IOWA ART QUILTERS EXHIBIT
OPENING RECEPTION FRIDAY OCTOBER 2 , 6 – 8 PM
MAIN GALLERY in FACC
On display through end of November
The Iowa Art Quilters began meeting in 2007 in Grinnell to encourage and support one another in making art quilts. A simple definition of an art quilt is “a quilt you hang on a wall” instead of a quilt you lay on a bed.
Art quilts are typically considered to be decorative, rather than functional. Artists often use a variety of fabrics, threads, and embellishments, such as beads, sequins, buttons, metal, wood, and other materials in their creations. Surface design, i.e., altering the fabric itself, is a common feature. One might add or remove color using dye, paint, or bleach with brushes, stamps, or stencils; “damage” cloth selectively with fire or rust; or, less drastically, change the texture by folding, scrunching, or gathering the cloth.
Art quilts may be abstract or representational, portraying faces, everyday objects, or landscapes, or they may illustrate something intangible. Traditional quilt blocks may be modified by exaggerating a shape or altering color choices.
Art quilts are designed and constructed by the artist, and are original.
There are approximately 30 active members, most of whom live in central and southeast Iowa. At the monthly meetings members gather to teach and learn new techniques and to share ideas for projects.
Some members have formal art education and experience; some come from a background of sewing and quilting. Some are business women who market their work (patterns, cloth, completed pieces) or receive commissions for art work; some are hobbyists who make art for the pleasure of creating. Several have won regional and national acclaim.
The group is open to anyone interested in art quilting.
