Ithy Arts Center Gallery in Sandy explaining that I couldn’t do abstract, a HUGE space, and filling it within Springs, Georgia, about including the pair talked me off the ledge and nine months seemed a daunting task. my work in its annual Georgia Art- convinced me I could go in another We sketched out a plan using an out- ists show. There were categories for direction. Rich had recently taken a line of the gallery as a starting point. painting, photography, sculpture, series of photographs in car washes, That first step gave us a goal to work and mixed media, but no fiber, my and these became our inspiration. toward and a timeline. primary medium. After showing the There is a lot of trust that goes into To create the pieces, it was our gallery director my work, she agreed any collaboration. You have to give intention to pass each piece back and to accept my entries under the mixed- your work over to another person to forth until we were both satisfied, and media category. do with as they will. After our first by and large, that system worked well I had been accepted into the show piece, we realized that we could work for us. For me, it was thrilling to see for several years when the former well together and that our skills were what I would receive in return. For director and curator, Lauren Bernazza, symbiotic. We created a full exhibit many of the pieces, I cut out appliqué approached me and artist Leisa Rich based on the theme of a car wash, shapes, worked on the piece, and about working together. Rich started in fiber, but currently works in three- dimensional fiber and plastics. My work is heavily rooted in realism,

Blurred Vision 30 x 40 inches

12 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 Bubble Bath 28 x 41 inches

then gave it to Rich to do her magic. strips to hang in the middle of the can be created through sheer size of She works with recycled materials gallery and allow viewers to walk presentation. (including shower curtains, her hus- through. This piece was the introduc- Rich said while our approaches to band’s shirts, and a prom dress), her tion to the exhibit and gave view- creating could not be more differ- own silk-screened fabrics, upholstery ers the tactile feel of a car wash to ent — she works intuitively, spon- fabrics, velvets, several different kinds prepare them for the visual experi- taneously, letting serendipity guide of plastics, and even nail polish. She ence. Its installation required us to the way, and in sharp contrast to my would add embellishments and then have a structure built that was sturdy narrative approach — both of us have hand and machine embroider the enough to hold the weight of the car incredibly efficient, organized meth- piece. I would take it back to quilt, wash materials at an elevation high ods of time management and a very machine trapunto, and finish. enough for people to walk through it. strong work production ethic. One of our installation pieces, how- Through this collaboration, I have The goal of the exhibit was to ever, was created along the reverse begun to recognize the need for more appeal to the broader art market. The path. A 7 x 25-foot organic piece creative dissonance in my work. I acceptance of fiber as an art medium was comprised of all recycled materi- usually plan my pieces very carefully is not as widespread in the South as it als. It was constructed by Rich and before I ever begin. There are times is on the West Coast, but it is grow- then given to me to complete. It was later in the process when the unex- ing in popularity. We are currently designed to run the entire length of pected can enhance the design of a speaking with a private gallery in the gallery, and its many overlapping piece. A critical eye on the entirety the affluent uptown Atlanta district pieces required industrial strength of the piece in late construction can of Buckhead about hosting several Velcro® brand fastener to attach them still yield creative changes to add pieces after our show at Abernathy together. Rings on the back were used what is otherwise missing. I also closes. We are also considering some to attach the pieces to the wall. have broadened my perception io traveling venues. We planned another installation include a world of materials available Virginia Greaves is a JAM who resides in piece made from actual car wash for exploration. Sometimes, impact Roswell, Georgia.

SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 13 SAQA launches mentorship program

by Sue Bleiweiss

n June of this year the SAQA completing a grant application, relies heavily on having enough IMembership Committee launched recordkeeping for the studio artist, or qualified mentors to match with the mentorship program, a goal- or SAQA JAM application guidance and mentees. project-based program open to all support. Technical development goals The benefits of being a mentor SAQA members. may include preparing work for an include the positive feeling you receive The program is designed for serious exhibition, artistic development, criti- when sharing your knowledge and artists at any stage of their careers, cal feedback, or technical guidance experience, which can be very empow- and provides a one-on-one mentor- on a specific artistic technique or ering. Remember the challenges you ship for a period lasting up to 12 skill. Since SAQA is an international faced when you were first starting out? months. A mentor shares wisdom organization with members located Wouldn’t it have been nice to have and skills while providing supportive across the globe, it’s possible that a knowledgeable colleague provide critique to a mentee. mentees and mentors may not be advice and feedback to avoid the The SAQA mentorship program able to meet in person. In that case, missteps you took back then? Mentor offers two levels: a basic studio prac- Skype or FaceTime can be used for Pamela Druhen wants her mentee to tice for artists interested in starting or “face-to-face” meetings. know that “I am in her corner, and I building an art practice, and one for will do my best to help her move in the those members preparing or consider- Why be a mentor? direction she wants to go.” ing SAQA’s Juried Artist Membership The SAQA mentor is a friend, a A great deal of personal satisfac- (JAM). trusted guide, someone who shares tion comes from helping someone The mentorship focuses on assist- knowledge and resources with a less- achieve their creative goals. Mentor ing an artist to achieve specific goals experienced colleague. The mentor’s Carol Ann Waugh said, “I get more or projects within a prearranged time responsibility is to provide guidance, out of mentoring other people than frame. Professional development support, and feedback to the mentee the people get from me mentoring goals may include subjects such as based on the goals that they want to them! I get great joy out of see- composing an artist’s statement, achieve. The success of the program ing an artist progress and knowing

Carol Ann Waugh Charlotte Scott

14 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 I had a small part to play in their be helping SAQA promote the art would work together, our expecta- achievements.” quilt through education and profes- tions of the relationship and the Being a mentor also challenges sional development. mentoring scheme, my values, and you to stay at the top of your game It’s exciting to play a supporting big picture stuff. Even with just one in order to provide your protégé role in the journey of a developing call, it’s been an immensely power- with the best feedback and guidance, artist. “My mentee has a very strong ful experience for me. I have some which in turn may inspire you with sense of what she wants, and it isn’t homework that has really got me some fresh ideas and perspectives on just the typical goals of making bet- thinking deeply, not just about my your own work. ter art and getting into shows. She’s art practice, but about how my whole “My mentee is tapping into areas thinking big — actually huge — and life interconnects with my art,” men- of my knowledge that I hadn’t even it’s really exciting. And she’s great tee Charlotte Scott said. thought of as strengths. I really like at taking action. She just dives right Discussions with your mentor will forming questions that push her cre- in. It’s going to be a pretty fantastic help you stretch your thinking by ative ideas and get her to think along journey,” said mentor Lisa Call. giving you access to another perspec- different lines than she is used to. tive. For mentee Donna Jean Downer, Breaking down the steps of how I do Why be a mentee? this has proven to be an invaluable my own work in order to offer insight Just as there are benefits to being benefit. “I feel more focused in my has made me think more about com- a mentor, there are an incredible desire to be producing more high- municating and developing ideas. number of benefits to being a mentee. quality art quilts. Mentor Sue Polan- It’s exciting to open up doors and see It gives you the opportunity to gain sky is a great sounding board for my where they lead,” said mentor Sue practical advice, encouragement, and ideas, and it is comforting to have Polansky. support in order to identify goals and her opinion before I proceed down When you become a mentor, you establish a sense of direction. “On a possible dead-end path. Having create a legacy that has a lasting my first Skype call with my mentor, personal access to someone who has impact on your mentee. You will also we spent time talking about how we been there and done that (success- fully entering shows and selling her work) is such a valuable resource for me,” Downer said. As a mentee you will learn self- motivation, self-discipline, and goal- setting techniques. You’ll have the opportunity to gain valuable insight into the next stage of your artistic journey. If you think you’d like to participate in the program as either a mentor or a mentee, you’ll find more information and applications on the SAQA website under the Member Resources tab. You are also welcome to email me at sue@ suebleiweiss.com.

Sue Bleiweiss is a SAQA JAM member from Sue Bleiweiss Pepperell, Massachusetts.

SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 15 Art-filled Philadelphia welcomes SAQA’s 2016 Annual Conference attendees

ake sure to reserve time to site of the largest collection of works The University of the Arts is located Menjoy Philadelphia when you by the artist outside France. next door to the conference hotel. book accommodations for SAQA’s The Philadelphia Museum of Art Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine 2016 Annual Conference March 31- alone boasts 300,000 pieces of art, Arts and the Art Institute of Philadel- April 3. Parks, art galleries, food including impressive collections phia are just a few blocks away. eateries, and even an urban bicycle of American and European art. program are part and parcel of our The building served as the back- Eateries & treats host city. drop where Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Philadelphia boasts many fine res- Our conference hotel, the Double Stallone’s title character in the movie taurants and all types of cuisine. Two Tree by Hilton in Center City Rocky, climbed 72 steps to reach of its most famous dishes are Philly Philadelphia, puts us in the heart of pre-bout triumph. Footprints at the Cheesesteaks, those delightful, moist downtown. Its location is a close walk top of the stairs commemorate this sandwiches of sliced beef, onions, to the Liberty Bell and City Hall, a cinematic moment. peppers, and cheese on an Italian roll, short distance from the Philadelphia While SAQA is in town, the and Tastykakes, a variety of cupcakes Museum of Art, and steps from excit- museum will host International Pop, and other sweets sold throughout ing dining experiences. Here is just an exhibit which chronicles Pop art’s a taste of what Philadelphia has to emergence as a global movement. offer. To enjoy fiber art, visit the Fabric ArtQuilt Elements Workshop and Museum, seven blocks Wayne Art Center in Wayne, The Art. Ah, the art. from our hotel. Also nearby are many Pennsylvania, is home to Art is everywhere in Philadelphia. galleries, including the Snyderman- the annual ArtQuilt Elements Sculptures, murals, and other visual Works Galleries, longtime supporters exhibition. The 2016 show delights can be seen on guided and of fiber art. coincides with our conference. unguided tours. Use visitphilly.com as Truly classic artwork is at the On Saturday, bus transportation your starting point. According to that Philadelphia Mint, where seven glass will be provided to tour the site, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway mosaics created by Tiffany depict the exhibition from 1-4 p.m. At is the most artistic mile in the United coining process of Ancient Rome. At that time, the venue is hosting States. Bookended by City Hall and the Curtis Building is another Tiffany a reception and speaker for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, mosaic depicting Philadelphia artist conference attendees. Attending along the way is the Rodin Museum, Maxfield Parrish’sDream Garden. artists will have the chance to speak about their work, too.

16 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 Photo by Paul Loftland for PHLCVB

the city. Food fun continues with spaces in the world with more than Drexel University. Make a trip to the Yuengling beer, soft pretzels, and 9,000 acres. It offers trails, wood- University of Pennsylvania Museum snapper soup. lands, wetlands, historical houses, of Archaeology and Anthropology to Reading Terminal Market is a and Shofuso Japanese House and look for a deck of cards made from one-stop shop to sample many local Garden. There are many smaller parks human flesh. If you really like the favorites. This bustling vendor hall throughout the city, too. odd tour, try one of these four attrac- near our hotel is the oldest continu- If not the park, perhaps the bike. tions: the Mütter Museum, filled with ously operated farmer’s market in the Indego is a bike-sharing system avail- antique medical oddities and equip- country. Offering everything from able throughout Philadelphia. You ment; the Mummers Museum, where produce stalls to sit-down restaurants, pay as you go to use one of the city’s costumes from the annual Mummers wares also include cookbooks, kitchen more than 600 bikes located at more Parade on New Year’s Day are dis- gadgets, and more. than 60 stations. played; Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, For a quieter experience, try Pre- an environment enlivened by mosaic mium Steap, a tea shop in bustling Indoor Pursuits work started in the 1960s by artist Rittenhouse Square. Consider a walk through a human Isaiah Zagar; or Independence Seaport heart at the Franklin Institute, a Museum to see the oldest steel war- On the go hands-on science museum. Check ship still afloat. Outdoor fun awaits! Fairmount Park out the dinosaurs (or diamonds) at The 2016 Conference will include a is one of the largest urban green the Academy of Natural Sciences of free Saturday night. Two large venues, the Academy of Music and the Kim- mel Center, home to the Philadel- SAQA’s 2016 Annual Conference registration phia Orchestra, are across the street from the DoubleTree. Other nearby Save with early registration theaters include The Wilma Theater, Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Forrest The- $350 Early Bird registration, if received by Oct. 31, 2015 atre, and Walnut Street Theatre. $400 General registration, if received after Oct. 31, 2015 It’s all in Philly. Enjoy! This article was researched by SAQA $440 Late registration, if received after Feb. 1, 2016 members Lynne Allen, Meredith Armstrong, Cindy Friedman and Diane Watch saqa.com for more details and how to pay. Howell.

SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 17 Traveling Exhibition program puts SAQA members’ work on the road

by Bill Reker

AQA’s Traveling Exhibition comprised of members from the full and much thought goes into creating Sprogram is a major benefit to our committee. DevCom meets monthly exhibition themes that will appeal members, offering the opportunity to review venues and discuss poten- to a broad spectrum of artists, from to enter and be juried into exhibi- tial themes for exhibitions. It is here those who create abstract works to tions that travel around the globe. that the first creative sparks ignite those who make representational art. Next year, 16 all-SAQA exhibitions to turn an idea into an international Finally, three DevCom members write will be on view in museums and touring exhibition. a first draft of the theme description quilt expositions on four continents. DevCom considers ideas from to present to the entire Exhibition Venues include ten museums, as well many sources, including members, Committee. as the International Quilt Festival in venues, other exhibitions, and The full Exhibition Committee Houston, the Festival of Quilts in the brainstorming sessions, to arrive at is chaired by Gwyned Trefethen. It U.K., and the Taiwan International up to three themes for each potential meets monthly to discuss multiple Quilt Exhibition. new venue. It then reviews the needs aspects of the exhibition program, The success of this program is sup- of the venue, including its size and including changes to policies, juror ported by the hard work of the vol- ability to handle 3-D, freestanding, or selection, venue selection, and other unteers that make up the 16-member framed works, and whether it has a issues that arise in such a large pro- Exhibition Committee. Each exhi- specific hanging system. These factors gram. Also considered at these meet- bition begins in the Development determine the parameters of the exhi- ings are new exhibition themes. The Subcommittee (DevCom), currently bition. DevCom is conscious of the committee members, having already chaired by Heather Pregger and needs of SAQA’s diverse membership, received draft descriptions, consider

Lifecycle of a SAQA exhibition

Brainstorm Write Create exhibition Announce Jury exhibition call for entry timetable call for entry submissions ideas (up to 1 year in advance)

Select Make Choose juror and Accept theme translations exhibition submissions of call for entry coordinator

18 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 every aspect of each proposed theme. and may include museum curators, exhibition coordinator. The exhibi- How will membership respond? Will artists who work within the academic tion coordinator plays a key role. it fit representational and abstract community, and well-known artists Once the call for entry is posted, that approaches? Is it strong enough to of all media, including fiber. Choos- person becomes the main contact form a cohesive show? Will it allow ing a recognized juror not only adds person for artists considering the artists to find their own interpreta- to the prestige of the exhibition and exhibition. This volunteer answers a tion? Will the theme and any pro- increases the ability to secure quality wide range of questions from artists, posed title bridge SAQA’s languages venues, but also increases the number including size of works, shipping and cultures? of potential entries and overall inter- or display constraints, and whether Once a theme has passed these tests est in the exhibition. Since the jurors certain interpretations of the theme and is selected, an Exhibition Com- are chosen after the exhibition theme will be acceptable. Once the entries mittee member is assigned to write and concepts have been finalized, have been submitted and juried, it the final description. Anne Hiemstra, consideration is also given to the is the exhibition coordinator who coordinator chair, writes the pro- potential juror’s individual knowl- contacts artists who submitted entries spectus, or call for entry. Trefethen edge or connection with the subject to let them know if their work was recruits an exhibition coordinator. matter to be expressed. accepted. She then sends accepted art- Juror coordinator Patty Kennedy After the call for entry is approved, ists further instructions for the exhi- Zafred recommends and secures a it is posted on the SAQA website. bition along with contracts to sign. juror. Jurors with diverse artistic train- Anne Hiemstra prepares a timetable After the artwork has been selected ing and backgrounds are sought out, for the exhibition and works with the for an exhibition, the exhibition

see “Traveling exhibitions” on page 36 Lifecycle of a SAQA exhibition

Collect images Assist venues with Ship artworks Exhibition travels and text for promotion promotion to premiere venue 2-3 years and catalog Notify artists Secure Receive artworks Exhibition Exhibition ends of acceptance venues pack in specialty cases opens works sent to new owners status or returned to artists

SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 19 SAQA member gallery: Health & Wholeness

Pixeladies (Deb Cashatt and Kris Sazaki) An Apple A Day 8 x 6 inches | 2014 www.pixeladies.com An Apple A Day is part of a series of “text quilts” which address controversial issues in a playful manner.

Regina V. Benson Off the Charts 24 x 18 inches | 2014 www.reginabenson.com This quilt is part of my social commentary series. It speaks to the major disconnect in our health care delivery systems between the needs of poor and elderly patients and the steep costs for critical and long-term care.

Sharon Wall The Mother and the Daughter and the DNA Code 100 x 74 inches | 2009 | sharonwallart.com The theme of the quilt is DNA-related health connections between my daughter and myself. My daughter and I traced around each other to create silhouettes for the figures.

Susan Heller Disappearing into Alzheimer’s 8 x 28 inches | 2014 | www.quiltedbysusanheller.com Alzheimer’s “disappeared” my father. As the plaque began to descend and conceal his recognizable self, the sweetness of his essence remained. It was a long, slow, baffling journey for him and those who loved him.

20 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 Sarah Ann Smith Strength and Calm 60 x 24 inches | 2012 In late 2011 I began, yet again, an exercise program, but this time I fell in love with it. This class combines yoga, Pilates, and other exercises. One day while working on a “mermaid” pose, I was watching a classmate, thinking how beautiful the shapes of her body were while doing these stretches. The idea for this quilt was born.

Patricia Turner Earth’s Super Heroes Battle Ebola In Liberia 33 x 65 inches | 2015 www.patriciaturnerart.com We’ve all grown up with fictional stories of Superman and Wonder Woman and how their super powers save mere mortals from certain disaster and death. But we truly do have real life super heroes among us; the doctors and support staff of Doctors Without Borders. Upcoming Landscape: January 1, 2016 They traverse the earth wherever and whenever needed to face themes and Adventure: April 1, 2016 down earthquakes, tsunamis, the ravages of war, and the threat of deadlines: See submission guidelines at pandemic. They work tirelessly to save mere mortals from themselves www.saqa.com/calendar-detail.php?ID=3469 and from Mother Nature. They are, indeed, Earth’s Super Heroes. SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 21 Thank you Linda Abrams M. C. Bunte Lisa Ellis Margaret Abramshe Shelly Burge Noriko Endo 2015 Benefit Auction Deidre Adams Betty Busby Suzan Engler Regula Affolter JoAnn Camp Diane English contributing artists Judith Ahlborn Ruth Carden Linda Engstrom Connie Akers Carolyn Castaneda Sarah Entsminger SAQA owes a heartfelt thank you to Joanne Alberda Laurie Ceesay Linda Evans the artists who generously donated Dawn Allen Lynda Christiansen Connie Marie Fahrion Holly Altman Carol Churchill Mary C. Felder their creative time and energy to make Ann Anastasio Susanne Clawson Clairan Ferrono a piece for our 2015 Benefit Auction. Ilse Anysas-Salkauskas Jette Clover Heidi Field-Alvarez This fall tradition is our organization’s Madeleine Appell Linda Colsh Sheila Finzer signature fundraising event. The auction Terry Aske Vicki Conley Dianne Firth builds a sense of camaraderie and allows Geneviève Attinger Shannon Conley Tommy Fitzsimmons Jill Ault Judith Content Lisa Flowers Ross SAQA to advance its mission to increase Rhonda Baldwin Eva Gretta Cooper Andree Fredette recognition for art quilts and the artists Nancy J. Bardach Kate Crossley Muff Fregia who make them. Let’s celebrate another Marie Barry Phyllis Cullen Georgia French great year by thanking all of the artists Bobbi Baugh Sherri Culver Carole Frocillo who helped make the event possible. Laurie Bay Daniela Dancelli Bodil Gardner Helen Beaven Mathea Daunheimer Pat Gaska Go to saqa.com/auction for details. Polly Bech Carol Deards Monique Gilbert Nancy J. Beckerman Donna Deaver Claire Gimber Christi Beckmann Birgitta Debenham Jane Gnoit Jeri Beitel Roslyn DeBoer Helen Godden Sue Benner Geri deGruy Gwen Goepel Karen Bennick Sue Dennis Sandi Goldstein Deb Berkebile Gabriele DiTota Doria Goocher Vou Best Giny Dixon Mary Goodson Maggi Birchenough Nancy Dobson Valerie Goodwin Pat Bishop Jay Dodds Julia Graber Patt Blair Lisa Dodson Leigh Graham Margaret Blank K. M. Dombrowski Terry Grant Diane Born Chiaki Dosho Sonia Grasvik Deborah Boschert Janis Doucette Mary T. Green Ellen Bourassa Eileen Doughty Guila Greer Carol Boyer Sally-Ann Douglass Jean Grimes Sandra Branjord Pam Dowen Cindy Grisdela Marge Bresel Jo Drueke Ann Grundler Schatzi Brimer Heather Dubreuil Desiree Habicht Bobbie Brown Regina Dunn Susan Haftel Kathy Brown Pat Durbin Gunnel Hag Peggy Brown Joan Dyer Betty Hahn

Clockwise from top left: Nancy J. Bryant Aileyn Renli Ecob Phillida Hargreaves Sharon Hightower, Lynn Koolish, Sharon Buck Marlis Egger Belinda Hart Jennifer Solon, Charlotte Ziebarth

22 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 Denise Havlan Paulette Landers Clara Nartey Lin Schiffner Sarah Thompson- Coviello Jane Haworth Kim LaPolla Jean Neblett Norma Schlager Daniela Tiger Jim Hay Cat Larrea Diane Nuñez Brenda Schlechter Catherine Timm Ginnie Hebert Carol Larson Marcia O’Donovan Merrie Jo Schroeder Judith Trager Georgia Heller Gay Lasher Kathryn Oftedal Karen Schulz Gillian Travis Mary Ellen Heus Sandra Lauterbach Mary Olivea Stephanye Schuyler Barbara Triscari Sharon Hightower Michele Lea Wil Opio Oguta Roxanne Schwartz Mary Tyler Jaynie Himsl Kathy Angel Lee Gale Oppenheim- Mary Schwarzenberger Pietrzak Mary Ann Vaca-Lambert Jill P. Hoddick Uta Lenk Charlotte Scott Mary Pal Larkin Van Horn Ron Hodge Susan Lenz Patricia Scott Katie Pasquini Masopust Hilde van Carole Hoffman Cynthia Levis Carol Sebastian-Neely Schaardenburg Geri Patterson-Kutras Rena Holma Pam Lowe Dori Settles Mary Ann Van Soest Peg Pennell Vera Holmgren Andrea Luliak Barbara Sferra Maggie Vanderweit Pixeladies Lois Wilby Hooper Jenny K. Lyon Linda Sharp Desiree Vaughn Yvonne Porcella Judy Hooworth Jeanne Marklin Sara Sharp K. Velis Turan Ruth Powers Ruby Horansky Carol Martin-Davis Maria C. Shell Sandra Wagner Diane Powers Harris Peggy Blei Hracho Sheilana Massey Susan Shie Terry Waldron Sonya Prchal Sally Hutson Susan Mathews Kristin Shields Susan Walen Heather Pregger Debo Hysack Ann Baldwin May Teresa Shippy Karin Wallgren Kathleen Probst Michelle Jackson Therese May Sandra Sider Lisa Walton Casey Puetz Laura Jaszkowski Anne McAllister Sue Siefkin Betty Warner Susan Purney Mark Lisa Jenni Sherri Lipman McCauley Martha Sielman Sylvia Weir Barbara Quackenbush Karen Johnson Lea McComas Gail Sims Lynn Welsch Elaine Quehl Paula Jolly Annette McFarlane Annie Smith Ruth A. White Joan Raciti Elaine Jones Janice McKeehan Brenda Gael Smith April Whiteside-Foster Dorothy Raymond Susanne Jones Linda McLaughlin Catherine Smith Rochelle Wiese Wen Redmond Bella Kaplan Carolynn McMillan Lou Ann Smith Shea Wilkinson Janett Rice Sara Kelly Alicia Merrett Sandy Snowden Roberta Price Willet Susan Rienzo C. S. Kendrick Denise Oyama Miller Anne Solomon Eileen Williams Shoshi Rimer Jill Kerttula Dolores Miller Jennifer Solon Jenny Williams Kim Ritter Lisa Kijak Linda A. Miller Lois Sprague Marianne R. Williamson Mary Ritter Michele O’Neil Kincaid Roberta Chalfy Miller Jean Sredl Hope Wilmarth Susan Robbins Cuauhtémoc Kish Virginia Millington Cynthia St. Charles Christine Wilson Ruan Robertson Suzanne Kistler Judy Momenzadeh Andra Stanton Lin Wilson Linda Robertus Cathy Kleeman Susie Monday Terri Stegmiller Valerie Wilson Judith Roderick Sherry Davis Kleinman Jeannie P. Moore Nancy J. Steidle Martha Wolfe Annette Rogers Mirka Knaster Pippa Moore Judy Steward Colleen Wootten Connie Rohman Lynn Koolish Lorna Morck Kate Stiassni Diane Wright Pam RuBert Brigitte Kopp Ann Moroz Linda Jean Strand Sally Wright Laurie Russman Gail Kotowski Patti Morris Averil Stuart-Head Juanita G. Yeager Mary Ruzich Ellie Kreneck Gillian Moss Jill Sullivan Kathy York Nancy Ryan Pat Kroth Alison Muir Susan Szajer Jin Yuanshan Vel Saddington Lynn Kunz Frances Murphy Mikiko Takase Charlotte Ziebarth Tina Sams Karol Kusmaul Ann Myhre Tiziana Tateo Heidi Zielinski Jodi Scaltreto Jennifer Landau Elisabeth Nacenta- Chris Taylor de la Croix Helena Scheffer

SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 23 fabrications

Wild Fabrications celebrates a world of animals both real and fantastical. The exhibit includes 38 quilts in which SAQA members from around the world let their imaginations run wild to create interesting and unusual interpretations of animals using unexpected materials and adornment, as well as unconventional techniques.

The theme not only lends itself particularly to bold colors and whimsical imagery, but also to beautiful realism and humor. We must remember that people are also animals, and that we impinge upon the habitats of other animals as much as they on ours. By sharing the intriguing and inspiring qualities of animals, artists serve as reminders that conservation and understanding is necessary in order to maintain the natural world in which we live.

Grieving Animal (seen from the back) Chiaki Dosho 40 x 28 inches

Two Creatures Judith Roderick 32 x 40 inches

24 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 Cat and Mouse Game Martha Ressler 20 x 28 inches

Polka Dodo Susan Carlson 44 x 40 inches Oaken Alligator Judy Momenzadeh 35 x 27 inches

Beauty of the Beasts Barbara Yates Beasley 36 x 40 inches

SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 25 Loony fabrications Linda Frost 36 x 32 inches

The Shores of Atlantis: Green and Gold Barbara Martinson 19 x 37 inches

In Her Dreams She Dances Sonia Grasvik 43 x 37 inches

Now You See Him… Cat Larrea 56 x 40 inches

26 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 Regional exhibitions: Right for you? SAQA Regional Exhibition Coordinator offers tips

by Betty Busby

’d like to introduce myself as the exhibition committee since I joined • All members will be given equal ISAQA Regional Exhibition Coordi- SAQA in 2008. From those who are consideration in the jury process. nator and tell you about the benefits prominent fiber artists to those who Any work outside the jury process, of creating a regional exhibition. My have only begun to exhibit their such as display of a juror’s work, job is to help your region put on an work, our activities encourage and must be clearly and separately exhibition that highlights your art in draw our members together. labeled. a professional manner. I also have applied to juried exhibi- • Curators work on a volunteer Regional exhibitions are funda- tions many times and have worked basis, but jurors may be paid an mentally different from the all-SAQA to make the regional entry process honorarium. exhibitions. They are conceived and as simple and responsive as possible • Regions may join forces to create run by individual SAQA regions solely while upholding SAQA’s standards. an exhibition. for their own members. All-SAQA The Regional Exhibition Guidelines exhibitions are formulated by a cen- are available on the SAQA website, Why have a SAQA regional exhi- tral Exhibition Committee, and by and the proposal form and other bition? In addition to the member definition are open to the more than relevant documents are posted on the benefits noted above, sanctioned 3,400 SAQA members worldwide. Regional Rep Info page. regional exhibitions are covered by I volunteered to be the Regional Briefly, the guidelines state: SAQA’s insurance for the duration of Coordinator because I have been • All members of a region should be the exhibit. Also, YOU choose your involved with the New Mexico eligible to enter. OWN venue, theme, and timing.

Beyond Tradition, a 2014 SAQA New Mexico regional exhibition at the Hubbard Museum of the American West in Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico

photo by Mark Hollingsworth Photography

SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 27 The first step is securing a venue. • Installation photos of previous or ten months in advance is not too Begin by checking with Desiree exhibitions early, especially if members will need Vaughn, the Reps Coordinator, to • CD with all of the above-men- to create artwork. make sure that the venue you have tioned material Promote the show in the email text in mind is not contracted already for portion of every regional newsletter an all-SAQA exhibition. Think ahead, Regional reps are not required to that goes out, as many people do not as most venues plan a year or two in curate shows. A separate exhibition open attachments. Encourage people advance. Many post their application committee may be put together to to bring exhibit projects they are requirements online with specific handle all the arrangements. working on to your SAQA meetings to dates and requirements for consider- In order to receive approval as a build excitement and interest. ation. Think about putting together SAQA regional exhibition, the cura- The SAQA website will post your a presentation folder for your region tor must fill out the proposal form call for entry as well, and will include to present to potential venues. It can and send it to me at least four weeks images of your announcement post- include: prior to issuing the call for entry. The card and installation photos after the timing of this step is preferably right • Mission statement: What is SAQA? show is up. after the venue is secured and the There are options available to make • Short biographies of several of your show’s theme and title have been set. your exhibition experience more artists I then ensure budget figures are on professional. The SAQA online entry • History of exhibitions your group target and that the regional guide- system, ArtCall, is available to regions has participated in lines are met. for $350. This service provides a four- • Photos of representative artwork Once the basics are taken care of, week window for entries to be sub- remind people early and often about • Promotional materials: postcards, mitted. Entry fees can be paid online your exhibition. Get the details out brochures, etc. through the SAQA Store, and the to your members immediately. Nine funds will be credited to your region.

Staffing options for regional exhibitions Jamie Fingal, a JAM from Orange, coordinator. The person who ships or This person also handles the receipt California, has put together many hand delivers the quilts needs to work of the quilts back from the venue and successful exhibitions over the years. with the wall card preparer, because the coordinates shipping back to the artists. Her list of volunteer positions includes: cards will accompany the quilts to the Most regional shows do not require venue. shipping. Organizer: This person fills out the SAQA Shipping coordinator: Quilts are paperwork, which will be approved by the Financial paperwork coordinator: This shipped to one person. That person SAQA Regional Exhibition Coordinator and person tracks expenses. checks in all of the quilts and repacks the local SAQA rep. The organizer puts Exhibition catalog designer: This them for shipping to the venue by rolling together a committee to plan the show. function is only required if you decide to them and placing them in boxes. This create a catalog. The organizer or curator Curator: This volunteer communicates can be done with a committee of two can coordinate this task. If ArtCall is used, with the artists. Duties may also include or three people to check the quilts in, images and text can be downloaded finding other venues to show the exhibit organize the boxes, and manage the from that site. and approaching media for coverage. return shipping labels. Another team Wall card preparer: This person is can roll the quilts to be transported These positions can be combined and responsible for the wall cards for the and/or shipped to the venue in a few tailored to fit the needs of your region exhibit. The text for each quilt can be boxes. They are rolled so they are flat and exhibition. They are options to uploaded from the ArtCall site if that upon arrival. If the team is local to the consider and a helpful guideline as you tool is used for entry submission. Some venue, the pieces can be hand-delivered plan out your show with the Regional venues have guidelines for the text, to the venue in the boxes. If not, one Exhibition Coordinator. but if you are doing a gallery show, team can hand-deliver the boxes to a templates are available from the regional shipping company to send to the venue.

28 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 Through the ArtCall system, all the as to the general appearance of the to the smaller number of entries in a information about the work will be exhibition. regional exhibition. available online, in one place, and Many people are apprehensive I also can recommend a juror. There can be used to jury the exhibition, for about the jury process, because they are many experienced SAQA mem- publicity, and to make the labels for have applied to large international bers who would be pleased to invest the exhibition. shows, which typically have a low their time to see regional exhibitions Another important factor to acceptance rate due to the large achieve the best possible results. consider is using a juror. It is not number of entries received. However, I have 27 regional exhibitions on required for regional exhibitions but with regional exhibitions, there will my spreadsheet right now that are is strongly encouraged. Why? Unless be far fewer entries and a much better either on display or in the planning you are prepared to hang all the work chance of getting into the show. For stages. These exhibits are well worth submitted, somebody needs to choose instance, 35 works might be hung the effort involved. And putting on the work that will be shown. That out of 60 submissions in a regional a regional exhibition does get easier! person is your juror and should be exhibition. Many of the regions on my spread- independent of the show. Regional exhibition committees can, sheet are on a repeat visit to their No matter how large the exhibition of course, choose their own jurors. venues. Some have been invited back space, there is a limit to the number They can be SAQA members, artists, to the same location up to six times of works that can be shown. An over- gallerists, educators, or critics from the because their events have been so crowded space is the mark of an ama- larger art community. The local com- successful. teur production. A juror can choose mittee can negotiate an honorarium This can be you. Give it a try! I am the correct number of pieces to hang, with a potential juror. Many are will- here to help. and also make a cohesive statement ing to work for a minimum fee due Betty Busby is a SAQA JAM who resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 29 President from page 3 theme, or are you trying to force the non-2D work in its proposals to imposed by venues. Having said that, piece into it? Jurors try to create a museums. The upcoming exhibition it’s easier to mount exhibitions when coherent show out of many pieces, at the Textile Museum in Washing- most of the pieces are not monumen- so if your work is rejected, remember ton, D.C., is one example of work- tal in size. But don’t let that keep you someone is trying to fit all the pieces ing with a museum to include more from creating large (or small) pieces. together. It is not necessarily a com- diverse work. If you are a 3D artist, The Exhibition Committee is always ment on the quality or the type of look for the upcoming calls for entry trying to find venues for unconven- your piece. for the International Quilt Study tional pieces. Verdict: Plausible, depending on Center & Museum exhibition that Verdict: Plausible, but that’s theme. will run during the 2017 SAQA con- changing, too! ference in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the SAQA exhibitions are only for 2D I want to leave you with a few other H2Oh! exhibition, which will debut at artists. SAQA wants to exhibit the facts. There would be no SAQA exhibi- a museum in 2017. best, most creative work possible. tions were it not for the dedication Verdict: Plausible, but that’s of the many volunteers who work to What’s not always possible is to find changing. venues that will exhibit non-two- create and coordinate them or the dimensional work. SAQA’s shipping SAQA exhibitions don’t allow for large professional staff that takes care of all center is currently working on ways work/small work. Size restrictions the nitty gritty details. And we would to add non-2D work to traveling sometimes have to do with the con- have no SAQA exhibitions if it weren’t exhibitions while keeping shipping straints of SAQA’s shipping configura- for your membership dues, entry fees, costs as low as possible. In addition, tion, but more often than not they donations, and especially your incred- the Exhibition Committee is adding have to do with the size restrictions ible art. Keep creating it!

30 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 Mary Mattimoe from page 5 MAdeline fabric instead of canvas. Through had been given when she was young iSlAnd talking with onlookers, she found and read about quilting in the World School of the ArtS they were generally interested and Book Encyclopedia. She didn’t meet any Unique Island Setting, Exceptional Workshops curious. “People don’t realize how other quilters until she was an adult, a – 2016 Quilting & Fiber art – long it takes to make a quilt, com- few years before joining SAQA. Gwen Marston...... June 6-10 & June 13-17 pared to a painting.” She also enjoyed watercolor paint- Sue Spargo ...... June 20-24 & June 27-July 1 During the five-day event at the ing when she was young, but it wasn’t Kerr Grabowski ...... June 20-24 beginning of June, Mattimoe cre- until she was introduced to fabric Sylvia Pippen ...... June 27-July 1 ated three whole-cloth painted quilts paint at a friend’s house just over a Philippa Naylor ...... July 11-15 of animals and entered them into year ago that everything clicked into Lyric Kinard ...... July 25-29 Jean Wells ...... August 1-5 a silent auction to benefit the zoo. place. “I realized it was the missing Sue Benner ...... August 8-12 All three of the pieces sold. “I think thing in my life, bridging watercolor Jane Sassaman ...... August 22-26 it worked and I would do it again,” and quilting,” Mattimoe said. Sue Spargo ...... Aug 29-Sept 2 Mattimoe said. Mattimoe’s willingness to take a Gene Shepherd ...... Aug 29-Sept 2 After Mattimoe’s demonstration in risk to show her work and her pro- Judy Niemeyer ...... Sept 26-30 Atlanta, perhaps more people have cess in a new way is an example of Susan Brubaker Knapp ...... October 3-7 Gwen Marston...... October 10-14 a better appreciation for the fiber art pushing outside our comfort zone to David Taylor ...... October 17-21 medium. reach new audiences who may not Mattimoe has been sewing since be familiar with fiber art — plus it she was a child. Her mother didn’t sounds like a lot of fun! quilt, so when she wanted to learn as a – Online registratiOn is easy – Cindy Grisdela is a SAQA JAM from teenager, she studied a baby quilt she www.madelineschool.com Reston, Virginia. 715.747.2054 • La Pointe, WI Quilt Hanging Solutions

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SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 31 Barb Wills from page 9

the equipment and assisting less- experienced students. Wills views her time at the college as an opportunity to receive critiques from professors. Being in the company of artists working in other media keeps her inspired and offers her an opportunity to get feedback from a different perspective. Wills is strongly influenced by her environment. She spends her morn- ings walking, writing, and journal- ing, cataloging the visual patterns in nature. She finds inspiration in what she sees on the ground, in the patterns of rippling water across a lake, and in the subdued colors of her high desert surroundings. Her love of puzzles, fixing things, and solving problems is incorporated into her work. She draws heavily on her sketchbooks for direction. Using

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SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 35 Traveling exhibitions from page 19 coordinator sends the list of accepted the artists submitted with their SAQA membership secretary, prepare works to Deidre Adams, SAQA’s art entries. the exhibition for travel. Each indi- director, and to me, SAQA’s Traveling When the marketing brochure is vidual quilt is unpacked, inspected, Artisan Spirit Ambience offers an extensive range of exquisite textured prints in six vibrant Exhibition coordinator. We work with complete, it is used it to help the and repacked with the others in one palettes: Hibiscus, Violet, Lagoon, Emerald Isle, Tahitian Sun and Twilight. In this collection there Cheryl Dineen Ferrin, SAQA’s market- premiere venue promote the exhibi- of SAQA’s shipping trunks. The final are two innovative quick stitch prints, STRIP-R no-sew 2" strips and NO-SEW CIRCLES that allow ing director, and Kristin LaFlamme, tion and to approach other poten- paperwork is prepared, travel arrange- you to spend your time quilting rather than piecing or appliquéing. Watch our demonstration a member of SAQA’s Education tial venues about it. In the months ments secured, and the exhibition is Committee, to write and design the leading up to an exhibition’s debut, shipped off to its first venue. videos on our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/NorthcottFabric. marketing materials for the new I work with the venues to meet their Thousands of hours of work by the Visit northcott.com to see the entire collection with coordinating patterns. exhibition. Combining images of the needs. With each new exhibition, artists, the Exhibition Committee, artwork, juror statements, and the everything from the creation of labels and SAQA’s staff go into each new Hibiscus Violet Lagoon Emerald Isle Tahitian Sun Twilight exhibition description from the call, a to concerns about unusual design, exhibition of art quilts. Thank you all marketing brochure is created. hanging order, shipping, customs, for making our Traveling Exhibition During this time, Adams and and other issues need to be coordi- program a success. SAQA’s executive director, Martha nated and confirmed. Along with Bill Reker is SAQA’s Traveling Exhibition Sielman, work on the layout and finding new venues, I make sure there coordinator and supervises ad sales for design of the exhibition catalog. This are exhibitions available to meet our the SAQA Journal. is the first time individual pieces obligations to repeat venues. come together as an exhibition, cre- Finally, the quilts arrive at the ship- ated with the images and statements ping center, and I and Allison Reker,

There is always enough time for beauty. Enjoy what's there and create what's not.

Visit FrondDesignStudios.com to view our nature inspired, hand painted fabric.

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36 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 Available in color coordinating precuts. Artisan Spirit Ambience offers an extensive range of exquisite textured prints in six vibrant palettes: Hibiscus, Violet, Lagoon, Emerald Isle, Tahitian Sun and Twilight. In this collection there are two innovative quick stitch prints, STRIP-R no-sew 2" strips and NO-SEW CIRCLES that allow you to spend your time quilting rather than piecing or appliquéing. Watch our demonstration videos on our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/NorthcottFabric. Visit northcott.com to see the entire collection with coordinating patterns.

Hibiscus Violet Lagoon Emerald Isle Tahitian Sun Twilight

o orthc ttFab .N ri w cC w ir Artisan Spirit c w ! le Ambience Tiles n . u c Artisan Spirit f o Ambience Roll e m

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Available in color coordinating precuts. Board Members President Quick Notes Kris Sazaki, Sacramento, California Vice Presidents To find out more about SAQA, contact Martha Sielman, executive director, at Lisa Ellis, Fairfax, Virginia 860-487-4199 or [email protected]. Visit our website at www.saqa.com. Lisa Walton, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Annual membership (U.S. and international): artist/associate member, $70; arts professional, $95; juried artist, $135; student (full time with copy of ID), $35. Treasurer Nancy Bavor, Los Altos Hills, California Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose Secretary mission is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional Dorothy Raymond, Loveland, Colorado development, documentation and publications.

Susan Else, Santa Cruz, California The SAQA Journal is published four times a year. To submit articles, contact the Marvin Fletcher, Athens, Ohio SAQA Journal editor at [email protected]. See the submission guidelines at Valerie Goodwin, Tallahassee, Florida www.saqa.com/resources.php?ID=3289. Gül Laporte, La Forêt Fouesnant, France Deadlines for articles: Judith Trager, Boulder, Colorado Spring 2016 October 1, 2015 Martha Wolfe, Davis, California Summer 2016 January 1, 2016 Marcia Young, East Freetown, Massachusetts Fall 2016 April 1, 2016 Diane Wright, Guilford, Connecticut Winter 2017 July 1, 2016

Executive director For information about advertising in the SAQA Journal: [email protected] Martha Sielman, Storrs, Connecticut

SAQA Journal Editor Correction: In the Fall 2015 issue, we mistakenly said that Dena Dale Crain teaches Diane Howell, Chandler, Arizona at QuiltEd Online which was formerly Quilt University. The correct information Art director/graphic designer follows: Dena Dale Crain teaches online art quilt classes through QuiltEd Online, Deidre Adams, Littleton, Colorado her own platform. Quilt University was subsumed by Academy of Quilting.

Special Exhibits • Workshops • Merchant Mall • Contest Quilts • Lectures

Fresh Art. Incredible Talent. Phoenix, Arizona Innovative Design. February 11–14, 2016

Daytona Beach, Florida February 24–27, 2016

Lancaster, Pennsylvania March 16–19, 2016

by Lora Rocke Paducah, Kentucky by Maria Elkins OO k L April 20–23, 2016 ast L indb LOW n ne W O

Join us to see SAQA: People & Portraits at four of our 2016 AQS QuiltWeek locations.

For more information, visit us at NATIONAL BRAND PARTNER QuiltWeek.com or call 270-898-7903. American Quilter’s Society Family of Brands

38 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 JAM SHOWCASE

Shelley Brucar Birch Grove 2013, 30 x 40 inches Much of my inspiration comes from nature. I enjoy hiking in forests, national parks, and wilderness areas, places where there are no roads, places that feel peaceful and set apart from daily routines. Birch Grove combines memories of such hikes and of watching dots of light coming through the trees onto the forest floor.

SAQA Journal • Fall 2015 • 39 Finishing Quilts... is my life!

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SueSue PattenPatten InternationalInternational author,author, teacher,teacher, andand quilterquilter extraordinaireextraordinaire

Find out how you can nish more quilts. Visit www.HandiQuilter.com/freegift to download a FREE quilting motif (enter code MC0914). Also be sure to request an informational DVD and enter drawings to win a $50 HQ shopping spree and a Handi Quilter quilting retreat ($1,550 value).

40 • SAQA Journal • Fall 2015