Before we start, the girlchild would like to let you know that I don’t know anything, so it’s probably a good thing to keep in mind as you read this post.
I am inordinately lucky to have the Visions Art Museum in my neighborhood (if by neighborhood you mean a 30-mile radius, which I do), so I regularly get to see art quilt shows that do travel the world, but might not come to your neighborhood. The newest exhibit there is SAQA’s Art Meets Science, which I saw last weekend. VAM is also showing a selection of Del Thomas’ Collection of art quilts, many of which come from SAQA auctions, so there was plenty to look at during the trip.
I do have the Art Meets Science catalog as well, because I have a special place in my heart (cold as it is, per the girlchild) for science-related quilts. I didn’t enter this show, but I don’t remember why. Surely it was either timing or size, because I have plenty that fit that description. David Fraser was the juror and Jill Jensen the curator. Fraser states that “in choosing the quilts for this exhibition I focused primarily on three qualities: visual strength, technical mastery and an intellectually interesting representation of a scientific idea or process.” Another interesting comment from Fraser was that “banality was a cause for exclusion, as was the gratuitous inclusion of scientific symbols.”
One thing I noticed was that there were many art quilts of cells and cellular structures. These lend themselves to abstract representations quite well. An example is Betty Busby’s Binary Fission or Bonnie Smith’s Human Interferon Divided.
Swine flu and bird flu were represented, showing the effect current events have on what we make.
The other thing I noticed was that I couldn’t tell why some of the quilts were related to science…the 25-word statements were not included in this exhibit. For instance, Daphne Taylor’s Quilt Drawing #12 is about yoga, “an extremely subtle science, one of the body, mind, and soul” (scroll down to see her quilt). Hers is one quilt that I appreciated, but could not make the science connection (perhaps arguing that themed shows are rather useless if the statement is not posted). I should note that I could have brought my book or carried around the notebook at the museum, but I didn’t. Alison Muir’s Blood Falls was another one where I wanted an explanation…the rusty color on an Antarctic glacier is caused by microbial life. The quilt intrigued me anyway, but it would have been nice to have the words there. You can see all the pieces in the show here, on the SAQA page, and also purchase the catalog if you’re interested.
Honestly, the show was OK. There were some interesting quilts and some that didn’t really excite me (although the day jurors make shows just to excite me is probably the day the world ends). I don’t remember how much time was given between announcement and date due for this exhibit; I wonder sometimes if the themes make the exhibit too difficult to make really good, unless we give a year or so to prepare. As a curator of a show announced in early January with the final submissions in May, I guess I will find this out myself. Maybe themes just suck. It makes it easier to market a show, though, and maybe to give it some form.
But here’s the counterpoint…also in the gallery was Del Thomas’ wall of pieces…she presumably picks work she likes with no other qualifications, no theme…obviously size is an issue for her, because I think all of them were 12×12″ (the SAQA auction size), but they were all interesting on some level. You can see some of them here on her blog and here as well (a better shot of the 40 she chose). Maybe the juror is more important than the theme…maybe we need to focus more on general shows that have no theme and pick a really good, discerning juror, rather than try to get as many pieces as possible for a themed show, where some are a stretch? Just a thought.
There were also some square quilts with the theme of Magical Mystery Tour (aka, the Beatles) from my quilt guild. I have to admit to not being very involved in my guild, mostly because the meetings are a night when I have the kids, so unless the speaker is really interesting, I don’t go. I also don’t do challenges, which is what this seemed to be. While I was there, one of the staff members was trying to persuade me to make a piece for their next Text and Texting challenge. Not. Sorry. I can make art (well, obviously, I can’t, because my job gets in the way of my having a semi-normal life) or I can do challenges. Not interested. Too limiting.
Anyway, there is plenty to see and to entertain you…whether you prefer abstracts of the RNA of worms (cool) or closeups of plants (also cool) or Del’s amazing collection, it’s worth a trip.
Kathy Nida 