SAQA-CT Artists Margaret Phillips, Mary Lachman, Kate Themel and Catherine Whall Smith are 4 of the 50 artists whose trunk show quilts will become part of the Kresge Art Museum’s permanent collection.
(Images: Jackie by M. Phillips; Untitled by M. Lachman, Luka’s Eyes by K. Themel; Hay Bale with Blue String by C. Whall Smith)
This is a Quilt! is SAQA’s second Trunk Show. Curated by Deb Cashatt and Kris Sazaki, it showcases SAQA’s diversity of talent and its mission to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development, and documentation. 268 SAQA artists at every level of their careers answered the invitation to submit a quilt to the Trunk Show, in order to answer the question, “How do we as SAQA members explain what we do –- create quilts -- without people immediately thinking of a nine-patch that goes on your bed?”
Seven trunks, containing 30-50 art quilts, will travel the globe between 2011 and 2013. The pieces are in 12” square white mats with 8" openings, and are presented in clear envelopes with artists’ statements on the back. Some trunks also contain 3D pieces housed in acrylic boxes.
Michael Solomon, formerly of the Solomon Dubnik Gallery in Sacramento, California, chose 50 of the quilts to become part of the permanent collection of the Kresge Art Museum at Michigan State University after the trunks finish traveling.
The SAQA trunk show is a wonderful way for members and non-members alike to view and engage with quilts made using a wide variety of styles, techniques, and fibers. Some regions might want to organize special meetings around the trunk show and invite local quilt groups to view the works. Other regions might want to use the trunk show as the basis for a critique session while still more might consider exhibiting the trunk show in their local libraries or art centers.
Recently, Trunk Show “D” (including Catherine Smith’s and Margaret Phillip’s pieces) was exhibited at the Guilford Art Center.
See all 268 quilts! For more information about the 2011 SAQA Trunk Show visit http://www.saqa.com/about.php?ID=1904
