13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird - update

Greetings All,
13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, Art Quilts by the Fiber Artists Coalition opening Friday, April 22, 2011; 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM at the Iowa Artisans Gallery.

Iowa Artisans Gallery hosts "13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," based on a poem of the same name by Wallace Stevens. The exhibit includes thirteen art quilts by eleven members of the Fiber Artists Coalition and runs April 22 – May 29, 2011.

The Fiber Artists Coalition is made up of Professional Artist Members of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) from the upper Midwest. FAC curates traveling exhibits of its members' works. Learn more about the Fiber Artists Coalition at http://www.fiberartistscoalition.com/ and its blog, http://fiberartistscoalition.blogspot.com/.

Iowa Artisans Gallery was established by artists in 1984. The gallery features work by American artists and focuses on Midwestern artists wherever possible. Daily hours are Monday-Wednesday 10-6pm; Thursday’s Downtown Shopping Night: 10-7pm; Friday 10-6pm; Saturday 10-5:30 and Sunday 12-4. For more information, please contact the Gallery at 319-351-8686.

List of Blackbirds participating artists plus state of residence:

Astrid Hilger Bennett, Iowa City, IA
Kathie Briggs, Charlevoix, MI
Shelley Brucar, Buffalo Grove, IL
Cheryl Dineen Ferrin, Mattawan, MI
Clairan Ferrono, Chicago, IL
Peg Keeney, Harbor Springs, MI
Pat Kroth, Verona, WI
Casey Puetz, Waukesha, WI
Joan Potter Thomas, Northville, MI
Laura Wasilowski, Elgin, IL
Trish Williams, Chicago, IL

Source Material:
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, by Wallace Stevens

I
Among twenty snowy mountains,
The only moving thing
Was the eye of the blackbird.

II
I was of three minds,
Like a tree
In which there are three blackbirds.

III
The blackbird whirled in the autumn winds.
It was a small part of the pantomime.

IV
A man and a woman
Are one.
A man and a woman and a blackbird
Are one.

V
I do not know which to prefer,
The beauty of inflections
Or the beauty of innuendoes,
The blackbird whistling
Or just after.

VI
Icicles filled the long window
With barbaric glass.
The shadow of the blackbird
Crossed it, to and fro.
The mood
Traced in the shadow
An indecipherable cause.

VII
O thin men of Haddam,
Why do you imagine golden birds?
Do you not see how the blackbird
Walks around the feet
Of the women about you?

VIII
I know noble accents
And lucid, inescapable rhythms;
But I know, too,
That the blackbird is involved
In what I know.

IX
When the blackbird flew out of sight,
It marked the edge
Of one of many circles.

X
At the sight of blackbirds
Flying in a green light,
Even the bawds of euphony
Would cry out sharply.

XI
He rode over Connecticut
In a glass coach.
Once, a fear pierced him,
In that he mistook
The shadow of his equipage
For blackbirds.

XII
The river is moving.
The blackbird must be flying.

XIII
It was evening all afternoon.
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
The blackbird sat
In the cedar-limbs.

SAQA IL/WI outing/meeting

Greetings All,
On Saturday, April 16th a group of us met at the Art Institute of Chicago for an outing, lunch, and meeting. The exhibit that we focus on was Jane Wayne's narrative tapestries and the re-opening of the textile wing. The work was awe inspiring, the fellowship grand and a good time was had by all. The only sad part was that we could not take photos.

"The Unspoken Truth About Color" - Jeanette Thompson

Greetings All, Please join in the opening reception for " The Unspoken Truth About Color: A Dialogue in Art Quilts About Racism" exhibit. This exhibit includes 29 pieces from 27 women fiber artists from around the country. Please join curator, Jeanette Thompson as they celebrate the opening of the exhibit in conjunction with the YWCA’s National Day of Commitment to Eliminate Racism. Friday, April 29 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm The ARC Gallery and Educational Foundation http://www.arcgallery.org/ 832 W Superior St # 204 Chicago, IL The Unspoken Truth About Color exhibit at http://unspoken-truth-and-hope.blogspot. com

Jean Judd - Gateway to Imagination

Textile artist Jean M. Judd of Cushing, Wisconsin has been juried into the 2011 Gateway to Imagination National Juried Art Competition to be held at the Farmington Museum at Gateway Park in Farmington, New Mexico. Her artwork, Twirling Leaves #2 (above), is one of the artworks selected for the exhibit. The exhibition will feature 95 artworks selected from 319 submissions. The juror for this exhibition is painter JD Challenger of Taos, New Mexico. Mr. Challenger specializes in Native American artwork which touches on the history and significance of many ceremonies of the American Indian and the spirituality of their deeply held beliefs. He uses oils, acrylics, and mixed media in his work. More information about JD can be seen here at http://www.jdchallenger.com/. The exhibition opens on May 6, 2011. An artist reception and awards presentation is on May 14, 2011 from 7 to 9 pm with a juror lecture just prior to the reception. The exhibition closes on July 9, 2011. The address of the facility is the Farmington Museum at Gateway Park, 3041 East Main Street, Farmington, New Mexico 87402. Visit the Farmington Museum web site http://www.farmingtonmuseum.org for more information about the exhibition or call 505-599-1169.

Member - Clairan Ferrono

Greetings All,

Clairan Ferrono, Kelp (below) will be shown at Altered Esthetics, Minneapolis, MN 5-27 May, opening reception May 6th at 7:00. Her Eye of the Blackbird (below) Is featured on the SAQA website http://www.saqa.com/gallery

and her Meadow (detail image below), which won 1st place in the Transformation exhibit is up on the San Diego Women's Caucus for Art website click on Transformation under Galleries on the left.

SAQA Member - Kathy Weaver

Greetings All,
This week the video is of Kathy Weaver. Enjoy:-)

Darcy Berg - Merge & Flow Bee

Greetings All, Darcy Berg's "Merge & Flow Bee" has been accepted into the Surface Design Association's Conference Show. The conference takes place in Minneapolis, June 9 - 12, 2011. Here's the link: www.surfacedesign.org Congratulations Darcy!

Newsletter

Dear SAQAIL/WI


Meeting at the Art Institute

It has been a long hard winter and it is time to get out and see some beauty. Laura, Trish and I are planning an outing to the Art Institute on Saturday April 16th. We would love it if you could join us. These outings are really free form, everyone gathering at the entrance and then off to see some gorgeous art and inspiration on your own or with a friend. We meet back again to share a meal in the cafeteria downstairs, sharing our experiences with each other and generally just visiting and catch up. We hope you will mark it on your calendar and try to join us. Please respond to Frieda at frieda@friestyle.com if you are planning on being there.

There are several fiber exhibits at the Art Institute including June Wayne's Narrative Tapestries and Contemporary Fiber Art: A Selection from the Permanent Collection. Also Chagall's America Windows return. I need to see these every year, the color fills me with joy. You can check out the schedule yourself at; http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/current.php

New Region Members Exhibit

We are planning another exhibit for our members. Laura Wasilowski has been in contact with Fermilab in Batavia IL and they are very excited to have our show. It is entitled “Stitched Together, Art and Science. The art work by our Illinois and Wisconsin members of SAQA will be at their gallery November 1- January 23, 2012.

This is a very large space and can accommodate many large pieces. One of the goals of SAQA is to produce quality exhibitions. We hope you will enter a piece for this show. Find the prospectus HERE
Gathering in Paducah, KY

Laura and I will be in Paducah again this year in our booth at the AQS show, ARTFABRIK/FRIESTYLE. We are on the main floor in the back left corner against the wall. If you make it to the show we hope you will stop in and visit us. I have made a reservation at Max’s restaurant on Wednesday April 27 for us to gather for dinner. Please RSVP to me at frieda@friestyle.com if you plan to attend. We hope to see you there.

SAQA's goals include:

• Publish a newsletter and e.Bulletin addressing the professional needs of the working quilt artist.

• Publicize information about the art quilt through a web site, Professional Artist Member portfolios, and referrals to teachers and speakers for workshops and symposia.

• Educate through a series of conferences and lectures.

• Create a network of collectors, dealers and artists.

• Produce quality exhibitions, with documentary catalogues and critical reviews.

• Encourage critical writing, research and publication of articles about art quilts in the art press, popular press and scholarly journals.

We hope to see you at one of the events above or to see your art work in our next regional show.