Me
with my quilt “Kings Yard Farmers Market” at the Artist as Quiltmaker XVI
exhibit in Oberlin, OH. See the little red dot just below the left corner?
That’s right, it’s sold!
We’re recently visited several
quilt exhibits in Ohio and Kentucky, so I thought I’d share it with you so you
can take a virtual tour. Most of these exhibits are still happening, with the
last ones closing at the end of July, so if you want to take an actual trip,
you can do that.
OBERLIN, OH :
From
left: “T-Formations” by Sara Bearup-Neal, “Sedona #2” by Margaret Anderson,
“Granite Series: Portal” by Lura Schwarz Smith, “Echoes of Important Things” by
Christy Gray, and “Wilted 3” by Georgie Cline.
We went to Oberlin because I had a
piece in the
Artist as Quiltmaker XVI
show. I was excited because it’s the first exhibit I’ve been in that has
produced a catalog! We went for the two receptions where I was able to meet
several of the other quilters.
41 pieces artists from 19 states
were selected from over 400 entries, and Ohio artists were well represented.
Also in the New Union Center for the Arts in the south gallery is the
FAVA Folding Festival,
featuring
origami including some origami quilts by Christiane Betten. The show runs also
goes through July 10 and has the same hours.
The yard in front of the New Union
Center for the Arts has been quilt bombed. Volunteers created and then hung a
few hundred quilt squares on the large oak tree, along the railings, and on the
fence in front of the building.
The knitters also got in the act. All
of the pointy parts of the fence were covered with knitted cozies.
Just down the street at the Oberlin Public Library there are four display
cases with small quilts in them. Their Twisted Logic: Two-Color Miniature
Quilts by
The Twisted Stitchers feature several intricate miniature quilts with
traditional patterns and piecing. This show goes through June 8.
Quilted Narratives by Marty Young, who is an
AQM XVI exhibitor, is a collection of small
art quilts that tell their own stories. The show goes through July 27.
The
Oberlin Public Library is located at 65 S. Main St. in Oberlin. It is open
M-Th 10a-8:30p, F-Sa 10a-6p, and Su 1-5p. If you go, be sure to check out the
enclosed patio area with a lovely wall mosaic.
Down the street the other direction
you can see Text, Line, and Traces by
Tina Cassara, the juror for the AQM XVI
show. Her art is in the Ginko Gallery & Studio through July 27. The gallery
is located at 19 S. Main St. in Oberlin and is open T-Sa 10a-6p and Su noon-5p.
A few blocks away in first floor display the
Oberlin Science case of the Oberlin College Science Center is Marking
Nature: from the dye studio of Sue Copeland Jones who is also a AQM XVI exhibitor. The exhibit will be
up through July 27. The building is located at W. Lorain and Woodland St. in
Oberlin.
TROY, OH :
New Quilts from an Old Favorite is an annual exhibit and
contest held by the National Quilt Museum (in Paducah, KY). The block selected
for 2013 was “Jacob’s Ladder.” Part of the travelling exhibit is at the Troy-Hayner
Cultural Center through June 15.
The
Troy-Hayner Cultural Center is located at 301
West Main Street in Troy. It is open T-Sa 9a-5p, M-Th evenings 7-9p, and Su
from 1-5p. Admission is free.
PADUCAH, KY :
Paducah, KY, is so far west that
it’s almost in Missouri. It’s also known as Quilt City, USA because it is home
to the National Quilt Museum and it is where the American Quilters Society
started. AQS still holds one of their several annual quilt shows in Paducah.
During the second to the last week in April, the town doubles in size. I hear
you have to make motel reservations a year in advance.
As well as being a pilgrimage for
me, we went to Paducah because I had a piece in the Fantastic Fibers exhibit at the Yeiser Art Center, just a few
blocks away from the National Quilt Museum.
We were blown away by the fantastic
fiber pieces in the show. Unfortunately the show has closed, but you can see
all of the 59 entries online on their
website. I felt Ohio was well represented in this show, also.
The
Yeiser Art Center is located at
200 Broadway in the historic Market House, which also house a history museum and
a theater. There are art galleries and restaurants on either side of the
brick-lined streets. It is open T-Sa from 10a-5p when they have a show.
Admission is $5.
Of course we also went to the
National Quilt Museum. They own over 320 quilts and usually only have 50-60 of
them on display at a time. These really are some of the best examples of
quilting in the country, and they own several of the award winning quilts
entered in the annual American Quilter Society shows. Quilts that probably take
years to produce. Most of them are more traditional in style, and many are
quilted by hand. We were in awe of the miniature quilts, and we also enjoyed
the travelling show from the European Patchwork Meeting.
The
National Quilt Museum is
located at 215 Jefferson St. in Paducah. They are open M-Sa from 10a-5p.
Admission is $11.
Paducah is also home to
many fabric stores including Hancock’s of Paducah which has over 30,000 square feet of
almost every fabric imaginable.
