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.

Fantastic weekend

I spent last weekend in Philadelphia at the SAQA / SDA conference and it was terrific. Got re-acquainted with lots of people and was able to put faces to names I know from the SAQA email list and also from Facebook. Was chastised for neglecting my blog. Spent a day trying to see as much of FiberPhiladelphia as my poor brain (and feet) could handle. Just had a plain old good time.

Friday night was the opening of Art Quilt Elements at the Wayne Art Center. This is the 10th exhibition of this show and it has become one of the premier art quilt shows in this country. The venue is fantastic and the show committee pulls out all the stops and puts on a great show. I bought the catalog to help me remember what is in the show. It's a great record of the show, but unfortunately, the color is off. This seems to be a common problem in the printed renditions of art, and I guess AQE is no exception. But don't let that stop you from getting the catalog; use your imagination! I tried to find a place on their website where you can order the catalog, but it seems to be quite well hidden. I guess you will have to contact the Wayne Art Center directly if you want one. It's $20 plus shipping.

Saturday was the day that we spent touring FiberPhiladelphia. What a fantastic accomplishment this is. More than 20 exhibits, all related to fiber, is almost too much to handle. Actually, it is too much for just one day so it was necessary to pick and choose. First we hit the Snyderman/Works Gallery for the 8th International Fiber Biennial. I took some pictures but the ones on their website are far better. We also went to Bluestone Gallery, where Lisa Call is having a solo exhibit. While we were there, several of her small pieces were purchased. Let's hope that one of the big ones goes out the door, also.

The Highwire Gallery was another stop on our tour. More great fiber art, much of it by people I know personally. Must be coming up in the world. The highlight of the tour was the exhibit at the Crane Building gallery Outside/Inside the Box. I applied to this show and wasn't accepted and after seeing what was, I wasn't surprised. There were actually very few actual quilts in this show. It was fiber in all its manifestations and there are some very cool things hanging there.

Philadelphia has some old, worn out areas with buildings that are neglected and falling down. This, of course, makes them extraordinary photo ops.

Whaddya know! Stikman is here, too.

The Painted Bride Art Center is a piece of art in itself. Totally covered in tiles on three sides (the fourth side is a wall shared with the adjacent building). Can't even imagine how long that took. Wonder where they got all the tiles.

This post is long enough so I will continue in the next one.