Eye Contact

In 2019 I sent a piece to be a part of  "Eye Contact: creating a connection" curated by Barbara Hollinger, as a special exhibit at the Sacred Threads Quilts exhibit. Barbara wrote, 

"In a time where politics, race, and religion divide us, a personal connection to those around us is hard to establish. We walk through the world with our heads down focused on daily tasks and distractions. . . . Lift up your head, gaze into someone's eyes, and make a connection." 

The exhibit consisted of 249 pieces measuring 5" x 23" and traveled to ten more venues between 2019 and 2022 before being returned to their makers. Barbara also prepared and sent a lovely bookmark showing a variety of pieces along with her statement describing the exhibit.

The quilts were suspended from wires at some venues

With Libby Williamson (her awesome eyes are right above her hand)

Some venues displayed on square towers 
I found my eyes here, second from bottom 

I was glad my donated Caladium Leaves sold in the SAQA 2022 online auction. 

AQS Show in Des Moines

Linda and I had a great time on our quick trip to the AQS quilt show in Des Moines last week. This was her first entry and attendance at a national show and was so easy to navigate with smaller crowds (than Houston or Paducah). We spent two nights and had delightful weather, smooth flights, excellent rooms and food. 

Linda Ginn with her quilt "One Day at a Time: 2021 Temperatures
in Hattiesburg, Mississippi"

Here are a few of my favorites. Enlarge to read titles and makers' names. 

"The Long Goodbye" by Lea McComas

Enlarge to see--quilting stitches say One For Me on black/red,
One For You on black/white

I recently reconnected (in a SAQA webinar) with my first quilting teacher, Maureen Grigsby, who had moved away from Hattiesburg about 37 years ago. When she learned we were going to be in Des Moines, she drove up from Missouri to visit with us. What a wonderful time we had! My blue/purple hair attracted quite a few "I like your hair" comments, and we ran into some more adventuresome people and had fun getting pictures together. 

Maureen Grigsby and me

I wish I knew their names!

One more 

The SAQA Wide Horizons global exhibit was there also. It is so rewarding to get to see some of these amazing works in person that I have seen online and in the SAQA journal. 

AQS Quilt Show and SAQA Exhibit

     It's been several years since I attended a large national quilt show. Daughter Linda Ginn has a quilt juried into the AQS show in DesMoines this week and we are going! We are looking forward to her first big show--to enter/be accepted and also to attend. Linda's quilt is a unique interpretation of a temperature quilt with the detailed description and method she used to create it printed on a large label on the back. I'm pretty proud of her! 

      Another exciting reason for going is that my very first quilting teacher from back in about 1983, Maureen Grigsby, is meeting us there. We reconnected through a SAQA event recently, and she is traveling from the St. Louis area to see us. 

The story on the back of the quilt

Linda with One Day at a Time: 2021 Temperatures
in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

     Last week I had the unique opportunity to see the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) 3D Expression exhibit when it traveled to the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel, just 30 miles from my home. Susan Lenz gave an artist talk and charmed and enlightened the audience with her description of SAQA's definition of an art quilt: "a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure." This helped explain some of the unusual and interesting pieces in the exhibit. I make it a practice to identify the artists when I post pictures; I apologize that I do not have all of these identified.

With Susan Lenz and Kristen Zohn, curator

Susan Lenz's quilt Saint Anastasia

Ginger Jar by Betty Busby

Detail of large piece in next picture

Groupers

Coat by Marijke van Welzen

Speaking of SAQA, what a neat surprise I got when I opened my latest journal--to see a picture of my cat quilt The Conversation pictured along with two pages of cat quilts.

The Conversation (top left)
Tarbaby, Rahrah, Elizabeth

More Good Things in August

The South Mississippi Art Association juried exhibition opened this week at the Lucile Parker Gallery at William Carey University. My Caladium won one of the six Honorable Mention awards. It's a beautiful and impressive show, open Tuesdays-Thursdays, 1:00-4:00 p.m., Aug. 23-Sept. 22, 2022.

The Downey Gallery at my church (University Baptist) is between shows, and I was invited to display some of my stitched flowers and fish fabric collages to add a little color during the interim. It is always a pleasure to get to share my work.