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"Oooh, ahhh, isn't that pretty?" The comments during show-and-tell at my quilt guild's monthly meetings are always nice. However, they are always...nice. I had reached a stage in my work as an art quilter where I needed constructive feedback. I decided to start a critique group.

Getting a group of like-minded quilt artists together was not a problem. I booked the meeting room at the public library for a few hours on an upcoming Saturday afternoon. Then I put out a call via my guild’s email newsletter, which goes out to hundreds of quilters in my county. It simply said,

"Do you make, or want to make, non-traditional quilts? Do frayed pieces and wavy edges interest you? Would you like to have your work critiqued in a positive, supportive way? If so, how about getting together for a few hours of discussion with a group of like-minded art quilters."

In just a few days, I received about a dozen affirmative replies. I asked each of the quilters to bring a finished quilt to show, or an unfinished piece if they wanted to discuss their progress.

That first meeting found a very energized group happy to have found each other, and also happy to find an outlet for their ideas and creativity as quilt artists. That was nearly two years ago. The group has succeeded in ways that I never even thought of when I first put out that call. We have since grown to have a name - Q&A Quilt Art, a logo, and a show calendar. We continue to enjoy the camaraderie and feedback provided by our meetings.

Naturally, our good luck is due mainly to the members themselves. We have quilters at all levels of expertise, varieties of styles, professional and hobbyist. They also bring a variety of "day job" skills to the group. We have never lacked for volunteers to tackle the jobs that come up as the group's interests and needs grew. Designing a brochure, logo, portfolio, and web site were all covered. Disseminating PR materials and notices, searching for venues, planning and executing shows have not been a problem.

Knock on wood - any group "politics" or squabbles have not cursed us. I have not seen the need for bylaws; I've watched too many groups get bogged down by what I personally see as bureaucratic needs.

The worst problem we've had is keeping the noise level down during critiques. Members tend to get so excited when they see each other's work that it is difficult to keep quiet and let the presenter "have the floor". This was brought back on track by reminding members what a critique session should be-in a nutshell, verbalizing what you see in a respectful, nonjudgmental manner.

I have continued to serve as group chairperson. Mainly I see this role as the group's facilitator and catalyst. The chair collects items for the agenda, keeps discussion moving during the meetings, arranges for meeting places, and tracks action items (perhaps giving the volunteer a nudge as needed).

We had to close the group at 23 members. About a dozen tend to come to any one meeting (I think 19 was the most), which makes it difficult to meet in members' houses (our preferred location). We initially had an overseas member, an acquaintance of one of our regular members. I regretfully had to go through a stage of thinning the ranks to retain those that really did participate in the group in person, and not just tune in to my email reports or provide quilts for the shows.

Active members, i.e. those who want to participate in shows, pay a fee of $25 to cover related expenses. (Those interested only in critique do not have to pay.) This has more than covered our needs. In the past year, we've had to pay to reserve only one venue (the others did not charge a fee), to print brochures, and to register the domain name www.QuiltArtists.com (a member gave us space for a sub-domain on her business site at no charge).

What are the negative aspects to running or even belonging to a critique group? Well, time is the first to come to mind - it takes time away from creating art quilts, unless handwork can be done during a meeting. It also may require more time and effort from each active member than a large traditional guild with many more volunteers available.

But the positive aspects certainly outweigh the negative. The feedback on work is invaluable, and seeing others' work hones our own compositional skills. We learn about all sorts of surface design techniques. We gain energy and enthusiasm for what we do. And now, "Ooooh, that looks great!" is just the beginning.

Q&A provides "a forum for quilt artists to share, critique, promote, and exhibit art in the form of original, non-traditional quilts."

Copyright 2003 Eileen Doughty
info@quiltartists.com
www.QuiltArtists.com