National Fiber Directions is a bi-annual fiber show held at the Wichita Center for the Arts. This show is dear to me for several reasons.
I heart Kansas! While I am not particularly happy with Governor Brownback’s cutting of art funding, Kansas is still the state where I was born and raised. I will forever love the rolling hills of eastern Kansas. Yes, Kansas does have hills, you just have to know where to look for them.
I’ve got a perfect track record with this show. For all other national quilt and fiber shows, I’ve gotten the usual acceptance, acceptance, rejection, acceptance pattern–for some of them it is more like rejection, rejection, acceptance, rejection, but that is another story. This story is about the positive. I have applied to this show three times, and I’ve gotten in three times. Gotta like that.
It’s a fiber show. The more I show my work, the more I get excited about fiber shows. Fiber is just about the wackiest medium out there. It’s everything from cantaloupe peel to Fred Meyer plastic shopping bags. I am always honored to be selected to participate in the mayhem. Especially because my work uses the most traditional definition of fiber. I guess this might be one instance when I am actually a conservative.
In celebration of this good news, I thought I’d share the pieces I have shown in this exhibit over the last three shows.
In 2009, Jason Pollen was the juror and he selected Owsley’s Owls. This was my first acceptance into a show in a gallery/art center setting. Prior to this show, I had really only exhibited at quilt shows. I guess that’s another reason I love this show–they were my first.
Owsley’s Owls is one of my favorites. It is my take on the classic technique broderie perse which is a type of appliqué where you use the images in the fabric to create your design. I have long wanted to make more quilts using this method, but some other project always seems to be in the queue before it.
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- Owsley’s Owls was shown in 2009.
In 2011, Jill Rumoshoky Werner chose Albert Hofmann’s Obit. I have written about the inspiration for this quilt as well as about my drafting process for making it in couple of other blog posts.
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- Albert Hofmann’s Obit was shown in 2011.
This year, juror Pauline Verbeek-Cowart selected Treasure Map. I named this quilt Treasure Map because, like a treasure map, it looks simple. But when you really start looking at it, you realize it’s a lotta-lotta stitching. Each little treasure map within the bigger treasure map is composed of seven pieces that when stitched together measure about 1 1/2”. Treasure Map is also a precursor quilt for my series of Color Grid quilts.
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- Treasure Map was shown in 2013.
Do you have a favorite show? What makes it special?
Wow! Those are all gorgeous! Makes me want to sit down and play with fabric and thread RIGHT NOW!!! But I’m stuck doing office work and sneaking in peeks at blogs to break the tedium. As soon as I get home, I’m heading to the studio – I’m so inspired!
Thank you Cheryl for looking and commenting. I am not at the office, but facing a big grant application instead of quilting. The sewing machine is so much more fun to sit in front of than a computer!
It must feel good to be in a show in a place you still think of as “home”. My favorite for now is the Quilts=Art=Quilts at the Schweinfurth in NY. It’s a beautiful venue, and they present the quilts with respect. I had two quilts in it this year and I was really proud of how they looked.
Jeanne! That is great news. I have only heard great things about that show. I bet they looked great.