Virginia A. Spiegel

The premier issue of Fiber Art Now is out and features a two-page spread about Sightlines. Featured artists includes Pat Owoc, Sue Dennis, and Leni Levenson Wiener.  The Sightlines exhibit is sponsored by Studio Art Quilt Associates.

I’m always happy to see Sightlines in the news as I chose the artists for this exhibit. Fourteen artists were invited to create an installation of artworks featuring a sightline linking all the artwork in the exhibit.  Each artist chose her own themes and created five to eight artworks, including four 8×8″ linking pieces, covering a ten foot wide space. Perhaps the required continuous line provided provocation, both conscious and unconscious, to the artists to focus on time, personal history, and memory.

Sightlines is available for booking and is currently scheduled as follows:
Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, Louisiana, Dec. 2, 2011 – Feb. 25, 2012
Morris Museum, Morristown, New Jersey, April 26 – August 12, 2012
Everhart Museum, Scranton, Pennsylvania, September 27 – December 31, 2012
Grants Pass Museum of Art, Grants Pass, Oregon, May 28 – July 26, 2013

More information and the catalog (beautiful and unique) are here.

The very unique and wonderful Sightlines exhibit will be shown at International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati this week.  Based on an exhibit design by tACTile group, the exhibit features fourteen artists who each made five to eight artworks spanning ten feet. Each artist’s work includes four small linking pieces and a line runs throughout all the artwork in the exhibit. I was honored to choose the fourteen artists for Sightlines.

Whether you are going to IQF or not, I can highly recommend the catalog.  The publication of this catalog was supported by a generous donation from Herb Anhaltzer, “in memory of Mary Anhaltzer, who wanted to put art quilts on the map.”   In 1999, Mary opened “Thirteen Moons Gallery, the first and only gallery in Sante Fe (and quite possibly the country) to focus on the hot “new” medium of the art quilt.”

Each artist has a four-page spread with an image of her complete installation, detail image, artist statement, and artist bio. The artists include: Britta Ankenbauer, Regina Benson, Shelley Brenner Baird, Yael David-Cohen, Linda Colsh, Sue Dennis, Anne Helmericks-Louder, Fulvia Luciano, Wendy Lugg, Kathy Nida, Pat Owoc, Mirjam Pet-Jacobs, Jayne Willoughby Scott and Leni Levenson Wiener.

There is also a foldout section that shows the entire Sightlines exhibit in a linear format – really a fantastic addition to the catalog.

I emphasize in my curator’s statement that I didn’t want artists who conceived of the sightline as a gimmick, but rather those who would be able to subsume it under a larger philosophical statement.  The artists succeeded beyond my wildest hopes.  Check out the catalog, designed by Deidre Adams, here on the Studio Art Quilt Associates’ website or buy it at the SAQA table at International Quilt Festival.

My book will be at IQF thanks to Cathy Neri of Quilting Books Unlimited.  Quilting Books Unlimited will be in booths 727/729.  Cathy will have Wild at the Edges for a special show price of $20.  That’s less than you can buy it on Blurb and way less if you take into consideration that there is no shipping.  So stop by and see Cathy at Quilting Books Unlimited during IQF.

International Quilt Festival – Houston
November 4-7, 2010

It’s the Olympics of the quilt world with over 50,000 people attending each year. I’m honored to have my artwork showing in these exhibits:

1. Studio Art Quilt Associates’ Creative Force 2010
Supported by a National Endowment for the Arts grant.

Boundary Waters 50
Photo by Deidre Adams
Catalog available from the SAQA Store

2. Beneath The Surface –  Juried Invitational

Boundary Waters 52 (Knowing)
Photo by Deidre Adams
Catalog available.

3. 500 Art Quilts – Featuring artwork from the book 500 Art Quilts

Boundary Waters 21 from the Collection of Carol J. Moore

4.  Eye of the Quilter:  Inspiration – A photography exhibit with the theme of reflections.

This is a sister photo to the one accepted to the exhibit.

5.  Sightlines

I happily served as juror for Sightlines and was honored to choose the fourteen artists.  Each artist was invited to create an installation of artworks featuring a sightline linking all the artwork in the exhibit.  Each artist chose her own themes and created five to eight artworks, including four 8×8″ linking pieces, covering a ten foot wide space. Perhaps the required continuous line provided provocation, both conscious and unconscious, to the artists to focus on time, personal history, and memory.

Hardcover catalog with six-page gatefold showcasing the exhibit as it will be shown is available.

Please note that Clairan Ferrano is the Managing Curator of the exhibit.  The tACTile group of Australia introduced this concept to SAQA with an exhibit entitled eyeline.

It’s not very often that you can say a catalog in the art quilt world is actually unusual, but this one is. The Sightlines’ exhibit catalog is 64 pages, hardcover, with 6-page gatefold that opens in the center showcasing the ENTIRE exhibit as it will be shown on exhibit.  The catalog was designed by Deidre Adams with all photography by Gregory Case.  The catalog is available from the Studio Art Quilt Associates’ store here.

The exhibit will be premiering at International Quilt Festival in Houston this week.  You can preview and purchase the artwork here.

The publication of this catalog was supported by a generous donation from Herb Anhaltzer, “in memory of Mary Anhaltzer, who wanted to put art quilts on the map.”   In 1999, Mary opened “Thirteen Moons Gallery, the first and only gallery in Sante Fe (and quite possibly the country) to focus on the hot “new” medium of the art quilt.”

Each artist has a four-page spread with an image of their installation, detail image, artist statement, and artist bio.   The artists include:

Britta Ankenbauer
Regina Benson
Shelley Brenner Baird
Yael David-Cohen
Linda Colsh
Sue Dennis
Anne Helmericks-Louder
Fulvia Luciano
Wendy Lugg
Kathy Nida
Pat Owoc
Mirjam Pet-Jacobs
Jayne Willoughby Scott
Leni Levenson Wiener

There is also a curator’s introduction by me, the person who was lucky enough to be chosen to invite the artists.  I emphasize in my statement that I didn’t want artists who conceived of the sightline as a gimmick, but rather those who would be able to subsume it under a larger philosophical statement.  The artists succeeded beyond my wildest hopes.

The exhibit itself is unique in that each of fourteen artists created a complete installation of five to eight artworks to fill a ten-foot space with only one inch between artworks.  Each installation is linked to the next by two eight inch squares before and after the main artworks.  All the artwork have a line, literal or implied running through them  It sounds confusing, but here is Pat Owoc’s installation:

I am pleased to announce the invited SAQA artists for A Sense of Direction: Sightlines.  It was a difficult decision with 166 Requests For Consideration received, but it was also a complete joy to spend time with so much remarkable artwork.

The fourteen artists are:

Britta Ankenbauer
Regina Benson
Shelley Brenner Baird
Yael David- Cohen
Linda Colsh
Sue Dennis
Anne Helmericks-Louder
Fulvia Luciano
Wendy Lugg
Kathy Nida
Pat Owoc
Mirjam Pet-Jacobs
Jayne Willoughby Scott
Leni Wiener

The most important task of a curator, I believe, is to have a vision for a particular exhibit.  My vision for Sightlines is an exhibit that transcends any thoughts of the continuous sightline as a “gimmick” and instead focuses on the sightline as a unique invitation to a conversation between and among the artists.  The conversation will also include viewers who will engage with each artwork in turn and then follow the thread of conversation through the exhibit.

I looked at every jpeg, blog and website three times before making any decisions.  I took a quick glance upon submission, then studied all Requests twice with several days between each complete survey.  I then made a shortlist of 40 artists I wanted to consider for invitation.  I looked at their Requests and artwork two additional times, leaving several days between surveys so my eye would be fresh.

The Sightlines artwork will be created without me or, probably at this point, the artist knowing what it will look like.  I wanted art that would undoubtedly be powerful at its premier in the distant date of November 2011 and continue to be so as it toured.  This requires art that is About Something.  Not necessarily something momentous or earthshaking, but it has to be about something that motivates the artist to create artwork that is of the highest standards both in its materiality and its meaning.

The best conversationalists bring to the table knowledge, wit, passion, maturity, and a point of view. So, too, do the invited artists to the Sightlines exhibition. It should be quite a conversation.

It was an extremely strong pool of artists and I thank each artist who submitted a Request.  I also thank Peg Keeney for her mentorship and the exhibition committee for the opportunity to serve SAQA as curator for this unique exhibit.

Note about Sightlines:  This innovative exhibit will feature 14 invited artists who will create five to eight artworks on the theme of their choice. There are specific specs for some of the artworks, but each artist will have a ten foot wide by 7 foot high panel for his/her artwork. It is an innovative concept inspired by this exhibition by tACTile, an Australian group of textile artists.

The exhibition premiers at International Quilt Festival in Houston in 2011 and travels to the International Quilt Festivals in Chicago and Long Beach. A Sense of Direction: Sightlines will also be available for travel; visit the SAQA website for more information if you would like this innovative exhibit to be shown at your venue.