I was in San Diego this weekend for the Saturday evening opening reception for four new exhibits at Visions Art Museum and, this morning, a fascinating Power Point presentation by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry (she remarried in January). The four exhibits that are showing from March 1 through May 19th : "Playing with a Full Deck" is in the Del Thomas Gallery, nine quilts from Pacific Art Quilters are in the Valya Gallery, and the alcove has two sets of 12X12 challenge quilts: "Children's Books" are from Canyon Quilters and "Fortune Telling" from the Visions members. The quilts from Pacific Art Quilters and the 12X12 challenge quilts are all for sale - ask at the desk for prices.
I am amazed at how well the quilts have stood up for almost twenty years since the exhibit was first shown in 1995 at the Renwick Gallery in DC - not only the physical quilts which look brand new, but the designs and the techniques used are still current today. After the showing at the Renwick the quilts toured the country under the auspices of the Smithsonian for four years. I saw them first at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles (at a former location). Subsequently the collection was purchased by Nancy and Warren Brakensiek, contemporary quilt collectors from Albuquerque, NM. Now they have donated the 54 quilts, establishing a permanent collection for the
Visions Art Museum.
This is the book that was printed in 1994 to accompany the exhibit as it traveled. It includes images of all the quilts and a short essay about each of the quiltmakers, their techniques and the thoughts that went into their quilt designs. I find it interesting that so many of the techniques used in these quilts are being "discovered" by the emerging art quilters of today. To mention only one: Jean Ray Laury used felt to make her Eight of Spades. All those years ago she had already discovered the practicality of sewing with felt that doesn't require turned edges and absorbs rather than reflects light, thus providing a rich texture to the finished piece. Today wool applique is very popular with quiltmakers and the material has become widely available in quilt shops.
I hope you will be able to made a trip to Visions Art Museum while "Full Deck" is there. You can buy a fresh new copy of the book from the Museum, but it is also available second hand on Amazon.
I am amazed at how well the quilts have stood up for almost twenty years since the exhibit was first shown in 1995 at the Renwick Gallery in DC - not only the physical quilts which look brand new, but the designs and the techniques used are still current today. After the showing at the Renwick the quilts toured the country under the auspices of the Smithsonian for four years. I saw them first at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles (at a former location). Subsequently the collection was purchased by Nancy and Warren Brakensiek, contemporary quilt collectors from Albuquerque, NM. Now they have donated the 54 quilts, establishing a permanent collection for the
Visions Art Museum.
This is the book that was printed in 1994 to accompany the exhibit as it traveled. It includes images of all the quilts and a short essay about each of the quiltmakers, their techniques and the thoughts that went into their quilt designs. I find it interesting that so many of the techniques used in these quilts are being "discovered" by the emerging art quilters of today. To mention only one: Jean Ray Laury used felt to make her Eight of Spades. All those years ago she had already discovered the practicality of sewing with felt that doesn't require turned edges and absorbs rather than reflects light, thus providing a rich texture to the finished piece. Today wool applique is very popular with quiltmakers and the material has become widely available in quilt shops.
I hope you will be able to made a trip to Visions Art Museum while "Full Deck" is there. You can buy a fresh new copy of the book from the Museum, but it is also available second hand on Amazon.
2 comments:
I still have the deck of cards that were manufactured along with this...Hard to believe it has been so long!
No, too far! :-)
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