October 20-December 31, 2011
PATIENCE TO RAISE THE SUN:
Art Quilts from Haiti & Their Power to Change Women's Lives
L'ARBRE DE VIE Haiti PeaceQuilts
An exhibit of vibrant, poignant and thought-provoking art quilts made by the PeaceQuilts cooperative movement: Haitian women building a better life for themselves and their families by making pieces for sale abroad. For more information on the PeaceQuilts initiative, founded and nurtured by Martha's Vineyard resident Jeanne Staples, visit www.haitipeacequilts.org.
July 14-October 16, 2011
MAINE'S QUILT HERITAGE:
Quilts from the Maine Quilt Documentation Project
Compass Star detail (J Roche collection)
Guest Curators: Cyndi Black & Wendy Reed
A rare opportunity to view beautiful and historic quilts dating from as early as 1804.
This is the sister exhibit to another at the Maine Quilts show at the Augusta Civic Center, July 29-31.
See both to fully appreciate the hidden quilt treasures of the Pine Tree State.
April 14-July 10, 2011
ONE FOOT SQUARE, QUILTED & BOUND
Applique Pictorial (NEQM Permanent Collection)
Guest Curator: Pam Weeks
As we mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, the New England Quilt Museum presents an exhibit of unique quilts, several of which were made for soldiers wounded in that conflict. The exhibit also includes rare and never-before-displayed Civil War artifacts and textiles.
As often happens in historical research, serendipity played a role in the coming together of this collection of quilts, which are constructed with an unusual technique that almost certainly originated in New England. Guest curator Pam Weeks, who collects autograph quilts, was only looking to acquire one with an ancestor’s name on it when she stumbled upon her first block-by-block quilt. As a quilt historian and certified appraiser, Weeks immediately realized that this piece was unusual.
Weeks’ auction quilt was made from silk blocks individually layered, quilted and finish-bound, and only then whip-stitched together: “one foot square, quilted and bound.” Some call this style “potholder quilting.”
Intrigued, Weeks began to research the history of the technique. The first written reference she found was an in 1835 edition of Godey’s Ladies Book. By the time of the Civil War, the method was a popular way for groups of seamstresses to work together to make quilts for injured and recuperating soldiers.
As we mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, the New England Quilt Museum presents an exhibit of unique quilts, several of which were made for soldiers wounded in that conflict. The exhibit also includes rare and never-before-displayed Civil War artifacts and textiles.
As often happens in historical research, serendipity played a role in the coming together of this collection of quilts, which are constructed with an unusual technique that almost certainly originated in New England. Guest curator Pam Weeks, who collects autograph quilts, was only looking to acquire one with an ancestor’s name on it when she stumbled upon her first block-by-block quilt. As a quilt historian and certified appraiser, Weeks immediately realized that this piece was unusual.
Weeks’ auction quilt was made from silk blocks individually layered, quilted and finish-bound, and only then whip-stitched together: “one foot square, quilted and bound.” Some call this style “potholder quilting.”
Intrigued, Weeks began to research the history of the technique. The first written reference she found was an in 1835 edition of Godey’s Ladies Book. By the time of the Civil War, the method was a popular way for groups of seamstresses to work together to make quilts for injured and recuperating soldiers.
January 20-April 9, 2011
NO HOLDS BARRED
Art Quilts from SAQA/New England
CHASM LAKE by Carol Anne Grotrian
Guest Curator: Valarie Poitier
A juried exhibit of recent art quilts by the New England region members of Studio Art Quilt Associates. SAQA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development and documentation.More than fifty members living in six New England states entered pieces for this exhibit at the New England Quilt Museum.
“While we all work in different environments,” says Guest Curator Valarie Poitier, “we all start with the same basic materials: needles, threads, fabric, paint, dye, sewing machines, irons, stamps, found objects, courage and training.”
Although most people are familiar with traditional bed quilts, the art quilt answers a need for more than just warmth in a pleasingly-designed coverlet.In fact, even the definition of “quilt” changes when the art quilter enters this most traditional of fields. For the purposes of this exhibit, artists were constrained by the need to produce a three-layer object consisting of fabric, an inner substrate and a backing. There also had to be stitching holding those three layers together. After that, their imaginations were freed to create using any materials they chose. The result is a diverse and colorful collection of abstract, landscape, portrait and geometric pieces. No Holds Barred will challenge every viewer’s preconceptions about what quilting is all about.
A juried exhibit of recent art quilts by the New England region members of Studio Art Quilt Associates. SAQA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development and documentation.More than fifty members living in six New England states entered pieces for this exhibit at the New England Quilt Museum.
“While we all work in different environments,” says Guest Curator Valarie Poitier, “we all start with the same basic materials: needles, threads, fabric, paint, dye, sewing machines, irons, stamps, found objects, courage and training.”
Although most people are familiar with traditional bed quilts, the art quilt answers a need for more than just warmth in a pleasingly-designed coverlet.In fact, even the definition of “quilt” changes when the art quilter enters this most traditional of fields. For the purposes of this exhibit, artists were constrained by the need to produce a three-layer object consisting of fabric, an inner substrate and a backing. There also had to be stitching holding those three layers together. After that, their imaginations were freed to create using any materials they chose. The result is a diverse and colorful collection of abstract, landscape, portrait and geometric pieces. No Holds Barred will challenge every viewer’s preconceptions about what quilting is all about.
October 21-December 31, 2010
AFRICAN-AMERICAN QUILTS TODAY:
A Celebration of Motherhood, Sisterhood & the Matriarchy
CHURCH LADIES by Michele David
Guest Curator: Dr. Pearlie M. Johnson
African American Quilts Today focuses on the works of four leading quilters: NedRa Bonds, Sonié Ruffin, Sherry Whetstone and Michele David.
Quilts for this exhibition were selected according to four themes: Motherhood and Fertility, Women and Matriarchs, Inspiration and Empowerment, and Ancestral Legacy.
The focus is on the ways in which African American quilters use complex systems of encoded images, symbols, colors and shapes to express issues related to race, class, feminism, identity and empowerment. The quilts also deal with the oral tradition of storytelling, which has origins in Africa. The quilters in this exhibit create fabric art imbued with stories of both personal and historic significance.