Adventure Quilter

I recently attended the opening of a quilt exhibit in a very nice museum, the Elliott, in Stuart, FL.

The exhibit shows the progression from traditional and utilitarian quilts to art quilts and even includes some pieces that PUSH the definition of quilt.

The exhibit space is pretty large.  Here, you can see about 2/3 of it.

The exhibit runs loosely chronologically from left to right.  These older quilts are either owned by the museum, or submitted by the relatives of the makers.

The large quilt  below was made by the grandmother of Cathy Heeter.  Then, Cathy used it as inspiration for a smaller one, shown at left.

Very cool, right?

Continuing around the room, there were several quilts that bridged the gap between traditional quilts and abstract art.

These three pieces were made by Linda Ludemann and were inspired by pansies.

Then, some representational quilts.  The top trio were made by Michele Sanandajian.  And the bottom five by Luanne Carson.

Gabriele DiTota created a vibrant 3D piece.

I’ll show you more images in the next post, as the quilt story unfolds.  (You’ll even see something fairly controversial.)

This is a very nice exhibit, but it only runs through July 15th.  If you want to see it don’t delay!  Need more reasons to visit? The museum includes a large collection of antique cars and other vehicles and machines.  Plus, it’s RIGHT AT the beach.  There’s something for everyone.

Ellen Lindner

These are the final pieces that make up the “Growth” exhibit, currently on display in Dunedin, FL.  As you can see, the Florida members of SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) are very talented!

This piece by Susan Rienzo was front and center.

Doris Hulse made this piece, which includes references to Alice in Wonderland and other fairy tales.

Gabrile DiTota used little girls dresses as a resist on her work, below right.

The two pieces on the left were made by (top) Gail Cassaday, and (bottom) Leslie Cohen.  You can probably tell that the lower piece references a hurricane.  Something we’re all too familiar with here in Florida.

Gayle Wolfe’s piece, “WAGACA” is shown below.  The title stands for “What goes around comes around.”

The pieces below were made by (top) Kathryn Robinson, (bottom) Regina Dunn, (left) Linda Hoffmeister.

And, finally, these two pieces were made by (L-R) Ellen Nepustil and Barbara Watler.

Actually, looking at my catalog I see that I neglected to get photographs of three more pieces made by these artists: Karol Kusmaul, Maya Schonenberger, Patricia Turner.  My apologies, ladies.

I think you’ll enjoy this exhibit.  Especially since THREE other art quilt exhibits are also on display in this arts center!  Especially delightful is Karol Kusmaul’s “Shirt Tales” exhibit, consisting of 47 fabric portraits.  Karol uses primarily thrift store fabrics, which add a wonderful folksiness.  Here’s a sneak peek.

As you can see, her pieces are hand stitched.

I know the top one is her dad and I believe the bottom left one is, too.  They’re so narrative: personal, yet universal at the same time.

These exhibits will be up all summer, through August 18th.  Find full details here.

Ellen Lindner

Continuing with the great art included in the “Growth” exhibit, these pieces (L-R) were made by Annette Boncek and Marianne Williamson.

The piece on the left, below, is one of my favorites, by Maggie Dillon.  The one on the right was made by Jann Warfield.

(L-R) these 2D pieces were made by Becky Stack, Gretchen Brooks, and Loreen Leedy. The 3D piece in the foreground was sitting on a pedestal and it was made by Annette Boncek.

Here’s a close up view of the inside.

Maya Schonenberger created this lovely piece.

And here’s another Barbara Watler piece, also with heavy stitching.

One of my favorite pieces in the show was this one, by Pam Lowe.

I really like the round shapes against the ripples of vertical hand quilting.

I’ve now shown you all the quilts hanging on the outside perimeter of the room.  But, there’s still more to see!  In the next post, I’ll show you the pieces hanging on the interior partition.

Ellen Lindner
P.S. I’d love it if the artists shown would comment on this post and tell us more about their pieces, (including titles.)

I sure had fun attending the opening reception for “Growth”, in Dunedin, FL.  It was held at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center.  It’s a beautiful facility with TONS of activities.

This is the view as you first step into the gallery.  Impressive, right?  It’s hard to tell in this photo but the walls are a very dark and deep blue-green.

The piece front and center was made by Susan Rienzo. All pieces were made by Florida members of SAQA, and specifically selected for this exhibit by juror Pamela Allen.

Working around the room, these are the first pieces you come to.  Starting top left and going clockwise, they were made by Patricia Turner, Cathy Daffinee Heeter, Susan Lumsden, and Becky Stack.

Artists were asked to interpret the theme of growth in a variety of ways: urban, social, personal, organic, etc.  I think the juror did a great job  including a wide range of pieces.

Starting top left and going clockwise, the pieces below were made by Karol Kusmaul, Patricia Turner, and Suzanne Evenson.

This piece was made by Barbara Watler, and was created entirely by stitching.  (All HAND stitching, I think.)

Check out this detail shot. Amazing, right?

The left piece below was made by Loree Jackson.  The two on the right were made by Bobbi Baugh.

And here’s mine, on the left.  Top to bottom, the two pieces on the right were made by Susanna Hotchkiss and Pamela Morris.

Here I am with my piece Dancing Toward the Sun.

Thus far I’ve only shown you about 1/3 of the pieces in this exhibit.  More to come in future posts.

Ellen Lindner
P.S. I’d love it if the artists shown would comment on this post and tell us more about their pieces, (including titles.)
P.P.S. There’s a lovely catalog for this exhibit, featuring all the pieces.  Purchase info.