Tacoma Art Museum Docents Blog TAM Docents Blog: TAM: Contemporary Art and Historic Quilts at the Washington State History Museum (press release)

Please read the following press release and be aware that the Washington Statue History Museum, down the street from us, will also have a quilt exhibition this fall.

Thanks for your time!

Heide Fernandez-Llamazares

Museum Educator and Docent Coordinator

hllamazares@TacomaArtMuseum.org

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1701 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, Washington 98402

T: 253.272.4258 x3018

F: 253.627.1898

www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

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From: Regena Kowitz [mailto:rkowitz@wshs.wa.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 11:27 AM
To: TacomaArt@cityoftacoma.org
Subject: [TacomaArt] Press Release: Contemporary Art and Historic Quilts at the Washington State History Museum

News Release

August 15, 2007

Contact:

Regena Kowitz

Public Relations Coordinator

253-798-5877

rkowitz@wshs.wa.gov

Washington State History Museum Presents Contemporary Art Quilts and Historic Quilts

Tacoma, WA – The Washington State History Museum presents two new exhibits exploring the past and present of quilting. Evolution of the Art Quilt, an exhibition developed in partnership with the Contemporary QuiltArt Association (CQA), features 28 contemporary quilts by 25 regional artists. Washington’s Historic Quilts, developed by the Washington State Historical Society, features a small selection of quilts from the Society’s collection. Both exhibits will be on view from September 15 through December 9, 2007.

Since the days of pioneers, quilts have been part of the fabric of American lives. Quilting has always been an act of creativity, piecing together available scraps of material and creating functional, yet beautiful, quilts. Over time, this creativity led to artistry. Evolution of the Art Quilt, a juried exhibition, looks at the creative, artistic journey of the quilt artist and the art quilt. The jury included Melissa Parr, senior curator with the Washington State Historical Society and textile conservation specialist, Paula McArdle, director of education and public programs at the Tacoma Art Museum who holds a fine arts degree, and Karen Perrine, a local award-winning quilt and fiber artist.

“Quilting has become a medium in which to express ideas and convey emotions,” says Colleen Wise, co-chair for the CQA exhibits committee. “Traditional quilts are based on time-honored patterns that have been passed down for generations. Art quilts are unique pieces that are original to the artist. What distinguishes the art of the traditional quilt-maker from that of the art quilter are context and intent,” she adds.

Additionally, the art quilt pushes traditional boundaries. “While contemporary quilters still employ many of the traditional techniques of their predecessors, they have added new techniques including phototransfer, collage, and beading. You can find as many styles in quilting as in painting, including abstract, representational, watercolor, impressionistic, and landscape. The main thing is that art quilters are expressing their creativity, not just matching the couch. It’s about creating a piece that comes from your own heart. Painters paint and quilters quilt. When you are following your muse, it’s all art,” says Wise.

Evolution of the Art Quilt is more than a display of art quilts; it chronicles the growth of individual artists as well as the journey of their nascent art form. “Art evolves over time, and quilt art continues to evolve with each artist’s contributions. With some history behind us, it is possible to see the influences that are shaping the stages of the art as it matures,” says Wise.

The Contemporary QuiltArt Association was formed in 1986 by a group of quilt artists to educate and promote public interest in the contemporary art quilt, encourage pubic and private collecting of contemporary art quilts, and to encourage and support contemporary quilt artists.

Along with contemporary quilts, the Washington State History Museum will offer visitors a look at quilts from our state’s past with Washington’s Historic Quilts, a small exhibit featuring select quilts from the collection of the Washington State Historical Society. This exhibit will highlight a variety of construction and quilting techniques, as well as designs and fabrics from various time periods, some from as far back as the mid-1800s. Among the quilts featured are a pioneer quilt, a wedding quilt, and a quilt made to honor the women’s Olympic marathon time trials held in Olympia during the 1980s. Each quilt has a story to tell and a place in Washington’s history. Washington’s Historic Quilts has been developed by the Washington State Historical Society.

More Quilts at the Tacoma Art Museum

From September 22 through December 9, 2007, the Tacoma Art Museum presents Gee’s Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt. Tacoma Art Museum is the only West-Coast venue for Gee’s Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt, which features approximately sixty works from the critically acclaimed African-American quilters from Gee’s Bend, Alabama. Immediately following The Architecture of the Quilt, Tacoma Art Museum brings local voices to their galleries with Threads that Bind: Works by Pacific Northwest African American Quilters, on view December 18, 2007 through February 17, 2008. Located at 1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98402, the Tacoma Art Museum is just a short walk from the Washington State History Museum

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The Washington State History Museum, flagship of the Washington State Historical Society, is located at 1911 Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma, just off 1-5. The museum presents exhibits, programs, and events that bring to life the stories of Washington's history. For more information, including hours and admission rates, please call 1-888-BE-THERE (1-888-238-4373), or visit our web site, www.washingtonhistory.org.

Hours: Monday - Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM, with extended hours and free admission every Thursday night, 5 – 8 PM; Sunday NOON – 5 PM. Admission: $25 for families (two adults and up to four children); $8 for adults; $7 for seniors, age 60 and above; $6 for students and military with valid ID; children, age 5 and below, and members are always FREE.

Regena Kowitz

Public Relations Coordinator

Washington State Historical Society

1911 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma WA 98402

T. 253-798-5877

F. 253-272-9518