Quilt National... A report - Part 1

Above: Early morning at The Dairy Barn, Athens, Ohio.

It took me a week to get over my trip to Athens, Ohio. What a weekend! I enjoyed meeting so many talented people during the SAQA conference and the Quilt National opening reception.

Here is my mini-photo essay of some of the artists and their pieces, a few snapshots taken during the preview at Quilt National 2009.

Above: The entrance area, featuring the Kathleen Loomis piece, Memorial Day (winner of the Quilts Japan prize). To the right, Anne Smith's work - Calon Lân - chosen as Best of Show.

Kathleen Loomis's artist statement:

"As of Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, there were 4,083 U.S. military dead in Iraq. Here is a flag for each of them".

Above: Susan Krueger and her wonderful piece, Swallowing Roses, winner of the Cathy Rasmussen Emerging Artist Award.

Susan's artist statement is also a winner:

This piece is about falling for various societal myths regarding Power, Fame, Beauty, Luck, and Money--the things we wish for. Notice the tiny images from Mexican lottery cards, women celebrities from the entertainment section, and fruit from seed catalogs. I could get all "feministy" on you and talk about the pressures to undermine women psychologically and politically but, suffice it to say, swallowing roses involves lots of physical and emotional training.

Above: Australian artist Ruth De Vos and her wonderful eucalyptus piece.

Above: Canadian artist Anna Hergert and her gorgeous work, Summer Day at the Lake: Dawn to Dusk. This piece glowed.

Above: Beth Carney, from Yonkers, deals gracefully with the paparazzi.

Above: Jane Lloyd, from Northern Ireland, whose work I have admired for years.

Above: Marianne Burr and Paula Chung, two West Coast artists with very big grins, checking out the exhibition catalogue.

Here is another snap of the exhibition space, once the people started circulating. Many of the artists knew each other and the ambiance was very warm. First-time exhibitors wasted no time in getting to know each other and had a great time!

And here's a shot of my work, Tunicates #1... It was a thrill to see it in the show.

If you live within driving distance of Ohio, I invite you to go see the show. The countryside near Athens is beautiful, with lovely rolling hills of hardwoods. It's a nice drive to this quaint university town... If you can't make it to the show, you can get the Quilt National 2009 catalogue. It's not the same as seeing the exhibition, though.