Cynthia Lockhart, Detail:Reach for the Stars
JoAnn Giordano, Boys Will Be Boys
Gerry Fogarty, Detail: Shirts and Shields
From the genesis of the art quilt movement in the 1960s,
Ohio artists have led the way with vision and dedication, pioneering
what would become an international phenomenon. Against the backdrop of
the cultural revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, Ohio artists
contributed a new art form, adding a significant chapter to both art
and quilt history.
In the early 1970s, as the women’s movement gained strength, the traditional handwork of quilts was reexamined. It became clear that the art world had taken a turn as artists began to make quilts. Mining new meaning from an old form, artists have challenged rules of the craft and assumptions about the utilitarian function of the quilt.
As with Kenyon College’s first art quilt exhibition, Contemporary Quilts, exhibited in 1981, we are pleased to once again to take the pulse of art quilting in Ohio. Innovation & Tradition: Contemporary Art Quilting in Ohio presents work created by many of the field’s courageous pioneers, artists who have left their indelible mark as their expression continues to evolve. Others, inspired by the work that came before them, add imagery reflective of their own unique voices and perspectives. No art medium remains static; new practitioners offer glimpses of future directions.
This exhibition presents diverse subject matter executed in a wide range of techniques: construction by layering and stitching; appliqué and collage; surface design in painting; hand-dying; resist and discharge techniques; image transfers; cyanotype; and embroidery. Quilting and surface texture are often created through the use of a sewing machine as a drawing tool. The incorporation of narrative language, by turns ironic and humorous, adds texture, while inviting an intimate view of private inner worlds. Visitors will see works clearly based on the traditional block quilt format alongside the shaped sculptural work of Gerry Fogarty, or that of Cynthia Lockhart and Gayle Pritchard, whose constructions are evocative of clothing pattern and form. Political, social and cultural statements are presented in works by Susan Shie, Clare Murray Adams and JoAnn Giordano. Quilts produced today with a palette of home-dyed fabrics are presented alongside artworks that stretch the notion of what a quilt can be, such as John Lefelhocz’s Pure Harmony, constructed from the artist’s designs printed onto paper and bonded with fabric. Subject matter addressed here ranges from the abstract exploration of color, form and texture seen in work by Nancy Crow, Deborah Anderson and Elaine Hartley, to the pictorial evocation of beauty in nature apparent in works by Jo Rice, Linda Brougher Shaffer and Ellen Harbourt.
The works in this exhibition reflect the richness and diversity of the art quilt movement in Ohio. The emergence of the art quilt—from the studios of singularly focused artists working in isolation to the explosive “big bang” of the first international exhibition in Athens, Ohio in 1979—makes clear that today’s international art quilt movement could not have occurred without Ohio’s unparalleled contribution. We invite quilt lovers from near and far to enjoy these works of uncommon energy, vision, creativity and devotion to self-expression.
-Gayle Pritchard
The Olin Art Gallery at Kenyon College would like to extend special thanks to Gayle Pritchard for her essay and talk, and also to Susan Shie, Ellen Harbourt, Elaine Hartley, Jo Rice and Linda Shaffer for their public talks. We thank all of the artists for their wonderful artwork, and for their generous advice in organizing the exhibition. Thanks also to gallery assistant Douglas McGlumphy for a beautifully-designed installation; designer Nan Black; administrative assistant Aimee Parsley-White; all 2007-2008 Olin Art Gallery work study students; and Judy Sacks. Finally, we thank the Studio Art Department at Kenyon for their support of the exhibition; supplemental funding is provided by the Mesaros Fund.
In the early 1970s, as the women’s movement gained strength, the traditional handwork of quilts was reexamined. It became clear that the art world had taken a turn as artists began to make quilts. Mining new meaning from an old form, artists have challenged rules of the craft and assumptions about the utilitarian function of the quilt.
As with Kenyon College’s first art quilt exhibition, Contemporary Quilts, exhibited in 1981, we are pleased to once again to take the pulse of art quilting in Ohio. Innovation & Tradition: Contemporary Art Quilting in Ohio presents work created by many of the field’s courageous pioneers, artists who have left their indelible mark as their expression continues to evolve. Others, inspired by the work that came before them, add imagery reflective of their own unique voices and perspectives. No art medium remains static; new practitioners offer glimpses of future directions.
This exhibition presents diverse subject matter executed in a wide range of techniques: construction by layering and stitching; appliqué and collage; surface design in painting; hand-dying; resist and discharge techniques; image transfers; cyanotype; and embroidery. Quilting and surface texture are often created through the use of a sewing machine as a drawing tool. The incorporation of narrative language, by turns ironic and humorous, adds texture, while inviting an intimate view of private inner worlds. Visitors will see works clearly based on the traditional block quilt format alongside the shaped sculptural work of Gerry Fogarty, or that of Cynthia Lockhart and Gayle Pritchard, whose constructions are evocative of clothing pattern and form. Political, social and cultural statements are presented in works by Susan Shie, Clare Murray Adams and JoAnn Giordano. Quilts produced today with a palette of home-dyed fabrics are presented alongside artworks that stretch the notion of what a quilt can be, such as John Lefelhocz’s Pure Harmony, constructed from the artist’s designs printed onto paper and bonded with fabric. Subject matter addressed here ranges from the abstract exploration of color, form and texture seen in work by Nancy Crow, Deborah Anderson and Elaine Hartley, to the pictorial evocation of beauty in nature apparent in works by Jo Rice, Linda Brougher Shaffer and Ellen Harbourt.
The works in this exhibition reflect the richness and diversity of the art quilt movement in Ohio. The emergence of the art quilt—from the studios of singularly focused artists working in isolation to the explosive “big bang” of the first international exhibition in Athens, Ohio in 1979—makes clear that today’s international art quilt movement could not have occurred without Ohio’s unparalleled contribution. We invite quilt lovers from near and far to enjoy these works of uncommon energy, vision, creativity and devotion to self-expression.
-Gayle Pritchard
The Olin Art Gallery at Kenyon College would like to extend special thanks to Gayle Pritchard for her essay and talk, and also to Susan Shie, Ellen Harbourt, Elaine Hartley, Jo Rice and Linda Shaffer for their public talks. We thank all of the artists for their wonderful artwork, and for their generous advice in organizing the exhibition. Thanks also to gallery assistant Douglas McGlumphy for a beautifully-designed installation; designer Nan Black; administrative assistant Aimee Parsley-White; all 2007-2008 Olin Art Gallery work study students; and Judy Sacks. Finally, we thank the Studio Art Department at Kenyon for their support of the exhibition; supplemental funding is provided by the Mesaros Fund.
Installation Views:
Innovation & Tradition
Links to artists's websites: