You're invited to a casual lunch and Open Studio Day at our Artist-in-
Residence studio and Great Expectations Creativity Center at our ranch
outside LaGrange, Texas on Friday, February 27, from 1-5.
Virginia Spiegel from Illinois and Carol Moore from Canada will be doing a dual-Artist Residency during February, and I'm hosting a little get-together for quilt
artists who might like to come over, up, or down to meet them.
Virginia and Carol have promised to open their studios to show you just what they are working on and what they've experimented with during their month-long
residency.
Quilt artists will also love the chance to see three special exhibits while
they're in the area: the 2008 Journal Quilts will be on display at our
Creativity Center; the Colorado Valley Quilt Guild will be holding its
annual show at the fairgrounds on the 27th and 28th (with a special exhibit
of Crazy Quilts from our corporate collection); and only 10 miles away in
Round Top, you can enjoy a great art quilt show at the Copper Shade Tree
Gallery.
LaGrange is in Central Texas about 1:30 hours from Houston, 1:10 from
Austin, 1:50 from San Antonio, and I'm not sure about Dallas! It's an easy
drive from three of the major metropolitan areas in the state.
In addition to visiting with Virginia and Carol, seeing what they're working
on, and having a light lunch, you can walk our special Labyrinth of Life and
stroll across our Bridge of Stars handmade by my husband. You can peacefully
ponder the pond and its duck family, watch the hawks soar and glide looking
for dinner, maybe get a glimpse of an early wildflower (saw a bluebonnet
this morning--they don't usually show up till March!), and possibly even
spot a deer or two.
If anyone wants to fly in for the festivities, the Austin airport is closer
than Houston. If you'd like to spend the night, I've got two dorm rooms
that sleep 10 total (under quilts, of course!), plus three nice, new
bathrooms, plus I've got a few sofabeds and some comfy cots. The beds are
up for grabs till we run out!
On Saturday the 28th, I'll come up with a light breakfast--kolaches and
pigs-in-a-blanket, coffee, tea and juice--for anyone who wants to stay over
and perhaps hike, sketch, journal, visit, relax in one of the many rocking
chairs, or just enjoy the beauty of a quiet winter day in the country. And
if any of you would like to demo something you're working on, I know you'd
have an interested audience. Just let me know... But don't count on seeing
Virginia and Carol on Saturday--they leave for the airport at the crack of
dawn!
The art quilt show in Round Top will feature over 90 art quilts that have
been created by 18 fiber artists from the areas of Austin, Houston and San
Antonio. Fiber artists included in the show are Naomi Adams; Kharon Clark;
Connie Fahrion; Pam Farley; Barbara Forrister; Denna Hardin; Leslie Tucker
Jenison; Susan King; Pam Lowe; Vivian Mahlab; Jennifer McGahan; Linda
Teddlie Minton; Nancy Dickey; Barbara Sandberg; Diane Sandlin; Annie Smith;
Jo Sweet; and Martha Tsihlas.
I do need some idea of who's going to come so I can be sure I have enough
food (and beds if anyone wants to stay overnight), so let me know if you
think you'll be able to join us. Then I'll send more information and final
details to those of you who will be here. [E-mail Karey at KareyB(at)quilts.com]
Except for admission to the guild's annual show, there's no charge for
anything...even the overnight accommodations, lunch, or breakfast! Y'all
come!
Karey Bresenhan
Director, Int'l Quilt Festival--Houston, Chicago, and Long Beach
* Note that the big day is FRIDAY. I know this is not ideal for those of you
who work, but Virginia and Carol fly home on Saturday, so this was the only
way to do an Open Studio without their losing a week of their residency
work...and that wasn't fair. So I'm hoping by knowing early enough, some of
you can arrange to take a day of vacation, work longer hours earlier in the
week to "earn" Friday off, or make some other arrangements with your
employer.
