SAQA
Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc.
art quilt collector
Issue No. 4
Artful relationships This issue is about relationships, from Del Thomas’s support of the artists who created the quilts in her fabulous collection to the trust that develops between collectors, corporate as well as private, and their art consultants. We also bring you several studies on the relationships between the natural world and its interpretations in quilted fabric, admiring how contemporary quilt artists explore nature as we learn about their techniques and processes. Our featured exhibition, Stories of Migration, touches upon the root of “relationships,” friends and relatives left behind in many historic and present-day diasphoric upheavals. From groups forced to leave their homeland to those seeking a better life and greater freedom, new relationships must be formed in a new environment. This timely SAQA exhibition relates to numerous narratives of migration. Finally, I would like to mention Martha Sielman and her relationship to this magazine, which would probably not have existed without her efforts. Thank you, Martha. — Sandra Sider, Acting Editor
Contents Nancy Noyes, art consultant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Del Thomas on collecting contemporary quilts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Artists to watch Regina Benson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Sue Dennis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Pat Durbin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Hsin-Chen Lin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Gallery: Inspired by nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Julia M. Brennan on textile conservation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 SAQA exhibition Stories of Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Collector’s bookshelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Penny McMorris on developing an eye for quilt art . . . . . . . . . . 40
Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development, documentation, and publications. ©2016 Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. SAQA Art Quilt Collector is published quarterly by Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization. Publications Office: P.O. Box 572, Storrs, CT 06268. ISSN 2379-9439 (print) ISSN 2379-9455 (online) Managing Editor: Martha Sielman Designer: Deidre Adams Subscription is $29.95 for four issues. Outside USA: add $12.00 Subscribe online: SAQA.com>Store Cover: Midnight Garden Sue Dennis see story p. 14
A passion for art and a head for business
Nancy Noyes, art consultant by Sandra Sider
Nancy Noyes is head designer for all projects that come to Noyes Art Designs in Denver, Colorado, which has clients across the country. Having customized art designs for health care projects since 1978, she is an expert on what’s current in the art market and what fits with the demographics of her clients. She has a double degree in Art History and Retailing from Ohio State University, contributing to her success at pairing business with her passion for art. In January she spoke with me via telephone, sharing her thoughts about working with corporate collectors.
Creating the base for a four-niche vertical installation of Colorado landscape, Priscilla Robinson, a mixed-media paper and fused-glass artist, has brought the glory of the state’s wildflowers and grasses into the lobby of St. Anthony North Hospital in Denver, Colorado.
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 3
S: Please tell us a bit about yourself. How did you become an art consultant? N: I have been in this business for 37 years, after initially working in retail but learning that it did not appeal to me. My father was an art collector, encouraging my love for art. I began by working for a business doing art shows in 1978, and decided that I could do better on my own. In the early 1980s, I studied the Colorado Art Registry of slides and familiarized myself with artists and their work. Gradually I focused on placing art in health care facilities, and that has been my specialty ever since. S: Are all your corporate clients in the field of health care? N: Yes, indeed. I believe in the constructive healing cycle, focusing on nature in its most balanced state. In my aesthetic philosophy, the appropriate placement of artwork in a corporate setting is as important as the content of the art itself. You won’t find any jarring abstracts in the pieces that I recommend, and the installations usually follow a natural cycle, e.g., a programmatic arrangement of the five basic elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal. S: Are your corporate clients buying art as an investment? If not, what is their purpose?
Fiber artist Carol Ann Waugh created a four-piece installation representing the “Fire” element of Constructive Healing. The meaning of the element is Passion and Excitement, and Waugh’s pieces evoke that sentiment precisely. This work was installed in Great Plains Health in North Platte, Nebraska.
4 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
N: No, not at all. The installations by my design firm provide aesthetic enhancement and a healing environment—a calming effect. In addition, the artwork
results in a productivity boost by workers who enjoy the art. S: Do you work mostly for corporate clients, or do private collectors also use your service? N: Although our projects are mainly for corporate collectors, occasionally we sell to private collectors. For example, someone on one of our art committees might say that she loves the work of a particular artist and can we help her select a piece for her home or business. We’re always happy to help. S: How does an art committee work? N: For a major installation, for example in a hospital, usually a significant amount of funding must be raised. The art committee might consist of a development specialist, a couple of representatives from the hospital, representatives from community groups, and myself. After the committee approves our proposal, we all work together to create special events or other initiatives to acquire sufficient funding. It can be an exciting but drawn-out process. My firm works with the client every step of the way. S: Could you tell us how you make a living as an art consultant? Do you take a commission on each sale? N: Noyes Art Designs takes a split of the proceeds with the artists, finishers, and publishers (when reproductions are used instead of original art). Usually we have a 50/50 split with the finishers, and a 60/40 split with the artists where
the artists receive 60 percent. However, because sculptors have to spend so much money on their materials, we take only a 70/30 split for sculptural projects. S: Do you sell more commissioned art or art purchased from an artist’s studio? N: I would say that approximately 80 percent of our projects involve commissioned work—nearly 400 installations to date—though we do occasionally reserve a piece from an artist’s studio when it really catches our eye. So many of our corporate clients need work designed for specific spaces, in specific sizes. Also, sometimes there are special circumstances, e.g., no yellow in areas frequented by the elderly because so many of them have trouble seeing that color. S: Are there any specific mediums that are more desirable for your health care clients? This magazine concerns contemporary quilt art, and our readers would be especially curious to know about your success with the quilt medium. N: Quilts and other fiber art are very appealing in a caregiving environment because of their nurturing connotations and use of natural materials. However, we do have the problem of having to send these artworks to be treated with a fire retardant, and some clients ask for Plexiglas covers to protect the art. Personally, I would prefer not to create
a barrier between the wonderful texture of these works of art and the viewer. S: Do you assist your artists in determining prices? If so, how? N: Not very often and only if we feel that the price is too high, beyond what the market will bear. We always want to support our artists, and I feel that $350 per square foot is quite reasonable for an original work of art. Of course, if an artist is just starting out with selling work, a price in the neighborhood of $200 per square foot should be okay in most cases. S: Do you ever negotiate with artists concerning their prices, e.g., if a client wishes to buy more than one work from the same artist? N: Never! We have too much respect for the artists to do that. S: Are you looking for new artists? N: We are constantly looking at new work, and artists may use the “Contact” module in our web site to introduce themselves: www.noyesartdesigns.com S: Is there anything else you wish to add? N: Just that artists should consider how much more time they might have for studio work if they used an art consultant. True, there is a split fee with an art consultant. But think about how much more potential income you might have if you were not spending so much studio time in trying to market your art.
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 5
Del Thomas:
Collecting contemporary quilts
by Sandra Sider
W
hen Del Thomas of Placentia, California, purchased her first quilt at a 1985 guild auction, she had no plans to create a contemporary quilt collection. “I bought a small quilt by Judy Mathieson because I loved it,” Del said. “Maybe a year later, I bought another quilt and then another. They say that two’s a pair, three’s a collection.” The Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection has grown to more than 300 quilts, including more than thirty quilts by Ruth B. McDowell and more than a hundred 12-inch x 12-inch quilts purchased from Studio Art Quilt Associates’ (SAQA) annual auctions,
6 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
online auctions by various quilt-related groups, and 12 given to her by the International Twelve by Twelve group. While many of the quilts are by wellknown artists, Del said her collecting is not about acquiring work only by big-name artists. She has clear criteria for her purchases. “First and most important, a quilt must speak to me,” Del said. “I don’t care who made it or the technique used. It just has to speak to my heart. I ask, ‘Could I be happy with this quilt on my wall if it were the only quilt I could own?’” The answer must be a resounding, “Yes!” Several of the quilts in the
collection were made by artists who had never sold a piece until Del purchased one. “I look at everybody’s work, whether the artist never made a quilt before or has sixty years of experience.” What speaks to Del’s heart has changed over time. While she said she’s not attracted to “real far-out” pieces, her purchases have become bolder. “When I first started, I bought more quilts that leaned toward traditional,” she said. “I have always been more attracted to realism; to something I recognize, like trees or birds, though as the years have gone by, I’ve come to appreciate pieces that are more abstract.” Del doesn’t buy
every quilt that speaks to her. That’s where her second criterion comes in. “I have to ask if I can afford it,” she said. “I don’t have unlimited funds.” She strives to get the most for her money. “I appreciate artists who include prices on their websites,” Del said. “When they don’t list prices, it’s so time-consuming to get them from the artists. Some seem reluctant to give prices and I don’t want to bargain.” She finds some of the best opportunities to purchase quilts through online auctions, such as the annual SAQA auction and similar auctions held as fundraisers for organizations, museums, and guilds. Del has one final criterion when buying quilt art: Can she store and transport the quilts easily? “I don’t buy quilts I have to store or ship in crates like paintings,” she said. “That means no quilts on stretchers.” She also avoids those that have a lot of small items sewn or glued to the surface because they are difficult or impossible to roll without damaging the embellishments. “I have one quilt with shells on it,” she said. “One has been broken. Also, as much as I might like a quilt, I can’t have anything that has to hang on the wall all the time.” She stores large quilts in a stack on a bed. Others, she rolls onto what she calls “stuffies” — long tubes about the size of pool noodles that she makes from batting scraps covered with fabric.
Finding quilts to buy When Del began collecting art quilts, she located many by searching magazines. Now she uses the Internet, but she finds that seeing art quilts far left: Middlesex Fells – Late Fall
Ruth B. McDowell 75 x 95 inches,1996 top right: Rose Garden
Jane Sassaman 56 x 56 inches, 2002 bottom right: Ewe Alone
Linda Colsh 26 x 26 inches, 2007 SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 7
at shows is still the best way to find additions to her collection. She especially likes to attend large shows because they have more variety. “When I have time, I browse artists’ websites and blogs,” she said. And she likes sites where work by multiple artists is featured. Del rotates displays of the quilts in her home and is generous in sharing her collection. She loans quilts to museums, does presentations at guild meetings, and posts images and comments on her blog (www.delquilts.blogspot.com) most Sundays. Museums and guilds in southern California, where she has lived since 1957, have especially benefitted from her willingness to share. “Right now, I have a selection of small 12 x12 quilts hanging in my family room and a large Marianne Burr in the hall,” Del said. “I always have a quilt hanging in my bedroom, and my friends enjoy having quilts in their homes once in a while.” She sponsors the large gallery at the Visions Art Gallery in San Diego named in her honor. The Museum has shown several exhibits of quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection during its nine years of existence. Pieces from the collection have been displayed in museums and galleries in Japan and across the United States. Del sometimes travels with the quilts, lecturing and leading exhibition and gallery tours.
Del Thomas as quilt artist
top: Chimney Pots
Elizabeth Barton 39 x 50 inches, 2005 above: Minstrel
Sylvia Einstein 38 x 37 inches, 2004
8 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
Del is a quilt artist as well as a collector. She began quilting at age seven, making doll quilts with her grandmother. “I used to go with my grandmother to the Grange,” Del said. “All the ladies would come and quilt around the frame. And I would pick up things that were dropped and thread needles.” During the late 1970s, her experiments in quiltmaking led Del into quilts as art. Her work has been exhibited and published in several books and magazines. She enjoys trying new techniques and prefers to work with commercial cotton fabric, which she pieces and quilts by machine. Before she began collecting quilts, Del helped organize a local guild, which exposed her to a variety of quilts and introduced her to a diverse group of quiltmakers. She now belongs to five local quilt
Coyote Fence Susan Else 22 x 25 inches, 2001
guilds. “I keep up with what’s going on locally,” Del said. “I like to support the guilds because I think they are important in women’s lives.” Del would like to see traditional quilters and quilt artists talk to each other more. She has presented several programs that show the relationships between the two genres of quiltmaking but hasn’t found many receptive audiences. “I’m a docent at the Visions Art Museum, where people come in and see contemporary quilts for the first time. They can’t believe this art exists. Very, very slowly, I’m seeing more interest in quilts as art among non-quilters. Fiber artists are working hard to get their work into general art shows so more people will see them. That can take a lot of creativity,” she said, remembering a conversation with one artist who displayed her early work at a plumbing-supply store. Others are showing their work in restaurants, coffee shops, banks — any place that will give them space and guarantee that the art is secure.
A glimpse at the collection With more than 200 quilts, it’s impossible for Del to talk about each one. Several of the pieces in her collection are described here. Middlesex Fells – Late Fall, 1996, by Ruth B. McDowell welcomes viewers down a forest path that leads into the blazing color of autumn trees made from commercial plaid fabrics. By positioning monochromatic tree trunks in the middle ground, McDowell defines a scenic panorama.
Jane Sassaman’s Rose Garden, 2002, gives a close-up view into natural forms. Inspired by the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Sassaman translates the oppositions of the narrative into graphic roses and thorns. She uses contrast to create a sense of dimensionality in intertwining stalks. Del owns multiple pieces by Elizabeth Barton, including Chimney Pots, 2005. The images in her quilts are made from her screen-printed and hand-painted fabrics, creating a study of space and depth. Barton says of her cityscapes, “I wish to explore the beauty of everyday environments...to create a sense of place but also reveal the dynamic bones of the scene.” Sylvia Einstein’s Minstrel, 2004, explores what Einstein calls a “dialogue with the material.” She takes advantage of the serendipity that results from fragmenting large-scale commercial prints, letting their patterns suggest the design in a balancing act.
Coyote Fence, 2001, by Susan Else, evokes boundaries, a recurrent theme in her fiber sculptures. Else says of her art, “I treat cloth not as a flat surface but as a flexible skin for three-dimensional objects. I use cloth to create an alternate universe, and the resulting work is full of contradictions. It is whimsical, edgy, mundane, surreal, and engaging, all at once.” Many of these same adjectives could be used to describe Del’s approach to collecting art quilts over four decades. She continues to search for the next piece that will speak to her heart. Even in short blog posts, her enthusiasm for artists and styles new to her is contagious. Add a large dose of generosity in sharing her finds, and you won’t wonder that Del Thomas is a moving force in the world of contemporary quilts. Updated from SAQA Journal, Spring 2013
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 9
artists to watch
Regina Benson Golden, Colorado, U.S.
Constant experimentation characterizes Regina Benson’s body of work. Whether investigating the effects of snow dyeing or devising new structural forms to present her fiber work, she is constantly pushing the boundaries of the art quilt form to find ways to capture the essence of the natural elements that inspire her.
Baltic Seaside 44 x 44 x 4 inches, 2006
Future Ruins 10 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
Installation, 2014
Lithuanian heritage Being born in Lithuania and arriving in this country as a teenager, I brought with me a sharply different worldview and personal experience than the American community in Wisconsin in which I finished growing up. Living as an immigrant, an escapee from political and cultural oppression, brings an ever-present awareness of my current freedoms. It’s one thing to remember your immigrant parents or grandparents and the stories of their journey; it’s quite another to have taken that journey yourself. I have continued to maintain my Lithuanian cultural heritage through language, associations, visits, and art. I have had several large solo shows of my work in Lithuania, am frequently included in anthologies of contemporary Lithuanian/American artists, and I reference Lithuanian landscapes and history directly in my work. In Baltic Seaside, I recall my frequent visits to the windy shores, and in Unearthed I touch on the lasting importance of the Lithuanian language as a living connection to its Sanskrit roots. On a very practical level, my Lithuanian background adds to my artistic voice, extends my reach into European associations, and strengthens my appreciation of a larger social context. Studio Art Quilt Associates remains one of my favorite professional organizations. Through personal networking, conferences, the SAQA Journal, and the specially organized exhibits, I have met a large number of talented people who share in my artistic pursuits. I have created works challenging my comfort levels, and have accessed new audiences for the purchase and appreciation of my work.
Unearthed 44 x 44 x 8 inches 2010
ing, I actually create the individual works in mixed and staggered stages. I don’t compartmentalize my work and only work on a single subject for any period of time — I move across them as I’m inspired. I created many individual works and several installations centering on concepts of erosion, cultural remains, and re-discovered ancestries, both physical and psychological. My village of buildings in Future Ruins and the sculpture Safe Storage are examples.
Earth, Fire, and Water I continue to pursue themes revolving around earth, fire, and water, marrying specific subjects and visual inspirations with a set of surface design and construction techniques that would inform each other. I am looking for a symbiotic relationship between the process by which I create a work and the artistic inspiration I have for it. While individual works, or even a curated collection of them, are frequently exhibited as a cohesive groupSAQA Art Quilt Collector | 11
Safe Storage 102 x 38 x 38 inches, 2016
They are created with cloth that I rusted with found metals and oxides. In pursuing the many facets of fire as I experience them here in the West, I constructed Ablaze III for the Textile Triennial in Poland and the internally lit Burning Monoliths with cloth that was dyed, discharged, and burned directly on the landscape to speak to various aspects of the beauty and danger of wildfires. The natural settings of lakes, rivers, and oceans have been one of my favorite contemplative retreats. I enjoy the experiences and call upon the remembered images of them to calm myself. Lakeside Morning, a work exhibited and sold at Quilt National 2009, reflects on those quiet mornings watching the sun glisten off the water and through the grasses. At my latest solo show in Denver, I exhibited a broad-range exploration of the many ways that water issues play into my current aesthetic and environmental inquiries. Eventide and Low Tide address the contemplative role water has for me. The broader subject of water resources and environmental concerns about its scarcity, quality, and temperature have inspired my works about the degradation of the Colorado River in Dry Spell and the population explosion among the ocean’s jelly fish in Sea Gypsies.
Dimensional work
Burning Monoliths each, 104 x 28 x 14 inches 2014 12 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
For the last few years, I have been creating my work to hang off the wall in convex and concave shapes, to stand on pedestals or the floor, and to hang off the ceiling. One of the first of my dimensional pieces was shown and sold at Quilt National in 2007, Surround Sound, a concave work whose shaping and surface design I envisioned as reflective of sound waves made visible. Even though much of my work hangs fairly flat against the wall, I’m attracted by the possibility of shaping the textile surface so that it extends to a more sculptural posture, sharing the physical space with the viewer. Incorporating a spatial dimension adds drama, enhances alternate perspectives for the entire work, and includes the interplay of shadows to communicate emotionally my intention. I realized some time ago when I decided to shape my work into three dimensions that I needed some engineering skills. I enrolled in Architectural Materials and Industrial Design courses at a local college, where
Low Tide 36 x 46 x 6 inches 2015
I learned about the nature of certain metals, woods, and plastics that I have been able to apply in selecting my current inventory of support structures. I also learned a lot about gravity, weight differentials, and electrostatic energy, all of which helped me understand the challenges and limitations of working in sculptural dimensions with textiles in the size I wanted. I also learned that I had to specifically plan out and draft the final shape of my work well before I started dyeing, discharging, or rusting my fabric! Increasingly my work is traveling internationally, so I continue to explore ways to create work that is economical to ship,
assemble, and disassemble easily by a gallery or museum staff that has never experienced my work.. I remember how excited the curatorial staff was during the 2007 Quilt National when my Surround Sound, a large concave work with hidden internal top and bottom sleeves, was hung against the wall with only two screws. During that show’s opening week, the staff demonstrated many times how easily the work was assembled and hung, always with surprised reactions from the audience. There is still resistance to working with dimensional presentations at some quilt venues because of the perceived limitations of their hanging systems.
In most cases, those can be overcome with some creative tweaks — it takes the vision and will to do it. I’m always happy to help curators and collectors think these challenges through. I enjoy the sketching, the planning, and the decisions about which techniques are best suited to accomplish the envisioned work. I enjoy working alone, absorbed wholly within each step, oblivious to time. The problem solving is challenging, particularly when it comes to engineering a piece so that I can both ship it and create a method for installation easily explained to someone else so the piece can be installed without my presence.
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 13
artists to watch
Sue Dennis Brisbane, Queensland, Australia A life filled with travel has led Sue Dennis to a greater appreciation of how the underlying geology affects the landscape and its flora and fauna. She uses a combination of sun printing, discharge, and leaf rubbing to attempt to capture the natural variations in each place that she visits. The results are a unique type of travelogue and a celebration of the beauty of imperfection.
Latvian/Slovak heritage of textiles My parents met in Australia after World War II. My mother was an orphan, raised by cousins, and her Latvian heritage exposed me to wonderful woven items, blankets, cloth, and braids. My earliest memories are of colorful Slovak embroideries stitched by my father’s relatives: my grandmother and my aunts. As a child, I was excited to have parcels arrive from communist-ruled Czechoslovakia. As I opened
14 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
Seduced by the Imperfect 50 x 22 inches, 2014
them, the heavily embroidered linen tablecloths would dance with vivid red, blue, and yellow traditional satin-stitched floral motifs and cutwork. Although we were far from our extended families, they connected with us through these lovingly stitched textiles. There has always been something about textile traditions and methods that fascinated me. I don’t need to be an expert myself in the art of embroidery or weaving to appreciate the workmanship in finely crafted items. If they are a little rough around the edges, they are still very appealing. That connection with place, people, and events keeps me coming back to textiles, which have hidden stories in their construction. Whether it is something utilitarian or exquisitely crafted for nobility, there is a connection to humanity.
Value of travel Because my husband Bob is a geologist, we’ve traveled extensively to various isolated and remote parts of Australia as well as internationally. I discovered art quilting after enrolling in a six-week patchwork and quilting course when we lived in Mt. Isa, an isolated mining town. I loved it! Not so much the traditional hexagons, but when it came to strip piecing and Seminole designs stitched on the machine, I was hooked. I loved to use bright colors in a time and place when muted colors were more in fashion, so to discover Yvonne Porcella [d. 2016] and her colorful work was wonderful and liberating. I have been a fan ever since and got to meet my idol at the 2009 SAQA conference in Athens, Ohio. Mongolia stands out for me as a place that is not on everyone’s travel itinerary. I lived in the capital of Ulaanbaatar in late 2015 for seven weeks and again in early 2016 for a shorter time during the coldest weather, with minus temperatures colder than a freezer. I met Selenge Tserendash at the Mongolian Quilt Center, which she established to help improve the lives of women and empower them to earn an income through their patchwork and quilted items for sale. I have been volunteering my time, skills, and expertise to help with classes, grant applications, and product development. The opportunity to be the Australian representative at the 2015 China International Patchwork Invitational Tournament and Patchwork Arts Show in
Beijing 2015 was another introduction to a different worldview of patchwork and quilting. Following this show, I was appointed as an Overseas Advisor to the China Fashion and Color Association for a five-year term. However, all this travel leaves little time for being in my studio or creating. It is impossible to carry what is needed to make large quilts when travelling, or sometimes even small pieces. I write a travel diary and SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 15
left: Midnight Garden
39 x 27 inches, 2015 bottom left: Anthills-Study in Gold
32 x 30 inches, 2008
sketch some ideas along the way. My aim is to have a sense of place with the work made from prints and rubbings on the road. The colors, patterns, and textures of other cultures are subtly imprinted on my psyche, and I feel this influence will enter my work in a subconscious way.
Membership in SAQA I don’t know where I’d be without the impact that being a member of SAQA has had! Through SAQA I have had international exposure, exhibition, and teaching opportunities, a wider worldview of the art quilt scene, validation for what I do, and wonderful friendships! I first joined in 2004 and am a Juried Artist Member. I attended my first conference in 2007 as the Oceania Regional Representative, and have since attended the 2009 and 2015 conferences.
Termite mounds and leaves When I was in my phase of making Australian work, trying to tell a story in my own voice, I began pondering how best to represent the termite mounds that dominate the landscape across the drier northern section of Australia. When Joan Schultz came to Australia for a master class, I signed up. The best technique for me from this class was mono printing, and I went on to explore the anthill imagery further through this technique. My husband Bob’s work, looking at rocks and mapping geologic formations in the field, gives me abundant time to observe the natural landscape and the vegetation that varies depending on rock type. I had been working to capture the essence of something intangible in a place — which at the time happened to be the Australian bush and its indomitable landscape. Abstractions of the anthills, simplification of the shape, mystery surrounding these structures, and giving life to these inanimate landscape objects has been an intriguing journey for me. I have discovered a fascination with imperfection in nature, reflected in the insect-eaten and decaying leaves of different species of trees and plants. Seduced by the Imperfect was a 2014 series 16 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
far left: Drift
53 x 22 inches, 2014 left: Wattle Dancing
39 x 16 inches, 2014
that strived to highlight the beauty in imperfection.
Oil paint sticks and leaf-prints These days, with the amount of travel I have been doing, through necessity I have adopted oil paint stick rubbing and leaf printing as my preferred methods of surface design. Hand-dyeing my fabrics started in the 1990’s when I found that commercial fabrics were not fitting into my artistic vision. These days I prefer Jacquard Dye-na-flo or Kraft Kolor Sun Dyes, which I switched to when our water drought imposed
harsh restrictions on Brisbane households. These two products also allow for a heliograph effect (sun printing) in the first layer of my cloth, before the printing and stitching. I like the way that I can plan out how I may want something to look. But when it comes to the actual printing process, because of the foliage chosen or an “Art accident,” serendipity takes over and new discoveries are made. Feeling relaxed and open to discoveries is important, letting the creative brain flow. Not trying to analyze or be too critical has allowed me to make
leaps forward with my work. I enjoy all parts of the quilt-making process, from giving the white cotton cloth color to adding extra surface design, layering with batting, and the final stitches that bring it all to life. Each viewer will see something different in each of my pieces and connect in a very personal way via that person’s own experiences. If you can gain a greater appreciation for the everyday natural world around you and have your eyes opened to what is there, to see and enjoy it, I’m happy to have made a difference. SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 17
artists to watch
Pat Durbin Arcata, California “Celebrate the Earth’s Beauty” could be Pat Durbin’s motto. Using a combination of fabric collage and paint, she translates images of the landscapes around her into stunning art. Dense quilting and masterful thread painting enhance the realism of
Realism
her imagery.
My goal is to make my art as realistic as possible. I know that nothing can capture the awe of a beautiful landscape, but I hope to covey the mood that I feel when gazing upon it. I am inspired by the beauty of creation and am fortunate to live in a gorgeous area of the world where just driving around makes ideas pop into my head. Often when my husband and I travel, we allot time to be able to stop and snap pictures of the scenery we see. I’m fortunate that he enjoys photography—that’s been a great help to me in my art. My methods almost always involve a photograph or a combination of several photos to use as a guide. This approach gives me accuracy in perspective and guides my use of tonal value and color. I’m always on the lookout for a better way to replicate some aspect of my landscapes.
Paint or fabric collage? I commenced my art career by building my pictures solely with fabrics, using the tiny pieces as if they were paint. Painting with a brush came second. I found that I could achieve a certain look or add detail more easily by adding a bit of paint. Later I painted whole scenes. When I find a scene, flower, or person I want to transform into a piece, I analyze how best to achieve the look I am after. Because details are usually easier to make with paint, that weighs in on my decision. It is much faster to paint a picture than to assemble thousands of fabric pieces to build that same picture. However, I love 18 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
left: Sunny Girls
70 x 90 inches, 2005 right: FireFlower
40 x 45 inches, 2011 bottom right: Forest Walk
86 x 67 inches, 2010
the rich texture that the hundreds of different prints lend to a collage quilt. Using paint along with that look can detract from the overall effect. Likewise, a painted image would suffer from too much printed fabric because the continuity would be lost. Sometimes I paint a background, like sky or water, and then cover most of it with fabrics. It’s just a decision on how best to achieve the realistic look I have envisioned.
Creating Forest Walk My husband suggested that we go to a different location to photograph than we’d been to before. We decided on the Arcata Community Forest. I grew up playing among these trees but had not been there in many years. On a pretty day, we discovered a trail with a stairway built in to reach a higher level. The sun was shining through the redwoods down upon the stairs and foliage, including a tall vine. I loved the image. My method involves using a printed picture as a guide to placement, color, and value. I keep referring to it during the entire production process. I started on the quilt in September and began working by laying out a foundation with a piece of lightweight fusible interfacing. As I built the picture, I pressed the pieces to the fusible to secure them temporarily. When I came to the stairway, I decided to use more traditional turned-edge appliquÊ methods and a whole collection of fabrics printed with wood motifs. Some of the stairs had rocky bases, and I found some rocky fabrics to use there. I built the stairs as a unit and then placed it over the area of the assembled surrounding pieces. Once that step was done, I could continue filling in the rest of the background. SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 19
The large vine was an important element to me, and I decided to sketch it and enlarge it for a pattern. Using several bright batik fabrics backed with fusible, I assembled the vine and then lay it over the background of trees and foreground piecing. When satisfied with the picture, I knew that I had a huge task ahead of me to quilt the piece. I decided to use wool batting to minimize the weight of the quilt. I put tables around my sewing table surface to make a large area to support the quilt. The quilt has a layer of black nylon tulle over the whole surface, which I use to blend the colors,
left: Begonia Picotee Lace
41 x 50 inches, 2009 below: Greg’s Gone Fishing
38 x 63 inches, 2007
20 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
and it helps hold down the raw edges of the mosaic areas that might pull away. The quilting began in late November. I use an old traditional Pfaff for my quilting machine. I often use shiny threads to enhance my quilting. My favorite is Superior Trilobal, and I use solids and variegated threads to add some subtle sparkle to the quilting. I will confess that quilting this large piece was a challenge, taking me approximately one month to complete. For the edge treatment, I made a bright green narrow piping with a dark gray/brown woodprinted fabric for the binding. Forest Walk won prizes in Paducah and Houston, was published in several magazines, and was purchased by the National Quilt Museum in Paducah. What fun to see it hanging in the museum!
Typical workday My day starts with a light breakfast and coffee while I do my Bible reading. Then I head to the studio where I start with any business paperwork that needs to be done. Computer work and similar tasks are best done early while my energy is up. Then whatever the current project, I jump into it and lose myself there for a while. When I need a break, I’ll take a walk or maybe do household chores. Then back to work. People ask how many hours I work a day. I don’t keep track of the time, but when I’m excited about what I’m working on, it tends to be a very long day. I do note the day I start a project and the day I finish it, but many times I’m working on more than one piece during those days. Most days, when evening arrives, I put away quilting unless there is handwork waiting. However, the temptation is there to spend a bit more time if I’m in the middle of something exciting — or I might just walk into the studio and ask myself, “How is it coming along?” My favorite way to work is to have one quilt being assembled and another one being quilted. That way I can vary the stress to my body by working on one and then the other. It’s rewarding to hear that people enjoy my art. Sometimes they’ll tell me a scene reminds them of a favorite place they remember, talking about what they enjoy in the composition. That makes me feel like I have communicated the joy I felt while I was viewing the place and working on the piece.
Come Sit With Me 34 x 42 inches, 2015
Cat Tails 37 x 33 inches, 2015
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 21
artists to watch
Hsin-Chen Lin Tainan City, Taiwan
A reverence for Nature inspires Hsin-Chen Lin’s art. Focused on the process of creation, she embraces imperfection in her natural-dyed fabrics and celebrates the time for reflection that quilting by hand imparts. Founder of the Taiwan Art Quilt Society, active quilting teacher, and SAQA’s regional representative for Taiwan, Hsin-Chen devotes much of her time to sharing her love of quilting with others.
left: Flowers Bloom and Fade Away
48 x 24 inches, 2015 top right: My French Impressions II –
Roses in Saint Martin de la Brasque 25 x 25 inches, 2014 bottom right: The Implication of Red
40 x 34 inches, 2015
22 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
Importance of Nature Nature taught me to perceive, to listen and observe with my heart. As we observe nature, we discover that everything has its own innate reason for existence. Every matter has its own natural form. From this natural form we can derive a framework for aesthetics. Pursuing beauty is not my only intention when creating. I try to include current global events or news in my works, like writing a diary. I simply share my viewpoints and the world I see.
Collecting fiber Discovering fiber is an adventure of a lifetime, a joyful journey. In my early years, I was fond of the quality, printing, and texture of commercially produced fabrics. But in the recent years, I have begun to explore rubbing and printing natural textures on unbleached cotton, and working on fabric dyeing in my spare time. I managed to collect a wide range of fabrics, so I have many materials from which to choose. But sometimes it can be difficult to make decisions!
Hand-dyed fabrics My quest for Taiwan natural dyes began in 1998. I searched for coloring agents in local plants, which involved understanding the characteristics of various dyes in berries, branches, leaves, bark, roots, and flowers. One must look back to nature for inspiration. Like trees that endure seasonal changes and harsh environmental conditions, the dyeing practice should learn from nature in order to create work that will ultimately touch viewers with its profound beauty. The signs of imperfection, such as spots and irregular patterns, should be treated as part of nature because they provide a rare opportunity to create work with an organic nature. These organic textures shown in my work represent an unpretentious gesture that honors natural resources.
The creative process I am a lucky person. I can share my life story through creating, and I can share my learning experiences in my class and lectures. As a creator, thinking is a part of my creative process. I consider every detail in my
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 23
works carefully. Without thinking it through, the result might be different from the expectation. I enjoy writing down my sewing process. It is a great opportunity to have a spiritual dialogue with needle, thread, and myself. I do the writing at night. I also make plans for art-related selftaught classes by reading extensively in a variety of areas. Reading is a time-consuming task for me because I have a reading disorder. I cannot spell, and I cannot read an entire page of text. I can only read keywords and make connections between them. After a lot of hard work, I have trained myself to write constantly instead of reading. Images or photos help me to memorize things.
Hand sewing
Far Away From Home 40 x 40 inches, 2015
My French Impressions III — Roadside Daisy in Marseille 25 x 25 inches, 2014
I have six sewing machines for different purposes, but I love hand sewing for several reasons. First of all, I teach in colleges. In the Taiwanese business market for quilting, if I use a certain machine for demonstration, it could possibly cause commercial disputes. Secondly, this island country has its own needlework culture, developed over the course of 400 years. It should be preserved. As Taiwanese, it’s our responsibility to add new values to old techniques. Thirdly, my husband is an architect, and we work together in the same office. Since it’s a quiet working environment, I gave up using sewing machines because they can be noisy. To be honest, I did not fall in love with hand sewing at first. I spent a long time adjusting myself to the slow pace of hand sewing. When a deadline is approaching, it is overwhelmingly stressful. Hand sewing forces the quilt maker to learn time management, to allocate enough time for sewing in a 24-hour period. This slow technique has now become a way of life for me and a tool for holding inner dialogues with myself. There is even a group of hand-sewing afficionados in Taiwan, who grow as they create quilts.
Founder of TAQS In April 2007, I founded the Taiwan Art Quilt Society, a nationwide non-profit organization 24 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
which aims to promote quilt art and cultivate talented quilt makers. In Taiwan, quilting is deeply influenced by Japan. The focus is mainly on making functional items. Before TAQS was founded, art quilts were not seen in Taiwan. So far, TAQS is the only legitimate quilting organization in Taiwan. Our mission is to publish quilt art books, organize workshops, and plan national and international exhibitions. Most importantly, we act as the bridge between the government and quilters. Operating a nonprofit organization with limited funds is very challenging. It would be an impossible mission without the enthusiasm and spirit of our members who help with the programs we carry out and are generous donors.
Regional representative for SAQA Being a member of SAQA, I feel as if I belong to a large family of quilt lovers outside of Taiwan. SAQA provides quilters from around the world a platform to exchange ideas and offers lots of professional development opportunities. I cherish being a member of SAQA, and I hope I can contribute more. Each time I attend the annual conference, I feel like I am coming home. I’m always excited to meet old and new friends.
Story-telling I hope viewers can find stories and relate to my feelings in every stitch of my works. The texture and line of hand sewing is soft and beautiful. Perhaps people might see imperfections in my quilts, but those imperfections are a part of my life story. They depict the moments when I was sewing it, unique and irreplaceable. The purpose of my work is to tell my stories through creative effort. For me, the true value of my quilts is the wisdom I attain while creating them. After the completion of the quilt, all I have is memory and experience, which I wish to share with the world.
The Moving World – Winter 74 x 44 inches, 2012
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 25
photo by Gerhard Heidersberger
gallery inspired by nature
Wen Redmond Trees Singing 48 x 36 inches www.wenredmond.weebly.com
Melani Kane Brewer Wings of Fire 52 x 20 x 1 inches www.melanibrewer.com
26 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
gallery | inspired by nature
Sharon Collins Forestgreen 40 x 18 inches sharoncollinsart.com
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 27
gallery | inspired by nature Susan Brubaker Knapp Fancy Goldfish 16 x 16 inches www.bluemoonriver.com
28 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
18 x 18 inches gunnelhag.blogspot.ca
Barbara Johanna Schneider Line Dance, Tree Ring Patterns, var. 3 60 x 38 inches www.barbaraschneider-artist.com
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 29
gallery | inspired by nature
Gunnel Hag Leaves No. 2
gallery | inspired by nature
Judy B. Dales Enchanted Forest 30 x 33 inches www.judydales.com
Melinda Bula Waratah 38 x 48 inches www.melindabula.com
30 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
gallery | inspired by nature‑
Judith Roderick Cranes in the Chile Field 45 x 33 inches www.judithroderick.com
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 31
Julia M. Brennan talks about
textile conservation by Sandra Sider
32 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
J
ulia M. Brennan has worked in textile conservation since 1985. Her company, Caring For Textiles, founded in 1996, is based in Washington DC: http://www.caringfortextiles.com. She offers a full range of textile treatments, display, installations, storage, and survey work for institutions, historical sites, and private clients. She frequently lectures to historical societies and collector groups on the care and display of textiles and is passionately committed to conservation outreach and the protection of cultural property. In 2008, Brennan initiated an ongoing contract, training a new generation of textile conservators in Thailand, helping to establish the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles in Bangkok. She also helped establish the textile storage facility at the Philadelphia College of Textile’s Goldie Paley Design Center (now The Design Center at Philadelphia University), and in 1989 she received a Getty Research Grant focusing on the analysis of dyes in historic
Thai textiles, as well as treatments for oriental carpets. During her tenure as Assistant Conservator for Exhibitions at the Textile Museum in Washington, Brennan prepared more than thirty exhibits, and was guest curator of a contemporary textile show on Faith Ringgold. She is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation and Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), as well as a member of the Textile Society of America and on the board of The Washington Conservation Guild. She holds a BA in art history from Barnard College and a Masters in art crime from The Association for Research in Crimes Against Art. In February, we spoke via phone for this interview.
S: How did you decide to become a textile conservator? I’m curious because it’s such a specific area within the field of object conservation. B: I was raised in southeast Asia, which encouraged and nurtured my love for textiles and costume. Early in my career I photographed textiles, studied weaving in studios in Germantown, Pennsylvania, and at The Fabric Workshop, and studied art history. But I missed working with my hands. Textile conservation appeals to me because the field combines anthropology, ethnography, art history, and the physicality of objects, plus there’s the human element. Who doesn’t have a favorite textile? They are part of our lives and culture.
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 33
34 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
S: Could you please explain the difference between conservation and restoration of an object? And is conservation the same as preservation?
vintage fabric or a modern reproduction, sewing the new square on top of the old one or even replacing it if necessary.
B: Conservation is the same as preservation, the act of taking care of and being a good steward of a physical object, even of the earth itself. The goal is to stabilize and protect, extending the life without removing any original material. In restoration, the goal is to restore the object as closely as possible to the original, and this level of treatment is sometimes requested by quilt owners. To give you an example relating to quilts, in conservation we might simply stitch a piece of lightweight sheer tulle over a damaged square of fabric; sandwiching it and protecting the original fibers. In restoration, we would try to match the damaged fabric with actual
S: One of the exhibitions on which you worked at The Textile Museum was a solo show of pieces by Faith Ringgold. What was it like to work on her material? B: Her pieces are in amazingly good condition! We did have to do some stitching repairs on the Tibetan-style thangkas, her earliest textile works. Our company has also worked on a collection of African-American quilts owned by the Smithsonian, doing conservation assessments and surface cleaning. As with many quilts, the combination of fragile and mixed-media materials, such as newspaper filling and unstable dyes, prevents more extensive cleaning.
S: Please tell us a little bit about your conservation business. How did it begin? B: While working at the Textile Museum—which I loved, by the way—I decided that for personal reasons I needed a more flexible schedule. I am doing quite a bit of teaching and training in Asia, including aspects of security and storage for textile collections. I’m usually out of the country for four to six months a year. S: Do members of your team have different specialties? Or do you all work together on the projects? B: Well, I oversee everything. Currently our two specialists have expertise in costume, and they both have backgrounds in opera, not fashion. They are especially adept working in three-dimensional textile objects, a difficult area that includes historic costumes. S: What has been the most challenging type of items on which you have worked, and why? B: Flapper dresses! They have what I call “inherent vice” in their construction. All those beads are stitched to thin netting that falls apart as it ages. Restoring one of those dresses takes hundreds of hours of work.
We also had a conservation project for a quilt collection that had been in a fire—not burned but very stained with soot, and they smelled terrible. We also took care of a quilt owned by B.B. King. It’s from the 1930s or 1940s, simple patchwork cotton, but was covered in mold and mildew. We did manage to clean it fairly well. S: Could you tell us what you think some of the problems might be in working with contemporary quilt art? I’m thinking of having to deal with fusible materials, paint, organic embellishments, etc. B: I’m always concerned about fusible materials because they will not hold up over time. We can already see fusibles in 1970s textiles falling apart. Today’s quilt artists should consider stitching or tacking over fused fabrics for better longevity. In addition, quilt art often contains many different combinations of fabric types and dyes, which could cause conservation problems in the future. However, the artist is the artist. And whenever I am asked to conserve or
even install a contemporary quilt, I contact the artist. That dialogue between artist and conservator is important. [Ed. note: It would be a good idea for artists to include basic documentation with each quilt summarizing the exact materials and processes used.] S: Finally, do you have any general advice about storing quilts? B: For large or bulky quilts, which should be folded and stored in a box or chest, please see the video on my website at www.caringfortextiles.com/ our-work-2/articles. Scroll to the bottom for the video. Smaller, thinner quilts can be rolled around a tube that has been covered with acid-free tissue paper, then wrapped in acid-free tissue before storage. S: Anything else to add? B: Just that I’m happy to provide basic advice as “textile therapy” via the telephone: 202-362-1941 or email contact@ caringfortextiles.com. I want to do everything I possibly can to support our textile culture.
S: What have been some of your most challenging quilt projects? B: I would probably have to say crazy quilts. Some of these have been delivered to me all folded up and crusty. Their dried-out condition presents a major problem because we really can’t wet-clean them. These quilts typically have many different types of fabrics, odd and fragile material for the ties, and embroidery thread with dubious dyes.
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 35
Coined in the third century, the term diaspora originates from the Greek word διασπορά, “a scattering or sowing of seeds.” Traditionally the term was limited to the Jewish dispersion. But since the early 1990s, many dictionaries have expanded the definition to include any body of people living outside their traditional homeland. This broader definition reflects the changing magnitude and nature of global migration.
photo by Will Datene
photo by Sibila Savage Photography
SAQA Exhibition
The diverse works displayed in this exhibition demonstrate a range of imagined diaspora communities —some intended as a means to process the trauma of dispersion and/or the migration experience, some romanticizing, to varying degrees, different aspects of the artists’ hybrid identities. The exhibition is the result of the collaboration between Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) and the George Washington University Museum and the Textile Museum.
Gloria S. Daly Detained Denied Displaced
photo by Zenna James
72 x 72 x 1 inches, 2015
36 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
Alice Beasley Blood Line 27 x 192 inches, 2015
Kristin La Flamme Home is Where the Army Sends Us
photo by Ken Sanville
photo by Mark Frey
39 x 17 x 16 inches, 2015
Sara P. Rockinger This Land 72 x 43 x 50 inches, 2015
Susan Else Crossing Points 15 x 47 x 47 inches 2015
Jane E. Dunnewold Receptacles of Memory 15 x 72 x 8 inches, 2015
photo by Marty McGillivray
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 37
t h e co l l e ctor ’s b o o k s h e lf In this issue we’re listing recommendations from readers. If you have titles that you’d like to recommend, please send them to artquiltcollector@saqa.com. Shirley Neary wrote: “I’ve downsized our living space, and my book collection, giving away many studio art quilt books. The remaining favorites are the Quilt National exhibition catalogs (I have most of these, from the beginning), and the Quilt Visions catalogs of which I have only a couple. I like them especially for their historical value, and for viewing the art of course. I also haveWomen, Art, and Society by Whitney Chadwick, a good reference.
Inc. Associates,
22
Portfolio
Quilt Studio Art
The art quilt
sourcebook
It was a textbook from an art history class. Plus, The Art Quilt by Penny McMorris and Michael Kile, (1997) and The Quilt Digest, edited by Kiracofe and Kile, Volumes 1 (1983), and 2 (1984). I admired the authors, and see these books as pieces of recorded history. Penny McMorris had juried an art quilt show, Improvisations ‘96, that I saw in Ohio at the Gallery at Studio B. Her comments were so thoughtful,
Be inspired. Be motivated. Be prepared to be captivated. This beautiful full-color volume is available now. Go to saqa.com to order Portfolio 22, the art quilt sourcebook. 192
Portfolio 22 | Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc.
Mary Ruth Smith
Granite Series: Moonlit Waters
38 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
figurative
photo by Sondra Brady
Waco, Texas, USA 254-296-9495 | mary_ruth_smith@baylor.edu | www.maryruthsmith.com
photo by Kerby C. Smith
Coarsegold, California, USA 559-683-3060 | lura@lura-art.com | www.lura-art.com
44 x 40 inches (112 x 102 cm) | 2014
193
Portfolio 22 | Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc.
Lura Schwarz Smith
conceptual
Portrait Series: Hamburger 15 x 11 inches (38 x 28 cm) | 2015
and she stressed originality and the work ethic. So, when I had the chance to buy The Art Quilt, it was a happy purchase. The Quilt Digests were very rewarding purchases also, at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. I had never seen books quite like them, so I hold on to them.
Jack Walsh wrote: “The Art Quilt by Bob Shaw (Beaux Arts Edition, 1997; ISBN13: 978-0883633250) is my favorite book on the subject of art quilts for several reasons. Because of Bob’s broad experience with creative endeavors and the depth to which
he investigates the subjects about which he writes, I believe his is a unique perspective when he writes about art quilts. “The scope of the book, ranging from history through design and fabrication, provides the reader with a broad understanding of the medium. The clarity of Bob’s writing and the interesting way that he weaves in anecdotal and biographical information about major artists makes the book easy to read and holds the reader’s attention. The size of the book’s pages have made it possible to include illustrations which are large enough in size to do justice to images of art quilts. “I find it a great source to use when sharing my interest with someone who is just becoming acquainted with art quilts.”
“Of course it’s important to support SAQA in the present, but it is equally important to help invest in its future. I am gratified to know that as a Legacy Member, I will be contributing to the long-term success of an organization that has given me so much personally and professionally. Remembering SAQA in your will is something everyone can do. I am just one member of a larger team that is ensuring SAQA’s future.” —Judith Content
Is SAQA in YOUR will? SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 39
Penny McMorris on developing an eye for quilt art by Dana Jones
W
hile collecting art quilts won’t make you rich, it will enrich your life. That’s wisdom from Penny McMorris, Quilt National 2013 juror and vice president of the Electric Quilt Company. Penny, who first became interested in art quilts in the 1960s, has worked with several collectors to help them develop an eye for the best artwork. “I worked with Ardis and Bob James as they selected contemporary quilts to purchase,” Penny said. The Jameses already had an extensive collection of traditional quilts. Their collection became the foundation for the permanent collection of the International Quilt Study Center & Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. Penny has also
consulted with Jack Walsh. Jack decided to focus on collecting art quilts that reference water. When working as an art consultant, Penny said she’s learned successful collecting begins with homework — lots of homework. “The way you develop an eye for quilt art is to see as much as you can,” she said. “When I started working with the Jameses and Jack, I tried to show them as much as possible toward creating a foundation. If you don’t know what has been done, you don’t know what’s a good piece. If you want to be a serious collector, you need to study art quilting with intensity for a long time. You need to get a handle on the work that’s out there, the artists and where art quilting
is going. And you need to read every book on art quilting that you can.” She recommends the following books as a starting point: The Art Quilt by Robert Shaw (Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1998); The Art Quilt by Penny McMorris and Michael Kile (The Quilt Digest, 1996); and Masters: Art Quilts: Major Works by Leading Artists curated by Martha Sielman (Lark Crafts, 2008) and Masters: Art Quilts, Volume 2: Major Works by Leading Artists curated by Martha Sielman (Lark Crafts, 2011). Gaining an understanding of the development and status of art quilting
Lay of the Land II Valerie Goodwin 40 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
54 x 84 inches (triptych), 2009 Collection of Jack Walsh
Describing Rain Rachel Brumer 84 x 127 inches, 2006
takes more work than it once did because there is so much to see now, Penny said. “In the 1980s, art quilting was a tiny little field,” she said. “You could buy every book on quilting that had been published. You could collect all the top artists. You could call the artists and talk with them. Art quilting has now blossomed into a worldwide movement. It’s difficult to know everything that’s happening.” Knowing the field, however, is still possible. It just takes more work and more time. You will find other collectors helpful to your learning process. “While art quilting is a growing field, it is still small in the art world,” she said. “You can know other collectors and can meet the artists. It’s still a very intimate field.”
Starting a collection A first step for a future collector is to figure out what she or he likes. “There’s a difference between liking a piece and knowing it’s good, but learning what you are drawn to is a good place to start,” she said. “Usually people start collecting as decorative collectors. They like fiber art, they have a space for a piece, and they have a color in mind. Some people continue in this direction, which is fine. Others become more serious collectors who want to make more informed choices. Some of the work they were drawn to at first, they get tired of. Their tastes change as they know more about what’s out there. “When you study, you learn there’s a difference between what you like and what is good. You may not like what is good, but you know it’s good.”
Collection of Jack Walsh
A second step for a new collector is to determine her or his parameters for collecting, including such things as budget for purchasing art, space for displaying and storing art, and time to devote to collecting. “Collectors must decide if they will focus their collections,” Penny said. “If budget doesn’t allow you to purchase everything you want, then a focus will help you narrow your choices.” Collectors also should be clear about why they want to collect art quilts. “There are people who just love collecting,” Penny said. “When they get interested in something, they want to get more.”
SAQA Art Quilt Collector | 41
Dawn (Left Illinois for California, April 15, 1859) Anna Von Mertens
International Quilt Study Center & Museum 2010.002.0001
55 x 101 inches, 2007
Knowing they are supporting artists is a draw for many collectors. “They see themselves as patrons of the arts,” Penny said. “They get joy from helping artists. They know how important it is for artists to be collected. Because the whole field of art quilting is emerging, collectors know they can make an impact by supporting the artists.” While collectors in some fields are in it for prestige, Penny said this doesn’t apply to art quilting. “I don’t think anybody buys art quilts for status,” she said. “Art quilt collectors usually are not vying with other collectors to purchase a piece. Instead, they are encouraging each other and sharing what they know. Few art quilts have secondary market value yet. Anyone collecting art quilts for investment purposes will be quite disappointed in their lifetime. Making money on a collection is about supply and demand, and supply
42 | SAQA Art Quilt Collector
and demand doesn’t come into focus unless an artist develops a following, especially if an artist is still making art.” Such is the case for most art quilters.
Collector/artist relationships In Penny’s experience, most collectors value relationships with the artists whose work they purchase. This ties into their role as patrons. “Collectors often want to meet the artists and visit their studios,” Penny said. “For example, Jack Walsh likes to attend their exhibitions. He makes an effort to meet the artists and keep up with their new directions.” Penny said many quilt artists are doing a good job of building and sustaining relationships with collectors, often using social media. “Artists can stay in touch with collectors through the Internet and by emailing newsletters and announcements of exhibitions and new work,”
she said. “Artists really are freelance entrepreneurs. They need to stay in touch with collectors to keep their work fresh in the collectors’ minds. When a collector purchases a piece, the artist should provide any information she or he can about the piece. The artist can pass along exhibition catalogs, information on how to take care of the art, and shipping and handling instructions.” The collector in turn should communicate with the artist, Penny said. “When a piece in a collection is exhibited, a collector should let the artist know so the artist can add it to her or his resume,” she said. “With the Internet, it’s easy to stay in touch.” Penny encourages people to collect art quilts. It’s an exciting time for the field with so much new work emerging. While you won’t get rich collecting art quilts, you will find a wealth of visual stimulation. Dana Jones is a past editor of the SAQA Journal.
In Memoriam Yvonne Porcella (1936-2016) Yvonne founded Studio Art Quilt Associates in 1989 and served as its President from 1989-2000. She inspired generations of quilters with her love of color, passion for creating in fabric, and zest for life.
Yvonne was responsible for pulling me out of the world of traditional quilting and into the world of art quilting when I took a class from her in Houston many years ago. I have a wonderful memory of the two of us skulking around the convention center trying to find a place to burn silk. Much silliness ensued as we hid behind some stacked tables with an exterior door propped open. Her spirit was always at play. We kept up with each other via email. Her light, love, and incredible talent will be sorely missed. I will always cherish the auction quilt of Yvonne’s that I obtained in Portland and her wonderful book. Good-bye, dear friend. I will see you on the other side. — Teri Donovan Springer Most of us can point to someone who gave us a special boost to our art quilt career. Yvonne did that for me. She invited me to be in a show at Great American Gallery (Connell Gallery) called “Americana Enshrined”(1989) in Atlanta. The other artists came, and that is where SAQA started. My deepest condolences to Bob and her family. Yvonne is one of the special ones and I will miss her. — Jane Burch Cochran Yvonne touched thousands of lives. Her art, books, enthusiasm and generosity made such a difference. I love the way she talked about her art with confidence and assurance. A role model in so many ways! She will live on through her influence on the art quilt world and her devotion to SAQA. — Jeanne Marklin Yvonne’s 1981 quilt “Razzle Dazzle” began my art quilt collection 30 years ago, and it still brings a smile each time I see it. She became a friend and mentor. Yvonne’s death saddens me, but not as much as her life inspired us all. — Sandra Sider
I never had the opportunity to meet Yvonne or take a class with her. It was, however, her vision in creating SAQA that has enabled me to meet so many wonderful people and to develop in my own textile art career. Thank you for being the inspiration that you were, and still are, Yvonnne. — Maggi Birchenough What an extraordinary artist and woman! I will miss Yvonne’s generous and creative spirit. We are all indebted to her for her activist work to raise awareness that our quilt medium is art. Her work will live on through all of us. — Linda Gass She died as she lived, with grace, dignity, pizzazz and color. She was such a stellar example of living life to the fullest. There will never be another like Yvonne. RIP extraordinary woman. — Carol Larson We are so grateful for Yvonne’s forward thinking vision to establish our wonderful art quilt community. We will miss you so much. — Nancy Billings Yvonne Porcella was a true visionary for the art quilt. Her work would stand alone as a tremendous legacy, but to leave SAQA as her legacy as well is exceptional. — Dorothy Raymond My mother taught me to sew. I taught myself how to quilt, using the traditional to learn the basic techniques, always with the goal of breaking out of that mold and creating art quilts. I have an incredibly long way to go as I search for my voice, but Yvonne will remain my role model, the best example of generosity, grace, and incredible talent. She will be missed. She is loved, always. — Hilary Clark
detail of Illusion by Yvonne Porcella, 2007
photo by Ken Wagner
Photo Finish
Marianne Burr Thru the Lens 46 x 39 inches, 2012 collection of Del Thomas; purchased at Quilt National 2013 opening