May Issue 2000
Two Quilt Exhibitions at the Museum of York County in Rock Hill, SC
The Museum of York County in Rock Hill, SC,
will be hosting two quilt shows: Quilt Regional: Breaking Traditions
will be on display in the Alternative Gallery through July 23
and Quilt National 1999: The Best in Contemporary Quilts
will be on display in the Springs Gallery, from May 13 through
July 23, 2000.
Quilt Regional: Breaking Traditions explores the work of
18 North and South Carolina fiber artists. Expanding and adding
to the rich vocabulary of the heritage quiltmaker, these artists
are transforming color and texture into dynamic patterns that
provide rich new visual experiences.
The contemporary art quilt has evolved within a time frame of little more than 20 years. The emergence of the contemporary art quilt form is an old and revered quilt tradition which frequently borrows techniques and materials from other media such as painting, photography and printmaking, bringing a greater self-expression and vibrancy to the quilt's surface. Many of the quilts in this exhibit reflect this new assimilation, thus breaking many traditions of quiltmakers of the past.
The quilts in this exhibition reflect the personal vision of each of the eighteen artists. From quilts that celebrate life, to quilts that reveal a story narrative, to improvisational works and to quilts reflecting personal inward journeys, these quilts are a testament to the power of the needle and thread as used by today's contemporary quilt maker.
Quilters represented in the exhibition, Quilt Regional: Breaking Traditions, are: Sue Alvarez, Martha Lee Burleson, Jo Bunch, Michael Godfrey, Ellen Guerrant and Peggy Luey of Charlotte, NC; Susan Webb Lee, Weddington, NC; Sandra K. Rowland, Murphy, NC; Jan Smiley, Fort Mill, SC; Dottie Moore, Rock Hill, SC; Marge Edie, Clemson, SC; Dee Doebler, Batesburg, SC; Teresa Pietras, Columbia, SC; Ellen Kochansky, Pickens, SC; Beth Stewart-Ozark, Lexington, SC; Barbara Tennyson, Greenville, SC; Priscilla Evans Hair, Easley, SC; and Barbara L. Hooley, Asheville, NC.
Quilt National 1999: The Best in Contemporary Quilts in the Springs Gallery will feature twenty-one quilts from the 1999 Quilt National juried biennial quilt exhibition. This exhibition showcases innovative works from fiber artists around the world. Three separate groups of Quilt National '99 works are travelling for a two-year tour of museums and galleries across the country. This is a first-ever regional showing of quilts from Quilt National. Quilt National 1999 is produced and circulated by the Dairy Barn Southeastern Ohio Cultural Arts Center, Athens, OH, and is sponsored by the Charlotte Quilters Guild.
The statistics for this, the 11th Quilt National, tells an interesting story - one that could be appropriately entitled More Than Ever Before. . . Jurors Nancy Crow, Caryl Bryer Fallert and Bruce Pepich selected 84 works from more than 1320 works submitted by nearly 640 artists from five continents. Although in some cases written and/or spoken communication requires the aid of a translator, it is quite clear that the language of this art form is universal.
The works in Quilt National '99 represent artists from 13 countries and 27 states. This diverse and exciting exhibit bears witness to the strength of the creative energies of the world's artists. The works in the component shown at the Museum of York County represent artists from five countries and 14 states. Two quilters, Hollis Chatelain and Ann Harwell, are from North Carolina.
Relatively few of today's innovative quilts are updated interpretations of classic quilt formats. Today's artists view their quilts as a means of expressing their creative energies in ways that are simply not possible with other materials. They are expanding and adding to the rich vocabulary of the heritage quiltmaker and they are transforming color and texture into dynamic patterns that provide new visual experiences.
For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or call the Museum at 803/329-2121 or visit our website at (http://www.yorkcounty.org).
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