In putting together our report, we took a look at all the amazing achievements of our membership. We could not be more proud of the artists from Connecticut, as well as those who traveled from other States to attend meetings and share their work with us.
Here are SOME of the events we celebrated in 2011:
- Barbara Barrick McKie exhibited her work several prestigious shows in 2011 including: Objects d’Art: Form and Function in Groton CT, Fiber Revolution: Visual Thoughts in Morristown NJ, Quilt Odyssey in Hershey PA, the International Quilt Festival in Houston TX, American Quilt Society exhibition in Demoines IA, World Quilt and Textile 2011, the Wisconsin Quilt Expo and the Pennsylvania National Quilt Expo.
- Deirdre Abbotts participated in Identity in Fiber in Windsor, CT. She also organized and launched the CT Modern Quilt Guild, and created a blog for the group: http://www.ctmodernquiltguild.com/
- Gail Kotowski participated in Identity in Fiber in Windsor, CT. Gail was one of 8 CT artists who helped a worthy cause by donating a 12x12 quilt to SAQA’s 2011 Benefit Auction.
- Diane Cadrain completed 3 commissioned banners for the United Methodist Church of Hartford. A solo exhibition of Diane’s work was held at Wethersfield Library in Wethersfield, CT. Cadrain was also the only artist from Connecticut accepted into Volusia: Wrapped in Fiber held in Volusia County, CA. Her work was juried into the 100th Exhibition of CT Academy of Fine Arts in Mystic, CT.
- Lisa Corson held regular Open Studio days at her Red Barn studio in Wolcott, CT and taught classes throughout the year. Her work was juried into Art Quilts Lowell: the Sea in Lowell, MA and Quilts=Art=Quilts in Auburn, NY.
- Vivika Hansen DeNegre was featured on a July episode of Quilting Arts TV with Pokey Bolton. Vivika was one of two CT artists accepted into the Brush Gallery’s For the Birds exhibition of fine art. DeNegre launched a new blog and began the Prayer Flag Project which drew participants from over 40 artists from 4 different countries. She participated in both the Killingworth Arts Trail and the Shoreline Arts Trail. In December 2011, Vivika was hired as the new editor of Quilting Arts Magazine.
- Jane Davila taught several on line classes and published Quilting Arts: in Stitches Vol.5. Jane participated in One Hundred Collages for the Virginia Spiegel’s fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
- Carol Eaton completed a commissioned series of work for Sharon Colwell, APRN. The 3 piece installation hangs in the waiting room of Colwell’s office in Stratford, CT. Carol’s work was exhibited in Fiber Harvest in West Hartford CT, Identity in Fiber in Windsor CT, Small Quilts for a Sacred Space in Hartford CT and Identity in Middlefield, CT.
- Karen Loprete exhibited her work at the Left Bank Gallery in Essex, CT. Her work was also accepted into Deep Spaces traveling exhibition. Loprete had a solo exhibition of work at the Funky Monkey Café & Gallery in Cheshire, CT.
- Catherine Whall Smith exhibited her work at the Akus Gallery as well as the Burton Leavitt Theatre, both in Willimantic, CT and Quilts=Art=Quilts in Auburn, NY. Catherine also exhibited work in the MAC Regional All Media Show in Mystic, CT and the Sun-Up Gallery in Westerly, RI. She participated in the Artists Open Studios of Northeast CT. Two of Smith’s quilts were featured in the September/October 2011 issue of Art New England magazine, and was one of 4 artists from CT to have her work selected for permanent collection at the University of Michigan Art Museum.
- Mayann Weinberg exhibited her fiber art in Ver Luminarium at the Gertrude G. White Gallery in Greenwich, CT. Mayann also taught classes at the Brookfield Craft Center (Brookfield, CT).
- Diane Wright’s work was juried into the Poser exhibition in Guilford CT, SAQA’s Deep Spaces traveling exhibition, Art Quilts Lowell: the Sea, Art Quilts at the Whistler and the Brush Gallery’s For the Birds exhibition of fine art in Lowell, MA. Diane also participated in the Shoreline Arts Trail and Open Studios, Double Take: Photo & Fiber, Fiber Harvest, Identity, It’s a Rumor and Gray in Guilford CT and Identity in Fiber in Windsor, CT.
- Martha Wolfe is a former CT resident who currently lives in Florida. She keeps in close contact with her friends in CT and continues to participate in fiber art events here, such as the Double Take: Photo & Fiber exhibition and Identity in Fiber. Her work was accepted into several SAQA exhibitions including Deep Spaces, Sense of Adventure and Beyond Comfort.
- Norma Schlager exhibited her work in Art Quilts Lowell: the Sea in Lowell, MA. She helped a good cause by donating a 12x12 quilt to the 2011 SAQA Benefit Auction.
- Margaret Phillips exhibited her work in Art Quilts at the Whistler in Lowell, MA and in Quilts=Art=Quilts in Auburn, NY where she earned the Award for Machine Workmanship. Margaret was one of 4 artists from CT to have her work selected for permanent collection at the University of Michigan Art Museum.
- Karen Maru was interviewed for a feature article on the World of Threads blog.
- Pat Ferguson held regular classes on Zentangle® and Zen Quilting.
- Liz Alpert Fay exhibited her contemporary hooked rug art in On Higher Ground at the Guilford Art Center in Guilford CT and Beyond Rugs! at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, ME; at both exhibitions Liz gave a lecture about the evolution of hooked rugs. She co-curates an annual juried show called "Pushing the Limits: New Expressions in Hooked Art”.
- Mary Lachman gave a hands-on quilting demonstration during the Opening Reception of the CT Fiber Arts Collective: IDENTITY exhibition. Mary also created a blog for the CT Fiber Arts Collective. Mary was one of 4 artists from CT to have her work selected for permanent collection at the University of Michigan Art Museum.
- Carolyn Cooney exhibited her fiber artwork in Quilts=Art=Quilts in Auburn, NY.
- Toni Torres exhibited her fiber art in Identity at the Levi Coe Library in Middlefield CT and Small Quilts for a Sacred Space in Hartford, CT.
- Jennifer O’Brien organized a multi-national invitational exhibition of fiber art Quilts Inspired by Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. The show premiered in Kagoshima, Japan.
- Martha Sielman presented her lecture 40 Masters of Art Quilts at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX. She continues to edit and review books on fiber art and serves as the Executive Director of SAQA Inc.
- Cher Hurney exhibited her fiber art in Identity at the Levi Coe Library in Middlefield CT and Small Quilts for a Sacred Space in Hartford.
- Muriel Stockdale-Grabe continues to travel with her collection of fiber art flags E Pluribus. Some of Muriel’s work was chosen for the multi-purpose community space at Charlotte’s Place in Manhattan, NY. One of the flags was displayed in Continuum: Gender Identities in Ridgefield, CT.
- Rosalind Spann exhibited her fiber art in Identity at the Levi Coe Library in Middlefield CT, Small Quilts for a Sacred Space in Hartford CT and Fiber Harvest in West Hartford, CT.
- Debbie Bein is a dual-State member from NY who participates in CT Regional meetings and events. Debbie had her work juried into Quilts=Art=Quilts in Auburn NY, Form Not Function in New Albany IN, Deep Spaces traveling exhibition, Fiber Plus in Yonkers NY and Quilted Expressions in Columbus, OH.
- Carine Greene exhibited her fiber art in Identity with the CT Fiber Arts Collective at the Levi Coe Library in Middlefield CT.
- Ruth Anne Olson exhibited her work in several exhibitions in Guilford, CT including Double Take: Photo & Fiber, It’s a Rumor and Gray. Ruth Anne also participated in Identity in Fiber in Windsor, CT.
- Kate Themel was accepted into Quilt National ’11, where she won the Young Emerging Artist Award as well as the People’s Choice Award. Kate also exhibited work in Sacred Threads in Herndon VA, Fiber Revolution: Visual Thoughts in Morristown NJ, Art Bazaar Gallery in NYC, A Show of Heads in Hudson NY and a solo exhibition in Cheshire, CT. Themel’s quilt “Dandelion” was featured in Machine Quilting Unlimited Magazine, September issue.
- Carol Vinick exhibited her fiber art in Identity at the Levi Coe Library in Middlefield CT, Small Quilts for a Sacred Space in Hartford CT, Fiber Harvest in West Hartford CT and Identity in Fiber at the Windsor Art Center in Windsor, CT.
- Linda Zimmerman was interviewed for a feature article on Jungle Red Writers blog. Linda taught children’s art classes at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT and exhibited her work with Sisters in Cloth in Double Take: Photo & Fiber.
- Identity in Fiber at the Windsor Art Center (Windsor, CT) featured work by the following SAQA-CT members: Deirdre Abbotts, Debbie Bein, Debbie Bento, Sally Brown, Vivika DeNegre, Carol Eaton, Gail Kotowski, Eileen Lauterborn, Karen Loprete, Jutta Halpin, Carol Ludington, Barbara McKie, Ruth Anne Olson, Kate Themel, Carol Vinick, Martha Wolfe and Diane Wright
- Exhibitions of fiber art by Sisters in Cloth featured fiber artwork by SAQA-CT members Barbara C. Adams, Debra Bento, Vivika Hansen DeNegre, Yvette Howard, Gail Kotowski, Carol Ludington, Ruth Anne Olson, Linda Sexton-Patrick, Martha Wolfe, Diane Wright and Linda Zimmerman. The Double-Take: Photo & Fiber collection was exhibited at CT Hospice in Branford, the Guilford Public Library and Yale’s Haskins Gallery. Other exhibitions by the Sisters in 2011 include Gray and It’s a Rumor.
- CT Fiber Arts Collective (including SAQA-CT members Mary Lachman, Diane Cadrain, Carol Eaton, Rosalind Spann, Toni Torres, Cher Hurney, Karen Loprete, Diane Wright, Carol Vinick and Carine Greene) held their first group show, Small Quilts for a Sacred Space at the Unitarian Society of Hartford. They continued with 2 more exhibitions in 2011: Fiber Harvest, and Identity. Member Mary Lachman maintains a blog for the group: http://ctfac.blogspot.com/
Please continue to send us your fiber art news, including exhibitions, classes, publications and anything else you’d like to share with the group.
Thank you ALL for making 2011 such a wonderful year for SAQA!
Sincerely,
Kate Themel & Diane Wright
Your SAQA-CT Reps
