Tere D'Amato of Mashpee, Mass. was awarded 3rd for her quilt “Liberty Day”.
October 19, 2016
Story by Micah Oelze
Courtesy photo submitted
Shafer Art Gallery to host National Quilt Museum exhibit
Unlike painting and drawing, which are quickly associated with art, quilting is associated with warmth and comfort. However, quilting is an incredible form of art and The Shafer Gallery will show the community just that with the amazing quilts featured in its upcoming exhibit.
“The Quilts in the Gallery are from the finest quilt making competition in the country and they are always drop jaw beautiful,” Shafer Art Gallery Director Dave Barnes said.
The National Quilt Museum’s annual traveling show “New Quilts from an Old Favorite” this year is titled “New York Beauty.” The exhibit will be up Oct. 24 through Dec. 9. The Shafer Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is free.
“One of the roles of a museum is not only to preserve the past, but also to link the past to the present and to the future,” Curator of the National Quilt Museum Judy Schwender said. “With that knowledge at heart, The National Quilt Museum holds an annual contest and exhibit called New Quilts from an Old Favorite. Created to acknowledge our quilt making heritage and to recognize innovation, creativity and excellence, the contest challenges today’s quilt makers to interpret a single traditional quilt block in a work of their own design.”
The New York Beauty block offers quilters a freedom from rules that are found in other quilting styles. Common rules such as straight sets, sashing and straight lines are allowed to be broken. Quilters are also freed of using identical quilt blocks. Being restricted can create challenges with creativity but being freed from those restrictions brings a whole new type of challenge.
“Nothing speaks the language of American experience better than the quilt,” Barnes said.
Finalist quilts featured in the exhibit include:
“Exotic Enchantment” by Jean Brueggenjohann of Columbia, Mo.
“Napenthes” by Misty M. Cole of Bonie, Md.
“Liberty Day” by Tere D'Amato of Mashpee, Mass.
“Broadway Beauty” by Mary Kay Davis of Sunnyvale, Calif.
“Be a Part of It!” by Vel Garrick of Vacaville, Calif.
“On Monday, Broadway Goes Dark” by Robin Gausebeck of Rockford, Ill.
“Gotta Dance!” by Cathy Geier of Waukesha, Wis.
“New York Fiesta” by Julia Graber of Brooksville, Miss.
“Spuyten Duyvil” by Patricia Hobbs of Macomb, Ill.
“New York's Beauty” by Linda Hamel Laurie Kelly of Collegeville, Pa.
“Carol” by Hui-Fen Lin of Tainan, Taiwan.
“Ocean Deep” by Toby Lischko of Beaufort, Mo.
“NYB state of Mind” by Sandi Snow of Lutz, Fla.
“Do These Stripes Make My Butt Look Big?” By Sue Turnquist of Tifton, Ga.
“New Mexico Beauty” by Karen Watts of Mayhill, N.M.
“Beautiful Flight of Fancy” by Julie Wells of Cadiz, Ky.
“Diamonds & Pearls... Dresses That Twirl” by Cinzia White of Gerringong, New South Wales Australia.
“New York Clambake 6: Digger's Dozen Too” by Ruth A. White of Ithica, N.Y.
Support for the contest is provided by MODA Fabrics and Janome America, Incorporated.
Quilters wishing to enter future “New Quilts from an Old Favorite” contests can request an entry form by visiting the museum’s website at quiltmuseum.org. Upcoming themes are “Flying Geese” in 2017 and “Bow Tie” in 2018. The National Quilt Museum is a non-profit institution located in downtown Paducah, Ky. and is supported in part by the Kentucky Arts Council.