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Though small in scale the current exhibit of art quilts
at the Museum of York County (Rock Hill, South Carolina) can rightly be called
big for a couple of reasons.
- First, it brings together art by 23 quilt artists from many places:
Australia, Japan, France, the UK, Germany, Canada, and a number of US states.
- A second factor means you get more here than is at first evident: the
show serves as a window on the universality of the art experience. For this
broadening of scope, we must thank the show’s co-curator, Dottie Moore. The
exhibit is a culmination of Moore's documenting-of-stories since 1996 of women
quilt artists over 50.
When I entered the exhibit, though my friend who often
visits art shows with me was not present, I followed our habit and began seeking
"the piece I want to take home." If you're ever in a gallery next to my friend and
me, you'll overhear our teasing: "I know which one you're going to choose..." You'll
understand how much fun we have with our make-believe. But this day Helen wasn't
with me, so alone I began absorbing the rich colors and patterns of quilts in many
sizes, most of them too small to be used on a bed. "There, that one," I said to myself,
and went for a closer look at a large quilt by Yasuko Saito of Tokyo.
My first thought on closer inspection was, it must have
taken her ten years to stitch it. The design pleases not only with its colorfulness,
but also with its intentional asymmetry. Something about the off-kilterness satisfied
me at a deep level, reflecting perhaps my awareness that life itself can never quite
be squared up. The way Saito interrupted the pattern with strips that looked like
rivers cutting through it mystified me, but then who wants a work of art that is
immediately and completely understandable.
As I studied the quilts, I changed my mind many times
about my favorite. Bernie Rowell (Candler, North Carolina) created a "computer
scrap quilt." She actually incorporated discarded computer circuit boards. Sounds
awful, but isn't. The work seems flawless. Rowell is without doubt a stellar designer
and crafter. The beauty of her accomplishment, with its apparent perfection of technique
and color harmony, made me want to visit a showing of just her work.
Judy McDermott of Australia puzzled me. Why did she quilt
the word "love" in big-letter text on a black background outside a bright busy
rectangle? The words affixed to the wall beside the quilt explained: McDermott
takes art projects to inmates at the local "gaol." The time spent with the incarcerated
has made her aware of the pain of separation from loved ones. She titled the work,
"Love Will Nail You to the Cross."
Another Australian artist, Rosemary Penfold, also made
good use of symbolism. Hers is a fascinatingly appealing yet simple work: hand-dyed
silks in the softest beige hues, with small three-dimensional fabric squares falling
from rigid lined-up order. Her quilt, like Saito's, worked for me as a "picture of
reality." Yet, simultaneously it conveyed a sense of peace, due to those gentlest
of textures and colors. Penfold was inspired by the computer studies of George Nees
on "calculated randomness."
Contrary to randomness is the exquisitely lovely quilt
by Marge Edie of Seneca, South Carolina. She completes her design experiments on
the computer before beginning the actual project, and uses commercial fabric, but
the end result is a pastoral harmony that's a lovely confection for the eyes. She
uses a flip-and-sew method, with no topstitching, and says the geometry and symmetry
may be for her "a search for stability and completion."
There are far too many outstanding works in this collection
to spotlight here. All of the crafting is topnotch. Each design is original, of course
— one-of-a-kind. Many of the artists hand-dyed cottons and silks — one used natural
dyes derived from carrots and onionskins. A few of the artists took the art a step
further: incorporated"‘found objects," or combined the quilted piece with other
materials for an "installation."
This show definitely rewards the viewer who takes the
time to really look. The reward derives in great measure from the words beside each
quilt. Thanks to Dottie Moore, we have from each artist a pithy quote. The quotes are
rich — much richer than the standard "artist statement." Such statements, where
artists "explain" their art, often sound stilted or stodgy. Not so with these,
selected by Moore from her inventory of stories.
These words attest to the universality of the joy of creativity: a soul
enriching experience whether you live in France or Tennessee. Careful attention
to these works and words may inspire the viewer to try original design, rather
than working from patterns designed by someone else.
- Canada's Sheila Niles says, "There are no holds barred – no rules that
can’t be broken – all ideas taken seriously.” Her words could serve as motto
for a majority of contemporary artists – of whatever medium
- Kate Cox of the UK says, “I work in a very spontaneous and free way, using
my fabric to create an ‘impression’ of a scene, emotion, or design.” (Her
offering renders an impression of a trip to Egypt.)
- Jacquelyn Noveau of Chapel Hill tells of learning to fly an airplane: "I
learned to depend on myself...and to make life-threatening choices...This prepared
the way for me to experience my creativity, because I had to rely on myself in
that, too."
A quilt by Dottie Moore welcomes the visitor to the exhibit.
It details a tree, nothing dark about the work, but she says it was inspired by the
women whose work is shown here, and further says, "As creative women living in our
second fifty years, we know what is required to walk through dark forests, where
trust is our only guide. Because we have courageously chosen to live our lives by
seeing the endless choices and possibilities available to us, we have learned to
enjoy the dance of change."
Moore's words could be mine, for having seen this show of
23 works of art from many parts of the globe I understand anew how the art
experience parallels our walk through life. As a poet, I find the art-making act
identical to what these quilt artists describe, and totally agree with this
testimony from quilt artist Dena Dale Crain, an American now living in Kenya:
“Making art is a work for which there is not adequate wage, for there is no
compensation to compare with the task itself. The best work comes from the soul,
when it loses awareness of self, and pours out that which is within. I have only
one regret – that it took 50 years to "know" myself.”
©2003 Barbara K. Lawing
www.barbaralawing.com
Barbara Lawing is a freelance editor who assists writers at all skill levels &mdash'
via email, snail mail and phone. 704-875-6112
www.thequiltercommunity.com
"Piecing a Quilt of Life"
Through April 25, 2004
Museum of York County, SC
(20 minutes south of Charlotte, NC)
www.yorkcounty.org
803-329-2121 or 800-866-5200
About the Quilts Shown Above:
Movement # 4, 1998
Yasuko Saito - Nishitokyo-city, Tokyo
Techno Tango Diptych, 2000
Bernie Rowell - Candler, NC
Love Will Nail You to the Cross, 1997 – 1999
Judy McDermott - Thornleigh, New South Wales
Severence, 1995
Rosemary Penfold - Brisbane, Queensland
Persian Fairytales, 1996
Marge Edie - Seneca, SC
Mandala for Meditation, 1998
Sheila Niles - Millarville, Alberta
Egypt, 1997
Kate Cox - London, UK
Dancing with the Winds of Change, 2003
Dottie Moore - Rock Hill, SC
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