Moving on. Yes. I’m still pissed. And sad. And frustrated. No, I still don’t know if my quilt will go to the two remaining AQS QuiltWeek shows in Chattanooga and Des Moines.
The thing is, I’ve been censored before for stuff that’s actually THERE, but not hallucinations. That’s what makes this even more frustrating. It’s just not there.
But I officially start the new school year today, so my life is no longer my own (really, it never is…but it feels more so during the summer). And I still have a major quilt to finish fairly soon (no penises in that one, although there are two males…and two uteri). I spent most of the weekend cutting out Wonder Under…
I’m about 7 1/2 hours in. I was convinced last night that I only had one more yard to cut out (of about 8, I think there were 8)…I was wrong…
Two yards. So I probably won’t finish tonight either. Or maybe I’ll finish cutting, but I still need to sort and then I’ll move on to picking fabrics.
The pile of cut-out stuff is there, growing.
This is a smaller and less complicated quilt than the last one, but it’s still got over 1200 pieces. So it’s gonna take some time…time I really don’t have.
Thanks for all the positive comments and energy you’re sending my way. I meant to link to Tanya’s article as well yesterday, and think I forgot…she wrote a great article here…after writing a great article about censorship, including me and Randall Cook and Annabel Rainbow, as well as some others. Censorship is rampant in art, especially if you live in certain parts of the country…that slips over into art quilts as well. Really, I just want to live in a world where the people who are trying to control me and my work and my uterus and all that other crap would just go monitor themselves and stop trying to spread it out toward people who want nothing to do with it. And I guess I’m a total idealist because I really do believe humans can get there (maybe we need alien assistance?). The sooner the better.
Kathy Nida 
Keep pressing on. There are so who see the art in what you do.
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Check out the artist Teri Kay at this site. Reach out to her. She has been where you are with her art. She has an amazing story. http://www.greendoggallery.com/
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I love your work. The folks at AQS need to get a life.
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Kathy,
I just wanted to write to you in support. We’ve never met but I am an artist using quilting as my medium. I have been drawn to the expressive and frank nature of your art for many years. When asked who my influences are in this medium, your name will always be amongst those listed because you tell your stories with such provocative, symbolic and uncensored imagery. There will always be those who wish to censure art because they are afraid of the controversy it stirs. Their loss. There will also be many people like myself who revel in the bold and exciting expression of all art and your art in particular!
Wishing you continued success,
Nancy Turbitt
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I posted a link to Tanya’s article on Facebook. My husband followed it, and we enjoyed several minutes playing “Where’s a penis?” He ended up saying what everyone else says–don’t like it? Keep walking! The best part is he likes your art. (This from an engineer, who I didn’t expect to dig in!)
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Keep doing what you are doing. It is special, distinctive, and makes people think. And yes, it makes some people uncomfortable, but different strokes for different folks… For my two cents- I don’t care a wit if there is a penis there or not- or even a forest of penises. But I DO CARE that AQS took the piece down.
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I’m going to the Chattanooga show in Sept. If your piece is not there I will file a complaint with the SAQA and AQS folks. They need to grow a pair and stand up to the bullies.
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