Report on China Trip at MQA Gathering

 

In the Beijing Airport

   It will be a pleasure to give a PowerPoint presentation about my trip to China at our state-wide MQA workshop gathering in Jackson this weekend. From the 500 pictures that Linda and I took, I have organized them into a slide show to share the quilt exhibit, scenes from Dalian and Beijing, and amazing sights we saw. I've entitled it The Sum of Many Parts: 25 Quiltmakers in 21st-Century America--Martha's Adventure.

     The weather in March was still quite cold (30s-40s) and many buildings had no heat. The students and others kept coats on all the time and we rather enjoyed the temperature. Many buildings had steps or stairways with no guardrails, making us realize how much we enjoy the benefits of handicap accessible laws.
     I will have to be my own tech person and manage the laptop and projector without Linda. Here's hoping she has taught me sufficiently!

Apartment buildings as far as the eye could see

     My Saturday class will be on Ghost Quilting, and I think the students will enjoy learning to use the Neocolor II crayons to extend their focus fabric out into the borders before free-motion quilting.

Another Critter Quilt

Here's another quilt made from the colorful fat quarters of animals, bugs, toys, and polka dots. I arranged these four-patch squares so they would all track on the diagonal, also sashing the blocks and rows with black and white fabric. It's on the floor--sorry I did not put up on the design wall so it would look square!

I enjoyed working with the black and white fabrics so much that I made a small diagonal strippy wall quilt. A little red inner border really gave it a more dramatic look. I've been gathering black/white fabrics but rarely use them for fear there won't be a huge stack of them in my fabric stash. Like a security blanket. I finished the edges with a facing--my favorite finishing method.

More from Santa Fe

This huge buffalo head was on the third floor of the capitol building as part of the Capitol Art Foundation collection of New Mexico art. Holly Hughes constructed it in 1992 as a community-related art project that emphasized recycling and environmental awareness. She said, "The buffalo has inspired art in man since the first cave drawings. For this reason, old paint brushes form the bridge of the nose and film was woven into the brow.  News headlines from the 1992 Superbowl . . . are found in the horns. Pottery shards are worked into the nose, connecting Native Americans to the buffalo through pieces of dried mud. One eye is a lantern, symbol of light, hope, strength. The other eye is a fishing reel, with a horseshoe surrounding it. The buffalo, once as plentiful on the plains as fish in the ocean, were slaughtered by men on horses wearing horseshoes. This piece is a sample of how I enjoy combining materials that are not only the appropriate color and texture, but symbolically relevant to the theme of the piece as well." (Identification label on the wall.)

 Betty Busby's amazing "Nambe Lake" in the SAQA Exhibit at the Capitol

Detail of "Nambe Lake"

 

I just loved these fences made of small logs.

 

Shuttles were provided between the Lodge and the art galleries, St. Francis Cathedral, Loretto Chapel, restaurants, and shops. We had to walk or find other transportation to other points of interest, such as the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, and then find our way to a pick-up point for our shuttle.

 

SAQA Santa Fe "Expanding Horizons" conference

The Lodge at Santa Fe

The Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) four-day conference "Expanding Horizons" in Santa Fe was a great experience. I attended presentations by Patty Hawkins from Estes Park, CO (My Art Odyssey, Taking Twists and Turns), Pat Pauly from Pittsford, NY (Have Venue, Will Install: Mounting Your Exhibition 101), and Melody Randol from Loveland, CO (Color Works!).
     Then there was the "speed dating" event where we each had 90 seconds to introduce ourselves to our table of ten people before moving to another group of ten. At one of the night meetings a silent auction of small art quilts brought in more than $5,000 for SAQA. Leni Wiener (New Rochelle, NY) conducted an Art Quilt Voice Coaching session for four courageous souls who had sent her photos of their work, as the audience listened and learned from her comments. Another session featured Sandra Sider (Bronx, NY) in a Quilt Critique Workshop. A panel discussion (Local Horizons: Art in the City Different) moderated by Katie Pasquini Masopust of Santa Fe featured Betty Busby of Albuquerque and two others, sharing their creations in various formats.


Kris Sazaki, incoming president of SAQA
Works by Terri Mangot, Betty Busby, Katie Pasquni Masopust, Ed Larson

There were many opportunities for meeting and visiting with people I had only met through email and websites and blogs.


Gwyned Trefethen, Martha, Carol Ann Waugh, Michele David

Shuttles ferried us from our hotel to museums, galleries, restaurants, and shopping venues. My favorite trip was to the contemporary fiber art exhibit at the State Capitol Rotunda Gallery entitled "New Mexico" Unfolding" which presented New Mexico SAQA members' work.

In front of Susan Szajer's quilt

Quilt by Cheryl FitzGerald

Aspens at the Lodge

Overlooking the Lodge patio