Riffe Exhibition Shows How Quiltmakers Have Ties That Bind
by Lacey Luce
The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery presents Give and Take: Education and the Quiltmaker, May 3 through July 8, 2007.
Featuring 35 art quilts from national and international artists, Give and Take celebrates the importance of the teacher-student relationship among artists and the contribution of the Quilt Surface Design Symposium (QSDS), which takes place every June in Columbus, Ohio. QSDS combines the very best instructors in the art quilt medium with students from around the world for two weeks of workshops and lectures. Each artist featured in Give and Take has been an instructor, a student or both at QSDS.
“Our instructors are skilled in their techniques and are known for their ability to communicate sound art principles. They also foster individuality and creativity to enable the creation of a unique and personal quilt,” said Linda Fowler, co-director of Quilt Surface Design International, Ltd.
“In return instructors gain new insights into their own techniques by watching the experimentation of the students and the different ways they approach and extend the skills they are learning. Examining the work in this exhibition, it is obvious that the instructors did not intend for the students to copy their style, but rather apply the basics of their teaching. Very powerful art emerges from the workshops,” said Fowler.
Give and Take is organized by Quilt Surface Design International, Ltd and the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery, Department of Textiles, Clothing & Design, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Featured artists: Heather Allen-Swarttouw, Asheville, N.C.; Sue Benner, Dallas, Texas; Niki Bonnett, Asheville, N.C.; Caryl Bryer-Fallert, Paducah, Ky.; Elizabeth Busch, Glenburn, Maine; Hollis Chatelain, Hillsborough, N.C.; Rosemary Claus-Gray, Doniphan, Mo.; Georgie Cline, Columbus, Ohio; Jane Burch Cochran, Rabbit Hash, Ky.; Nancy Cordry, Federal Way, Wash.; Rosalie Dace, Durban, South Africa; Debra Danko, Grand Blanc, Mich.; Eti David, Ramat-Hasharon, Israel; Dorothy Flynn, Columbus, Ohio; Niza Hoffman, Ramat-Hasharon, Israel; Michael James, Lincoln, Neb.; Cathy Jeffers, Centerville, Ohio; Beth Kennedy, Austin, Texas; Judy Langille, Glen Ridge, N.J.; Denise Linet, Center Harbor, N.H.; Terrie Hancock Mangat, Valdez, N.M.; Therese May, San Jose, Calif.; Jan Myers-Newbury, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Rise Nagin, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Elizabeth Owen, Newcastle, Maine; Leslie Rego, Sun Valley, Idaho; Emily Richardson, Philadelphia, Pa.; Arturo Sandoval, Lexington, Ky.; Sally Sellers, Vancouver, Wash.; Susan Shie, Wooster, Ohio; Ginny Smith, Arlington, Va.; Janet Steadman, Langley, Wash.; Laura Wasilowski, Elgin, Fla.; Barbara Webster, Burnsville, N.C.; and Janet Wildman, Rockville, Md.
The exhibition opens Thursday, May 3 with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. All food and drink for this event is provided by a private donor. On Friday May 4, from noon to 1 p.m., Linda Fowler, co-director of Quilt Surface Design International, Ltd. will conduct a free public tour of the exhibition.
On Sunday, May 6 from 2 – 4 p.m., Riffe Gallery staff will team up with Linda Fowler, co-director of Quilt Surface Design International, Ltd., to host a family workshop where children 5 to 16 will learn how to work with fabric to make a contemporary quilt of their own design. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is required as space is limited. Register online today.
The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery is located on the first floor of the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, 77 S. High St., downtown Columbus.
Gallery hours are Tuesday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Saturday noon – 8 p.m., and Sunday noon – 4 p.m. The gallery is closed on Monday and state holidays. Admission is free.
Visit www.riffegallery.org or call 614/644-9624 for more information.
Image seen here is Twisted Juniper, by Janet Wildman, 2003, machine appliqué and machine free-motion embroidered, 31 x 40". High resolution images, for use by media, are available upon request. Contact Lacey Luce at lacey.luce@oac.state.oh.us or 614/387-5670.
The Riffe Gallery is supported by the Ohio Building Authority. Media sponsors include Alive, CityScene, 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 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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