Grand Rapids ArtPrize exhibit

ArtPrize® is a radically open, independently organized international art competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The opportunity to be featured at the Grand Rapids Art Museum is a huge honor. If you are within driving distance of this lovely city, I recommend that you stay a few days to witness the pulsating quality of a city enraptured with art, dance, music, theater and installations for the next three weeks. The weather is glorious this time of year and the city has over 1500 works of art competing for the grand prizes.

Ron Platt, the curator at the Grand Rapids Art Museum started with the theme of Nature/Nurture.

Ron Platt, the curator at the Grand Rapids Art Museum started with the theme of Nature/Nurture.

We returned from our whirlwind tour of Grand Rapids last night about midnight. And let me tell you, 12 hours on the road does not allow enough time to sort out all the feelings I went through this past week. Anticipation, doubt, happiness, pride, gratitude, joy, worry, amazement, confusion, giddiness and uneasiness to name a few.

The folks at the Grand Rapids Art Museum were gracious and welcoming. They invited us to a number of pre-opening events highlighting the work. The exhibit itself made me proud to be counted as one of the 15 artists within. I particularly liked the works by Judith Braun, Parisa Ghaderi, Stephen Dean and Shannon Plumb. Check out the link to see some spectacular work by these artists.

The Grand Rapids Art Museum sits in the center of Grand Rapids, a very lovely city in Michigan.

The Grand Rapids Art Museum sits in the center of Grand Rapids, a very lovely city in Michigan.

My work spanned a long hallway that allowed the five pieces to stand alone and isolated within the space. I have never seen my work in such a spacious museum setting. Some of the pieces looked a bit dwarfed in this setting. Seeing the piece I did in honor of my mother was such a treat. Wish she was here to witness it.

I was nervous when I was introduced to this crowd of lawyers, judges, city administrators and business execs at one of the pre-opening events. Turned out they were all friendly and eager to learn more about my work.

I was nervous when I was introduced to this crowd of lawyers, judges, city administrators and business execs at one of the pre-opening events. Turned out they were all friendly and eager to learn more about my work.

There was a steady stream of visitors pausing to consider my work.  People at the museum said that over 140,000 people visited the museum ArtPrize show last year.

Susquehanna Quilt show debuts in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

I am pleased to be a part of Quilts 20/20 Traditional Works/Contemporary Art at the Susquehanna Art Museum.  The museum is in Harrisburg, Pa. The show will run through August 31. If you are in the area, please stop by to see a great comparison of traditional historic works from the collection of LancasterHistory.org and the Pilgrim Roy collection and contemporary artists.

Pat Pauly has curated an extraordinary show.

My piece, Do the Doodle hangs in front of and is compared to an African American Crazy Patch quilt from the Pilgrim/Roy collection. That beautiful piece to the left on the yellow wall is by Kathleen Loomis, Crazed 8: Incarceration.

Published!

The June/July issue of American Craft Magazine has a feature article about me and my work. When Julie Hanus contacted me about this article back in January of this year she asked "I have exciting news (I hope!): We'd like to do a feature story about you in our June/July issue. Are you interested?"

did the earth shake?

After an in-depth interview by Joyce Lovelace in February I have been holding my breath about the outcome. Joyce posed informed and insightful questions which required careful thought to answer. It went by in such a rush I wasn't sure what I had said. She did a great job and the article is bolstered by many photos of my work. Robert Rausch took photos of me in my studio and made me feel comfortable despite my dread of camera lenses. Thanks Robert, Joyce, Julie and the entire staff of folks at American Craft. I am overwhelmed.

Where are my tap shoes? I need to dance.

Releasing work into the wild

For many years I made quilts, shared them with friends, gave them as gifts or carefully rolled them up and put them under the bed. Then a friend of mine encouraged me to enter a show. It was a leap of faith both scary and intimidating. But the rewards were many. Releasing them into the wild reminds me of how my children grew into independent beings. They take on a life of their own.  I like to imagine a dialog between my art and the viewer. I've always thought it would be fun to install a webcam into a piece to record people's thoughts and reactions. I hope that instead of asking what was she thinking? that the viewer is inspired to ask what does this piece say to me?

Stream of Consequences is currently at the University of Central Missouri Gallery of Art and Design in Warrensburg, Missouri.

Stream of Consequences is currently at the University of Central Missouri Gallery of Art and Design in Warrensburg, Missouri.

Round and Round It Goes is currently traveling with Quilt National 2013.

Round and Round It Goes is currently traveling with Quilt National 2013.

Several of my pieces are traveling. The next best thing to being there is to receive a photo of people actually looking at the art. The picture above was taken at the University of Central Missouri Gallery of Art and Design. The man with the backpack seems to be intrigued by the detail, his feet planted solidly in front of the piece. The other two have their arms folded standing back a bit to give him space? Waiting their turn? or bored? I love that Stream of Consequences is hanging next to Kathy Nida's piece, Wise Choice. The quilts in this show must leave the viewers with lots to think about. Thanks to Annie Helmericks-Louder for sharing this photo.

And what could be better for an artist than to see a pic like the one here of a mother showing a piece to her daughter. Thanks to Lisa Kijak who also has a splendid piece in that show for this pic.

If you see an exhibit snap some pics for the artists. Let us know what a piece meant to you. It energizes our creativity and expands our understanding of the art.

The Earth Stories exhibit will travel into 2017.
Kennedy Gallery at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio  May 23 – September 7, 2015
San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles,  San Jose, CA,  November 6, 2015 – February 28, 2016
Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV, June 25-October 2, 2016
Erie Museum of Art, Erie, NY,  January 20– June 11, 2017

Quilts = Art = Quilts

The Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, NY will open the Quilts=Art=Quilts exhibition this weekend. Quilts=Art=Quilts 2014 is the Schweinfurth Art Center's 34th annual juried quilt exhibition. The Art Center has long recognized the importance of quilts as a visual medium, and has been presenting quilts in an art gallery setting since 1981. View 77 quilts by 73 artists from around the world including Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.  

Memory's Playground, Paula Kovarik, 2014

Memory's Playground, Paula Kovarik, 2014

My piece, Memory's Playground, will be there. This is one of those quilts that needs to be seen close up. It was inspired by that game we play identifying cloud shapes as objects. Then morphed into a study on how the brain categorizes images and connections.  If you are in the Auburn, NY area, take a moment or two to see this wonderful exhibition. And let me know your thoughts on the work!

Memory's Playground, detail

Memory's Playground, detail