Congratulations to SAQA CT artists Joan Blade Johnson and Melanie Johnston, whose artwork was juried into the 2013 Quilts for Change exhibition. Melanie and Joan collaborated on a solar-power-themed quilt, on display now at the United Nations building in Geneva, Switzerland. (see image and detail below)
‘Quilt for Change’ is an NGO that uses the American tradition of quilting to raise awareness of global issues affecting women https://www.facebook.com/quiltchallenge
This third exhibition of quilts features 23 masterpieces inspired by the work of the NGO ‘Solar Sister’, a Rhode Island based NGO that promotes women’s economic development through a network of small business selling solar based products in sub-Saharan Africa. http://www.solarsister.org/
Light, Hope, Opportunity:
Empowering Women through Clean Energy
Solar Sisters sell solar-based appliances that provide light and electricity to rural households in pats of Arica without access to ready source of power. These appliances allow women to work from home, children to study longer hours, families to cook with less indoor pollution and associated health problems, and communities to connect with the outside world.
Quilters were asked to create 24 inch x 24 inch quilts highlighting aspects of the Energy Poverty problem and some of the solutions programs such as Solar Sister offer.
Twenty quilters, from the U.S., Canada (including a sixth grade class from British Columbia), and England were chosen in a juried competition for inclusion in this exhibition.
The exhibit opened on June 27, 2013 and will run through August 2013 before returning to the U.S. to tour other quilting venues.
Click here to see a video of the Opening at the United Nations in Geneva: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKgTkkckGrs
