MIX chose “Text” as the subject for our 2020 Show. This choice and nearly all the work done on our pieces occurred before Covid-19 became the center of everyone’s life in the spring of 2020. Even without consideration of the impact of the virus, “text” is an interesting choice for a quilt group.
Does the meaning of the text itself receive the major emphasis, or is it more a celebration of various kinds of calligraphy and ways of representing language? And because letters in their curvy, varied, gorgeous shapes do not lend themselves to piecing, what method does each artist choose to get the text into her work?
There is everything from precisely cut out shapes to printed words to hand-lettered bits, showing strong links to each artist’s way of expression.
Enjoy the show!
DISAGREE AGREEABLY by Lynn Anderson
In January 2020, longtime and highly respected PBS journalist Jim Lehrer passed away. He is the inspiration for my 2020 piece. I was reminded of his very pertinent thought....”Disagree Agreeably”. It
seems as though we are impossibly divided, hostile and rancorous over the past several years. However, I am hopeful.
In our recent history, we’ve experienced similar periods of unrest and ultimately became less disagreeable with one another. We’ve experienced the assassination of our president, long and sometimes violent protests over the US involvement in the Vietnam and Iraq wars, continuing civil rights protests , and now protests over policies intended to control a worldwide pandemic. My piece represents the characteristics and behaviors we all possess; I’m optimistic we will remind ourselves of the values we all share and that we will return to a more “agreeable” public discourse.
WE by Kathy Blondell
I was 7 years old the Summer of 1963 when I first heard President Kennedy’s speech and have many inspirational memories of that time.
With all the chaos in the world, these words seem more pertinent than ever. The “WE” is always more important than the me.
THE CITY SPEAKS by Valri Chiappetta
In the fall of 2019, before there were even whispers of Covid-19, my husband and I spent a month in New York City. He wanted to feel a little bit of what it means to live in that amazing place, and I wanted to soak up any bit of art, theater and visual stimulation that I could. We were graced with gorgeous weather, walked 10-14 miles most days and were too in thrall to take any days off. While we made our way around Manhattan and some of the Boroughs, we heard non-stop conversation and saw a great deal of signage and graffiti. “The City Speaks” is an homage to those things we saw and heard - crazy, passionate, humble, amazing and sometimes unexpected, but always vibrant and stimulating.
BROKEN/FRACTURED; HEALING/MENDING by Betty Daggett
While recovering from surgery I had plenty of idle time to think about being physically broken and fractured and the processes of mending and healing. It provoked hours of thinking from within, as well as examination of the craziness outside myself. This work is a visual result of this thought process. “Broken/Fractured; Healing/Mending!” helped me realize how weakened we have become as a collective of people. If we do not find common ground to allow healing and mending to begin we will continue to deteriorate. Cohesion will make us strong!
OPEN THE DOORS OF OUR WORLD by Diane Losli-Britt
The name of my quilt is “Open the doors of our world.” The 13 doors were inspired by photos of beautiful doors around the world. My text is “open the doors of the world” in 17 languages. Opening doors can open hearts and minds to all peoples.
RED STATE BLUE STATE by Annette McFarlane
Red State, Blue State depicts the divisions of our country at this time. I chose to make two quilts with edges that don’t meet, using strong colors, calm and graphic prints and quilting stitches of tornadoes, jagged and straight lines. The words I chose for each piece depict some of the strong ideas of their citizens. I tried not to impose my views and added the purple in the middle in hope we can eventually come closer together.
A JOYFUL NOISE
JOY COMES WITH THE MORNING
JOY IT SEEMS
by Elaine Millar
Starting with a word to inspire my work was an easy task for me. JOY! It sounds like what it is. And what a joy to work on these.
A Joyful Noise is just that. Cut from a single piece of hand dyed cloth, it is quilted with streamers and french knots as well as party baubles. A real celebration!
Joy Comes with the Morning started as a subdued piece with mostly greys and a bit of orange. I simply could not leave it alone. By adding cloth toppings and hand dyed thread and french knots again, I create a sunrise and sun rays galore.
Joy It Seems was my trickster. The text is in the seams. Look closely and you will see a deep blue thread showing you the way.
Find Joy in these small art works and find joy in the everyday.
PLEASE REMOVE BOOTS AND GUNS by Hilde Morin
Text is not my favorite element to incorporate in my quilts but when the majority in our group decided on a TEXT theme I had to go with the flow and include it into my work. The challenge was on!
With weathered billboards, faded facades and mysterious windows, my quilt takes us to an old Western town which has now become a ghost town, a ghost town with a message: “Please Remove Boots and Guns”
