What's for Dinner? Special Exhibit in Houston

image taken by the photographer for the Houston Chronicle.

Every evening without fail, Jamie asks her friends on Facebook a question:  What's For Dinner?
The list includes everything from multi-course gourmet meals to a pint of ice cream.  It is always entertaining.
Jamie and I began this little cooking blog a few years ago after deciding that it would be easier to have a blog about cooking and share our recipes and restaurant adventures than to constantly send pictures and recipes via SMS.  Well, we still do that (hello Instagram!).  But, basically, that is how the cooking blog came into being.

Fast forward to the fall of 2012.  The Special Exhibits coordinator for the International Quilt Festival was thinking about putting together a food-related quilt exhibit.  She remembered Jamie's nightly ritual on Facebook.  And that is the gist of how the exhibition evolved.

The call for entry was for artists to create a piece about the size of a placemat:  15inches by 24 inches.
Jamie and I juried the exhibition via an online site.  I lobbied for the exhibit to be presented as a dinner party.  We printed the artist statements on pages laminated and set up like a restaurant menu.  Table tent cards listed the name of the piece and the artist who made it.

Jamie and I were absolutely thrilled with the amazing work that was submitted.  The exhibit made a fun little splash at the International Quilt Market and Festival and we had a writer & photographer from the Houston Chronicle, as well as a reporter from the local PBS station come interview us. 

The following are some photos I took during the festival, and a link to the article in the Houston Chronicle:

This shot was taken before the table was decorated  for the weeklong "dinner party"!

A customized label (still drying) for the wine bottle on the table.

Bouquets made for the table.

The photographer from the Houston Chronicle photographed each piece.

Then she photographed each of us (Leslie here).

You can view more photos from this exhibit on Linda T. Minton's blog

The Dinner at Eight Artists Dinner

At each festival  Jamie and I schedule an Artists' Dinner during the event if there is a Dinner At Eight exhibition hanging.  It is a way of celebrating the group and it is an opportunity for all of us to become acquainted (or better acquainted!).  The Houston event was moved to a new restaurant since our beloved Spencer's is closed.  Despite the noisy environment a good time was had by all.  Here are a few photographs of the evening.  Enjoy!

We dined at the Grove, which is in the park across the street from the convention center and the Hilton Americas.  Book signing is taking place here.  They originally told us that we could have one long table, but in the end divided us into two tables.  The restaurant was very dark.  Next year, a new location.  We had a great time in spite of the pitfalls.

Leslie Tucker Jenison, Rachel Parris, Lyric Kinard, Susan Brubaker Knapp, Sarah Ann Smith, Susan Fletcher King, Diane Doran

Leslie and me

Table two, me, Lisa Ellis (Art Call), Jeannie Palmer Moore, and her sister, Jan, Susie Monday, Judy Coates Perez and her daughter, Indigo

Note for next year: a restaurant with more light and one table.  Take group pictures.

Okay, the above pics were Jamie's, and following ones are mine.  Several of us passed our cameras around the table and asked others to use it to take photos and I am SO thankful I did this!  I cannot take credit for some of the following pics but I am very happy someone did!

Cheryl Sleboda laughs while Rachel considers what to write in the book.

Cheryl is our cover girl for this exhibition catalog!

Frances Holliday Alford, Jamie (background), Rachel Parris, Cheryl Sleboda.

Jamie and Leslie

Susan Brubaker Knapp & Lyric Kinard (with Sarah Ann Smith in the background)

Lyric looks like an imp, doesn't she?

Diane Doran, Leslie, Susan Brubaker Knapp, and Lyric Kinard.

Clearly, we were posting for someone else's camera!

Indigo Perez is finally IN a photo rather than behind the camera!

As always, Jamie and I cherish these evenings with the artists who are part of the Dinner At Eight exhibition.  We are honored and humbled to share the experience of making and showing art, and then having fun at dinner!

An Exquisite Moment in Houston

An Exquisite Moment, sponsored by Havel's Sewing

We had the same configuration as Festival in Long Beach, except for the fact, that it was turned around to take up less real estate.  Right on Main Street, the d@8 sign was the first portion that attendees could see

Quilts, Inc - made this sign for us about our own d@8 sign - all about us!

Great location on the show floor!  Right across from the SAQA gallery, and next to What's for Dinner, that was across from the very popular Pet Postcards.  Prime area!

Jamie walked around the entire exhibit at the start of Quilt Market to get all of the views.  You can click on the photos to see them larger.

The back of the exhibit

Just some perspective, so you can see the expanse of Main Street.  This is looking to the far end of the exhibits.

Standing at the front of our exhibit, that opening in the wall leads to the vendors.

The SAQA exhibit, which is huge and has hard walls to hang their shows on just for this venue, so it is like a 'gallery' setting

Standing in front of the "What's for Dinner?" exhibit, also co-curated by Leslie and Jamie; and beyond that is Eye of the Quilter and the Doll exhibit

Standing in the area which will become the Pet Postcards selling booth

Seeing our exhibit from afar.  It was stunning, to say the least.  When Quilt Festival opened, there were many people around this exhibit at even given time.  We were both so pleased by the responses that we received.  Yay, for the artists!