Outside/Inside the Box

Continuing comments on the weekend in Philadelphia. The show at the Crane Building, Outside/Inside the Box, was most impressive and quite an expansion on the idea of fiber. Very few of the works would fit the definition of  "quilt". Materials used included aluminum mesh, wires, grommets, hemp, ropes, printed cloth, words written on vellum, leaves, fruit peels, ostrich shell beads, oxygen tubing, cable ties, florist card holders, plus things that immediately come to mind as fiber - linen, cotton, wool, thread, etc. I loved the knitted sock monkey suit, which you can see in the slide show, along with most of the other works. 

And I was thrilled to see my friend Linda Colsh's work hanging in this prestigious show. She is one of only a few artists who has 2 pieces in the show. Linda flew in from her home in Belgium for the conference, since she in on the SAQA Board of Directors. Since her family lives sort of near to me, we rode up together to Philly, and had a wonderful time gossiping talking about people we know, shows, her move back to the US in 2 years, and so on.

Defiant

©2011 Linda Colsh

Almost There

©2011 Linda Colsh

So now it's back home and time to get serious work done. It was truly inspiring to see all that artwork. And it was also very exciting to see 13 students from East Carolina University, where they are enrolled in the Textiles Program. It was inspiring to listen to them talk about their work and their enthusiasm was contagious. They are not the least bit constricted by the old traditions of quilts, and are pushing the boundaries in ways the rest of us haven't even thought of.

And for all the people who gave me grief about not posting, behold, 3 posts in one day.