May 7, 2012 — The Artist as Quiltmaker XV exhibition will open Sunday, May 13, 2 - 4 pm, and will be on view through July 29, 2012 at the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts, at 39 S. Main Street in historic Oberlin. The opening reception-free and open to the public-will feature the presentation of artist awards.

Sponsored by the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts (FAVA), The Artist as Quiltmaker XV (AQM) is the second-longest-running art-quilt exhibition in the world. AQM XV exhibiting artists come from 21 states (seven from Ohio) and one Canadian province. Of the 39 artists represented in the show, ten are repeat AQM exhibitors and 24 are first-time entrants. Juror and Kent State University Museum director Jean Druesedow has put together a thoughtful show that celebrates the diversity of quilt-making in the 21st century. Personal narratives, social and political statements, representational imagery and purely abstract compositions are included. The artists chose equally diverse fiber techniques to execute and express their singular visions.

Druesedow writes of the exhibition, "It has been challenging to try to discern the most outstanding examples from all of the creative work submitted. However, aesthetics, imagination, and superb craftsmanship still define outstanding creative work, and with these in mind, the show has been shaped and certain works singled out for special recognition."

The first-place-award winner is Elegant Edibles, by Jennifer Day of Santa Fe, New Mexico. In her first-ever quilt, Day combined the traditional concepts of needle painting, embroidery and illustrated botanical prints with 21st century methodology. She photographed unusual vegetables and fruits at the grocery store, transferred the images to cloth, and densely machine stitched the results. Another award winner, Dye Garden Sampler, by Sherry Haar of Manhattan, Kansas, was made by hammering flowers and leaves to release their colors onto composted fabric. Two different quilts dealing with the housing crisis have the same title, House of Cards. Martha C. Hall of Vernon, New Jersey, subtitled her quilt, Expect More! and used plastic credit cards to create her house. The second, subtitled A Subprime Nursery Rhyme, by Barbara Lind, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, includes the artist's rendition of the familiar nursery rhyme, 'This is the house that Jack built.' Another artist from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Martha Young, created her quilt, Descending Light, using green mylar tea-bag envelopes.

AQM XV Curator Ruta Marino will give a gallery talk on Saturday, June 2 at 11:00 am. Tours are available by appointment (440-774-7158 or [email protected]. A full color catalog of the exhibition is available.

The Artist as Quiltmaker exhibition was founded in 1984 by quilt historian Ricky Clark. Noting the success of Quilt National, the first and longest-running art-quilt exhibition, which takes place at the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio, Clark wanted to guarantee that an outstanding exhibition of art-quilts takes place in Ohio every year. Each show is biennial; Quilt National shows in odd-numbered years and AQM, held in Oberlin, in even-numbered years.

The exhibition and opening reception are FREE and open to the public.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.,
Closed on Mondays and July 4

Alphabetical listing of exhibiting artists, with awards noted:

Brooke Atherton (Billings, MT)
Catherine Beard (Springfield, OR)
Tanya Brown (Sunnyvale, CA)
Mary Buchanan (Richmond, VA)
Betty Busby (Alubquerque, NM)
Lisa Call (Denver, CO)
Nancy Condon (Stillwater, MN)
Cynthia Corbin (Woodinville, WA)
Nancy Crasco (Brighton, MA)
Jennifer Day (Santa Fe, NM), Elegant Edibles, First Place Award
Lisa Flowers Ross (Boise, ID)
Sibyl Graber Gerig (Goshen, IN)
Marilyn Gillis (Burlington, VT)
Doria A. Goocher (San Diego, CA)
Valerie Goodwin (Tallahassee, FL)
Sherry Haar (Manhattan, KS), Dye Garden Sampler, Award of Excellence
Martha C. Hall (Vernon, NJ)
Paulette Hayes (Vineyard Haven, MA), Cambodia: The Killing Fields, Kirtz/Van Nortwick Award
Ruby Horansky (Brooklyn, NY)
Susan Krueger (Bowling Green, OH), Fields, Joseph and Dorothy Luciano Award
Liz Kuny (Mendham NJ), A Steady Beat, Award of Excellence
Linda Levin (Wayland, MA)
Barbara Lind (Cleveland Heights, OH)
Denise Linet (Brunswick, ME)
Jeanne Marklin (Williamstown, MA)
Helen Murrell (Cleveland Heights, OH)
Diane Nunez (Southfield, MI)
Karen Rips (Thousand Oaks, CA)
Judith Roderick (Placitas, NM)
Maya Schonenberger (Miami, FL)
Karen Schulz (Silver Spring, MD)
Tammy Sutherland (Winnipeg, MB)
Mary Ann Tipple (Elyria, OH)
Kathleen Van Meter (North Ridgeville, OH)
Susan Walen (Bethesda, MD)
Mary Ann Weber (Amherst, OH)
Marianne R. Williamson (Miami, FL)
Martha Young (Cleveland Heights, OH)
Marian Zielinski (Macon, GA)

New this year: This year FAVA is building upon this exhibition's popularity to draw attention to the active local quilting community as well, so that after seeing The Artist As Quiltmaker, visitors will be able to enjoy a full day of quilt-related activities. QuiltConnection 2012 features 17 venues hosting 13 quilt and fiber art exhibitions, 11 Saturday drop-in demonstrations, 6 talks, 5 workshops, a book signing, a video screening and guided tours of historic quilts. Individual quilts of note (including an Underground Railroad Quilt by Oberlin seniors, and two quilts made by schoolchildren) will be on display in libraries, shop windows and other venues. Look for quilt squares to be created on Oberlin's sidewalks at its annual Chalk Walk on June 23.

Visit the www.artistasquiltmaker.com website for details as well as a downloadable brochure with map.