Nine stunning art quilts were donated to the 2014 Studio Art Quilt Associates Benefit Auction by Connecticut members. Check out these beautiful 12x12 auction quilts created by Normajean Brevik, Debra Bento, Margaret Phillips, Mickey Lawler, Betty Warner, Diane Wright, Clara Nartey, Norma Schlager and Gail Kotowski:
See ALL 375 auction quilts on SAQA's website: http://www.saqa.com/memberArt.php?ID=3152. Bidding starts September 15, 2014 at 2:00pm Eastern Standard time.
"Connecting Threads" is a celebration of Jewish industry and artistry, on display at the Mandell Jewish Community Center's Chase Family Gallery. SAQA-CT artist Phyllis Small is participating in the exhibition and was recently interviewed about the show for the Hartford Courant.
(Photo by Suzanne Carlson)
Excerpt from http://www.ctnow.com/news/connecticut/hartford/hc-west-hartford-mandell-jcc-quilt-show-0730-20140729,0,6188339.story
"One of her pieces is a memory quilt she began when the owner of the kosher Crown Market announced in February that the store would close. “I shop there all the time," Small said. The community atmosphere of the store is beloved by many, she said, adding, "I was just so sorry it might be closing."
Investors have since stepped in and saved the market, but Small finished the quilt, which took about three months from conception to completion. It incorporates the store's logo, images of hot dogs and yellow mustard, and a square cut from one of the store's paper bags that Small treated with acrylic to make it more durable.
Small's other piece is a quilt that was built from blocks stitched by other crafters in a quilters guild that meets in Simsbury once a month. Four times a year, the guild has a "friendship block raffle," in which each member creates a block based on a pattern. Small won one of the raffles and got to keep the completed blue-and white squares, to which she added more blocks to make a completed quilt. Her daughter loved the quilt so much that she used it as her wedding chuppah."It really meant a lot to me that all my friends had donated blocks to that quilt," Small said. "And then when my daughter wanted to use it, it was like another layer of connection to the quilt."
The curated show of 30 pieces by 15 different fabric artists is free and open to the public through August.
The Mandell Jewish Community Center
335 Bloomfield Ave
W. Hartford, CT 06117
http://www.mandelljcc.org/
Congratulations to SAQA-CT artists Clara Nartey, Phyllis Small and Diane Wright whose fiber artwork has been juried into the CT Women Artists National Open Juried Art Show!
Boasting a membership of over 200 artists, Connecticut Women Artists has supported and promoted women in the visual arts for over 80 years. Sparked by the 1929 landmark exhibition of 13 women artists at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CWA has continued to promote annual exhibitions showcasing an array of works including drawings, paintings, sculpture, printmaking, photography, fiber arts, and illustration.
(image: For the Love of Three Oranges by D.Wright)
The show will be on display at the Slater Memorial Museum
Saturday, August 30 - Friday, September 26, 2014
OPENING RECEPTION:
Saturday, September 6, 1-3 pm
The Slater Memorial Museum
108 Crescent Street
Norwich, CT 06360
Congratulations to SAQA-CT fiber artist Sandra Bender Fromson! A solo exhibition of her felted garments is currently on display at the Mattatuck Museum.
See it now! The show runs until August 31, 2014
More about the Artist:
As a child, Sandra Fromson learned the skill and art of sewing from her mother. This life-long interest has evidenced itself in a variety of textile projects, from quilt-making to explorations in fiber.
Last year Fromson began making Butterfly coats and capes. She saw an opportunity to combine her loves of gardening and sewing and created the Pansy Coat and Monet’s Garden vest. Vividly hued both pieces are reversible, each revealing intricately composed passages of mixed colors that move through the fabric in curves and swirls. The amethyst colored Pansy Coat has a crumpled surface that allows hints of pink and gray to appear.
Mattatuck Museum
144 W. Main Street
Waterbury, CT
http://www.mattatuckmuseum.org/changing
Museum Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sundays: 12 noon - 5:00 p.m.
OPEN LATE the first Thursday of the month until 7:30 p.m
Five Fiber Friends was the brainchild of SAQA-CT artist Diane Cadrain, beginning in 2011. Diane recruited 4 fellow fiber artists for a group show at Fairhaven Furniture's River Street Gallery. She worked with Fairhaven's gallery coordinator Kate Paranteau to make the exhibition happen.
When Diane Cadrain, Trish Hodge, Mickey Lawler, Kate Themel and Diane Wright arrived with all their artwork on Friday morning, the gallery room was an overwhelming (but beautiful!) pile of frames and quilts, stacked and draped over every surface.
Luckily for this band of five diverse fiber artists, Kate Paranteau has a gift for putting eclectic pieces of furniture and artwork and together in different combinations to create charming little viewing areas. She calls the process "making up stories".
One by one, the team got all the artwork on the walls, surrounded by beautiful handmade wooden tables, small sculptures, lamps and other furniture. As a result, viewers can easily imagine a piece of fiber art hanging on the walls of their own home.
Aug 1 – Sept 21, 2014
Opening Reception Aug 3 at 2pm
Fairhaven Furniture
72 Blatchley Ave
New Haven, CT 06513
http://www.fairhaven-furniture.com
SAQA-CT fiber artist Kate Themel will lead a 90 minute demonstration at the Windham Textile & History Museum on Saturday August 16 from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Themel will present her raw-edge layering technique using freezer paper to trace, cut, and layer fabric into a fiber art composition. She will also answer questions from the audience as time allows.
Kate's art quilt, “Honey Bee,” is featured in the museum's current exhibition, “Inspiration Quilts: Then and Now,” which runs through September 7.
Windham Textile & History Museum is located at 411 Main Street, Willimantic, CT. Registration is strongly suggested.
The event is called “Building A Picture.” Admission is $10 per person. To register, call 860-456-2178 or email: themillmuseum@gmail.com
(image: Quilting Arts Aug/Sept 2014)
This month's issue of Quilting Arts Magazine features an article about SAQA Connecticut's regional show "Local Color", including images of eight exhibition quilts selected by the magazine.
Artwork by Kate Themel, Ruth Anne Olson, Phyllis Small, Catherine Whall Smith, Barbara McKie, Kendell Storm, Norma Schlager and Diane Wright were hand picked by QA and professionally photographed for the magazine. Each quilt image includes the artist's name, title and statement about the piece.
Several of these quilts will travel to Atlanta, Georgia for Quilting LIVE! at the Sewing & Quilt Expo, September 11 – 13, 2014. http://www.sewingexpo.com/QuiltingLIVE.aspx
Other Highlights in this month's issue of Quilting Arts include:
Order your copy today! You can purchase this issue or subscribe to Quilting Arts Magazine through QA's website: http://www.quiltingdaily.com/blogs/quiltingarts/
Congratulations to Catherine Whall Smith , whose quilt "Transfusion in Two Parts" will be on tour with Quilt National '21. Th...
