Unpredictable, Diverse and Colorful Quilts Surface At The Riffe Gallery
by Shane Cartmill
The Quilted Surface II: International Contemporary Art Quilts by Quilt Surface Design Symposium Participants will be on view at the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery May 6 through July 18, 2004. The exhibition includes 36 works by artists from the United States and abroad. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, May 6, 2004, from 5–7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Since 1990, the annual Quilt Surface Design Symposium has brought together the very best instructors in the art quilt medium with students from around the world for two weeks of workshops and lectures. The culmination of the experience for several of the students is The Quilted Surface II, an exhibition highlighting the best quilts from the symposium’s participants. Jurors Jill Davis of the Wexner Center for the Arts and Ned Wert, professor emeritus of art at Indiana University of Pennsylvania selected 36 quilts from 182 entries.
The Quilted Surface II is comprised of young artists, mid-life professionals in other disciplines and mature artists who have the time to devote to this labor-intensive method of expression. Artists in the exhibition represent the United States, Australia, Canada, Israel, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. Quilts chosen for this exhibition push beyond the familiar and predictable and represent an advancement of quiltmaking within the art world.
The 2004 Quilt Surface Design Symposium will be offered in four sessions June 12 – 25, 2004 at the University Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus. Information is available at The Quilt Surface Design Symposium web site or 614/297-1585. More than 1700 people have participated in the symposium since its inception.
Two events will be held in conjunction with this exhibition; both are free and open to the public:
On Wednesday, May 12, 2004, from 12 – 1 p.m., Linda Fowler, co-director of Quilt Surface Design International, Ltd., will present free Surface Design & Quilts Slide Presentation & Tour explaining the quilt symposium and the origins of the exhibition. Fowler will discuss contemporary surface design and highlight examples during the tour of the Riffe Gallery.
Kids and Quilts! Family Day at the Riffe Gallery will take place Sunday, May 23, 2004 2 – 4 p.m. Kids and their adult companions are invited to create colorful, crazy cloth collages with artist and Quilt Surface Design International, Ltd. co-director Tracy Stitzlein. Learn the similarities and differences of traditional and contemporary quilt patterns and design your own personal art quilt motif.
The Riffe Gallery will offer free tours Tuesday through Friday throughout the run of the exhibition. To schedule a group tour contact Riffe Gallery Director Mary Gray at mary.gray@oac.state.oh.us or 614/728-2239.
The exhibition is organized by Quilt Surface Design International, Ltd. The Riffe Gallery is supported by Ohio Building Authority. Media sponsors include Alive, Ohio Magazine and Time Warner.
The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery showcases the work of Ohio's artists and curators, exhibitions produced by the Ohio Arts Council’s International Program and the collections of the region’s museums and galleries. The Riffe Gallery’s Education Program seeks to increase public appreciation and understanding of those exhibitions.
The gallery is in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, State and High Streets, Columbus, OH. Gallery hours are Tuesday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 12-8 p.m. and Sunday 12-4 p.m. Closed Monday. Admission is free. Please visit us at www.riffegallery.org. For information or to schedule a tour, call the Riffe Gallery at 614/644-9624.
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.
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Click here to return to the Riffe Gallery and view images of work from The Quilted Surface II.
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