Special Exhibits
The Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza
& Mancuso Show Management Are Proud to Present:
Africa’s Beauty - Quilts on the Wall
Africa’s Beauty is a challenging theme to embrace. Africa is huge and varied – in history, in landscape, in people, in wildlife, in community and tradition and in climate. The responses to this theme are as varied as Africa itself, with some close-up and some more expansively focused. The artists deliver these diverse concepts in a variety of ways, using color, value, fabric selection, piecing and quilting. Pictured: Beautiful Africa by Jeannette Floyd
Balance - TAVA (Textile Artists of VA)
Apart from being a device used to regulate the speed of a watch, the term balance refers to a state of being in which things are of equal weight or strength, opposing forces harmonize, a mental equilibrium exists, and the consideration of more than one viewpoint is possible. In these pieces, TAVA members reflect not only on stability, equity and poise, because balance means so much more. A life without balance can lead to miscommunication, illness, stress, conflict, resentment, strife, and chaos.
The Textile Artists of Virginia (TAVA) use fiber as a medium to create art. Now in our 13th year, our group continues to grow, allowing for a thoughtful, diverse presentation of ideas and fiber techniques. TAVA supports and encourages each member as a fiber artist through sharing ideas and techniques, as well as exploring the boundaries of the medium with programs and hands-on activities. TAVA increases public awareness of fiber art through exhibits and public engagement.
Color in Context: Red (SAQA Global Exhibition)
Ever since our earliest ancestors began applying iron oxide to cave walls and their bodies, the color red has played a major role in art, rituals, and spirituality. The use of red can evoke excitement, danger, anger or love in the West. The color red is associated with purity in India, and in China it traditionally symbolizes luck. Red is also a primary color, crucial to the creation of other hues.
Conversations: Health on Our Minds / In the Pink - Talk Ten Travels
TalkTen was formed at the start of the pandemic by members of the Visions Museum of Textile Arts who share a love for textile art and a desire to meet virtually. Initially ten members joined (the inspiration behind our group’s name), but over time we have lost a few members, and now gained some, even expanding to having a more international group. Our group presents “TalkTen Conversations,” which includes the two new collections before you.
“Health on Our Mind” features art quilts that reflect an ever-present concern for older women. These 18” x 18” quilts explore themes of healing, medical processes, and the intricate tapestry of the human body.
“In the Pink” is a challenge in which each member created an 18” x 18” abstract quilt using cut-up pieces of an old pink rayon bedcover mailed to every member. At least 50% of each quilt’s material had to be pink.
In the Eye of the Beholder - Stretching Art and Tradition 25
The creation of art is intensely personal and subjective. Unless you are creating a portrait of a famous person, the work you create from your intention and inspiration is meant to be interpreted by a viewer. For this, our 25th (yes 25!!!) exhibit, we invite you to create a piece that leaves room for viewer interpretation that may not align with your intention. We plan to engage the viewing public by asking them to respond to our work with their thoughts. We also challenge you to join in the original intent of this exhibit each year - to stretch yourself in your artistic application and share that process in your description. Perhaps you’ve never painted on fabric, used alternative fibers, or focused on hand quilting, like sashiko. Maybe multiple layers or embracing wabi sabi, the Japanese concept of celebrating imperfections, is calling you to explore a new path in your craftsmanship. Maybe you have a group of friends willing to join you in the quilting technique founded in the Cook Islands, Tivaevae!
To facilitate this process, we are adding a field to the database this year. We will ask you to provide us with the standard information (title, description, inspiration, insurance value, and your “technical stretch”) but will also ask you for the materials and techniques you utilized in the creation of your piece. What will be presented on the signs accompanying the show will be this second piece of information. The description will not be placed on the signs. We are exploring how to include that information in the interactive part of the exhibit. Our hope is that we will challenge the viewers to interpret our quilts through their own eyes, and perhaps go home and challenge themselves to stretch their own artistic work and traditions!
As always we ask that you stretch yourselves, in the spirit of our challenge.
Literary Allusions - 20 Perspectives
Literary Allusions is an exhibit by the international group of fiber artists, 20 Perspectives. The artists were prompted to take inspiration from literature, poems, or song lyrics and interpret the words or phrases through their own visual or cultural perspectives. Each piece transforms words into vivid expressions of color, form, and texture whether abstract or figurative. Viewers will find that some of the works illustrate the quote while others reflect universal or intensely personal thoughts and meanings. Techniques used include lettering, painting, dyeing and collaging utilizing commercial or hand-dyed fabric.
Myths & Legends - Quilts by Marilyn Belford
I have always had a penchant for the dramatic. Plays such as Medea, music by Beethoven, and paintings like Guernica by Picasso and German expressionism have always been my preferences. Strong colors like reds and yellows make me tingle. It was natural for me to be drawn to the drama and excitement of Mythology, especially of the women of myth, oft misunderstood and hopefully portrayed as powerful in my Myths and Legends series. Starting with the Greek and Roman myths, I became interested in those of other countries, such as Nordic and Mexican.
Marilyn Belford is well known for her realistic fabric portraits and art quilts. She comes to the quilting community after a career in the art world. Her works have been shown at the American Quilters Society show in Paducah , Quilters’ Heritage Celebration in Lancaster, the International Quilt Association International Show in Houston, Texas, the Schweinfurth Museum in Auburn, N.Y., and other museums and shows nationally, winning many awards. Her quilts were on display at the Morris Museum in their 2015 NJ Craft Arts Annual. Most recently, her quilt "The Wrath of Poseidon"was chosen for permanent display at the National Quilt Museum in Peducah, Kentucky. Belford has been teaching at Quilt University since 2003. She has written an article on her method for Chitra Publication’s magazine Quilting Today, has been featured in ARTSmagazine, and has been favorably reviewed in newspapers in New York.
Out of Africa - SAQA Minnesota
What happens when you give a fat quarter of African fabric to Minnesotan textile artists? Incredible diversity. Some look like they came from the continent of the fabric and some look like where the artist resides. All are unique and each is a reflection of the fabric and the one who created it. Can you find the special fabric in each? Pictured: Circling the Nine Patch by Linda Syverson-Guild
Poppy Cherrywood Challenge Bud Collection - Cherrywood Fabrics
Every year, Cherrywood chooses a theme and color palette and presents a challenge to quilters from all over the world. The challenge is to see what you can create using a very limited number of colors and show the beautiful suede look of their hand-dyed fabrics. This year’s theme is “poppy” and the fabrics are a gorgeous collection of eight colors of reds, red-oranges, blue-grays, and greens. Prepare to be captivated as artists push the boundaries, weaving threads, paints, pencils, inks, and beads into a symphony of colors that transcend imagination.
Rumors - SAQA Geogria/South Carolina
Four groups of five artists from SAQA's GA/SC region participated in RUMORS, an exhibit based on the old “Gossip Game”. After receiving an original inspirational photograph, each of the 20 participating artists had one month to create an art quilt. At the end of the month, the artists sent a photo of the quilt they had created to the next person in their group who, in turn, had one month to create a 12” x 12” quilt inspired by that artist’s photograph….and so on…and so on. There were four rounds--20 quilts per group...a total of 80 extraordinary quilts!
Seasons - Quilts on the Wall
“For everything there is a season”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
There are seasons where the weather, sky and landscape change. Seasons of life are experienced by all living creatures. Pelicans migrate south to mate and breed in early spring and the hot summer months are easier to tolerate when you can enjoy a day at the beach. And, before we know it, we have accumulated a lifetime of memories of the events that have shaped us in the seasons of our lives. Pictured: Hot Summer Fun by Janice Willis
Worldwide Threads – Asia - FiberArtists@LooseEnds
FiberArtists@LooseEnds embarked on a voyage of discovery, through the creation of artwork, learning about and illustrating an inspiring global community. The growing interconnectedness of our world allows for a deeper understanding of culture through art and the creative expression of ideas. In this spirit, traditional and contemporary textile techniques were used to communicate regional impressions through color, texture, language, and imagery. This collection of artworks, exploring the essence of Asian art and culture, is the first in a planned series of global art scrolls. The pictured quilt was created by Bunnie Jordan.
And more ...