Rituals at Festival in Long Beach

This is the layout of the front of the exhibit, which faces Main Street, and it is before we were done setting up.  But, you can see how the exhibit flows together.

This is located on the side, right after the coffee sign.  Aptly named, the coffee corner.  The SAQA Exhibition faced this section.

This is the back section

Side section on the right.  Tactile Architecture / The Artists Village faced this section

Come closer views

You can see Peggy Calvert on the row - she is cutting threads, and getting lint off of each quilt

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Hanging Day at Festival in Long Beach

Hanging Day at Festival in Long Beach with Judy Coates Perez, Julie Schlueter, Peggy Calvert, Sherry Kleinman, Leslie Tucker Jenison and Jamie Fingal.  Here's to team work at its finest!  It just gets better and better!

It's alot of work to hang a show, with many components that have to be done.  The configuration of where each quilt is hung is done ahead of time.  The gathering of slats and lanyards.  Laying the quilts out in order on sheets.

Music stands up and ready to go - they hold the signs for sponsor name (Moore's Sewing Centers) and titles and artists statements

Peggy Calvert is cutting threads off quilts and running a lint roller over each quilt.

Judy Coates Perez and Leslie Tucker Jenison are making sure each quilt is the same distance from the top and the sides

The committee who rallied to get it all done by Noon!  Great job everyone!  We were like a fine oiled machine!

"no photography" signs are placed all at the same level along the front, sides and back.  You can buy the book!  Leslie and Jamie will be in the exhibit when the doors open at 5:00pm tonight1  Hope to see you there!  We will also be doing a curator walk thru on Friday and Saturday at 11:00am in our exhibit.

International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, CA

International Quilt Festival, Long Beach, CA - begins on Thursday, July 26th at 5:00pm and continues till Sunday, July 29th at the Long Beach Convention Center.  There are classes to take, shopping for fabric, tools, notions, and fabulous quilt exhibits.

Here is what some of the artists who have work in the Rituals exhibit are up to at Festival in Long Beach -

RITUALS EXHIBIT
Located on Main Street in the exhibit area, in between Tactile Architecture and SAQA
Preview Night @ 5pm - Leslie Tucker Jenison and Jamie Fingal will be in the exhibit, selling books and chatting with viewers; come by and say hello

OTHER EXHIBITS

Tactile Architecture
The Artists Village - Frances Holliday Alford, Jamie Fingal, Barb Forrister, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Judy Coates Perez, Kathy York

Text on Textiles

"A Gentle Heart" by Terry Waldron

Twelve by Twelve

with work by Deborah Boschert, Gerrie Congdon, Diane Hock, Karen Rips and Terry Grant.
 

VENDOR AREA
Desiree Habicht will be working in Gingers quilt shoppe booth showing her patterns





CLASSESJane LaFazio - Faculty
7/26, Thursday, Text and Textiles (all day)
7/27, Friday,  Intro to Surface Design (all day)
7/28, Saturday, Create on the Spot, 11:15-12:15, Felt like Stitching
7/28, Saturday, 2-5pm: Rubber Stamps, Design and carve your own 

Judy Coates Perez - Faculty
July 26 Alternatively Bound & Stitched
July 27 Color Theory
July 28 10 Textile Techniques Using Acrylic Inks

more info about Judy's classes http://judyperez.blogspot.com/search/label/IQF%20Long%20Beach%202012  

 Terry Waldron will be teaching "Transparent Terra Firma" at the Saturday Night Sampler from 6:30-8:30PM in the ballroom

SAQA Exhibits
"Masters 2" and "Sense of Adventure" 

Saturday, July 28th - 10:30am with Terry Waldron

Rituals Book Available on Blurb!

Book cover art (Left to Right) by - Susie Monday, Susan Fletcher King, Judy Coates Perez, Desiree Habicht, Yvonne Porcella, Gerrie Congdon, Gayle Simpson

RITUALS
An exchange between friends. A handshake. A kiss before bedtime. The artist at work.  A sun salutation. The wave before boarding the school bus. A song, a word, a meditation. A habit, a custom.  The traditional toast at a gathering. A rite of passage. The sacred moments of the ordinary.  Rituals:  What are yours?
A collection of 42 Art Quilts 

 International Quilt Festival, Long Beach, CA  - July 26-29, 2012
sponsored by Moore's Sewing Centers


Here is the link to buying the book!  Click here 

book designed by Loris Bogue

International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, CA

International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, CA begins on Thursday, July 26th at 5:00pm for Preview Night and continues on throughout the weekend, opening at 10:00am.  Long Beach Convention Center

"Rituals"  An exchange between friends. A handshake. A kiss before bedtime. The artist at work.  A sun salutation. The wave before boarding the school bus. A song, a word, a meditation. A habit, a custom.  The traditional toast at a gathering. A rite of passage. The sacred moments of the ordinary.  Rituals:  What are yours?

Dinner at Eight Artists present a 42 piece collection titled "Rituals." Each piece measures 24" wide by 60" high, vertical format.  The exhibit will debut at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach July 26-29, 2012 and is sponsored by Moore's Sewing Centers. It will also be shown at the International Quilt Market (Oct 27-29) and Festival (Oct 31-Nov 4) and is sponsored by Havel's Sewing.

Dacha; Natalya Aikens

Hanbok; Frances Holliday Alford

Ritual Fire Dance; Betty A. Amador

Stillness;  Susan Bleiweiss

Cosmic Gears;  Loris Bogue 

Blue Chair Mantra;  Deborah Boschert

Night, Night; Love, Love; Laurie Brainerd 

Intimate Space;  Paula  J. Chung

Walking with Mr C and Scooter;  Gerrie Congdon

Flowers in my hair and expectations;  Joanell Connolly (pictured)

Photo Booth Hijinks;  Cindy Cooksey 

Intention;  Jane Davila

Sunrise Serenade;  Barb Forrister 

Friendship ritual;  Terry Grant

A Gardners Life;  Desiree D. Habicht 

Swirl, Sniff, Sip;  Diane Hock

Neon Coffee, Los Angeles;  Lisa  Kijak 

Links; Lyric M. Kinard

Moon Drunk;  Susan Fletcher King

Figure drawing class; Pamela P. Klebaum

Geisha;  Sherry D. Kleinman 

I See the Moon;  Susan Brubaker Knapp

Nature Journal;  Jane LaFazio 

Keeping Up Appearances #5;  Carol A. Larson

Spring Cleaning - Renewal and Release;  Jayne Larson 

Kissing the Cat Goodnight; Linda Teddlie Minton

Lost Rituals: Grief; Susie M. Monday 

Milo;  Jeannie P. Moore

Here's to Strong Women;  Rachel K. Parris 

8 of Cups;  Judy Coates Perez

You're Invited;  Yvonne B.Porcella 

Meditation;  Karen L. Rips

Sunset II;  Cynthia St. Charles 

The Kitchen Table;  Julie Schlueter

Tiempo del Sol;  Rituels de Jardin, Gayle Simpson 

Strength and Cal; , Sarah Ann Smith

Boundary Waters 60 (RockTime);   Virginia A. Spiegel 

Solvitur Ambulando;  Larkin Jean Van Horn

Shuka;  Terry Waldron 

Morning Commute with Sweet Jane;  Kathy York

Make a Wish on the Purple House;  Jamie Fingal 

The Coffee Break;  Leslie Tucker Jenison

Questions for Curators - Part 2

Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison

Questions for Curators - Part 2

photo from one of our classes in Houston

11. What's your best piece of advice for other artists?
Leslie- This sounds flippant but I believe it is the truth:  Just go into your studio and make stuff.  Don’t worry about outcome or what anyone else thinks:  keep playing and experimenting.  The best things happen when I ask myself, “What if?”.
Jamie - Start small, and play with fabric and thread.  Use the colors, textures and patterns that inspire you.  Grow into your art, but the the most important thing is just to do it - practice and have fun.

12. What's your least favorite technique that you still use anyway?
Leslie- I still, occasionally, use discharge paste.  I don’t like it because it is stinky and I am skeptical about how safe it really is.  So, I use it sparingly, with a respirator, in good ventilation.
Jamie - I am still wondering what to say.  I don’t think I have an answer, because I like everything that I do, except for making hanging sleeves, which is not a technique, but I don’t like it just the same.

13.  Not counting art quilts, what do you collect?
Leslie- Oh dear.  I have a glass fetish. I pick up rocks when I travel (and sometimes bottles of beach sand).  I love wind-up toys.  I collect my children’s art, and I still have all our “little kid” books.  They are so precious to me.
Jamie - Don’t get me started.  There are many things that I used to collect, but those have taken their course.  I still collect old suitcases, metal boxes, unique dishes, cups, and weird stuff that I can repurpose.

14. Which great artwork would you love to hang in your own home?   (A game also known as, "What would you steal from the MoMA?")
Leslie- What a great question!  If I could have Matisse, Raoul Dufy, or one of the other fauvists, I would be pretty happy.  I adore Mary Cassatt’s work as an Impressionist painter, and I think she was very “bad ass” to be in such a boy’s club!
Jamie - Do I have to pick just one?  Kandinsky abstract, but would love a Degas with the dancers and Mary Cassatt just tugs at my heart.

15.  What moment or event started both of you to go into the Art Quilt direction?
Leslie- I am from a traditional quilt making background. I still love the heritage of traditional work.  I evolved from that genre because I wanted to create unique pieces.  I’m not as interested in making functional textiles anymore, but still do make the occasional “quilt quilt”.  I’m simply MORE interested in the tactile, 3-dimensional qualities that are possible with the quilt as art.
Jamie - I made traditional quilts, but always with some sort of twist, because it was hard for me to conform to the rules..no big surprise there.  I just wanted more, and when I learned to fuse, my whole quilting world changed, to take me to the next level.  I still love traditional quilts, it is just that I don't want to make them.

16.  What artistic endeavors were you involved in before Art Quilts?
Leslie- I’m a painter in addition to being a quilt maker.
Jamie - Watercolorist, made jewelery and decoupage, and I still do these things, but at a lesser degree.

17.  Describe your process for choosing a theme for your exhibits.
Leslie- We have a list of possible themes.  We are always tossing things around.  As I stated before, we try to consider a theme that is broad enough to encompass both representational and abstract interpretations.
Jamie - We throw a bunch a themes around, add to, delete from and then determine if a certain theme could be interpreted into fabric from both of our points of view, and then go beyond that.  I mean if we can't come up with an idea for an art quilt - then how could anyone else?  Things to consider.

18.  What are the future plans for Dinner at Eight?
Leslie/Jamie -We hope to broaden the scope of venues for the exhibitions and we are currently exploring some options in addition to the quilt festivals.  Stay tuned!

19.  Jamie:   How do you feel that having a studio outside of the home has impacted your work? What are the pros and cons?
Moving my studio out of the house was the best thing I have ever did (5+ years), because it gave me balance between home and studio.  I go to my studio Mon-Fri, and am home at night, to cook dinner and enjoy evenings with my husband. Sometimes I bring home handwork or my sketchbook.  Weekends spent at home, and it is rare that I work in my studio on the weekends.  It has given me more focus, and freedom to explore my art, because I have more room to spread out.  I am packing up my current small studio, and moving to an industrial space with one room consisting of 1000 sf.  The con would be no a/c or heating, but I am sure I can work around that.  It's my dream space!

Leslie:    Do you feel that the geographical area that an artist works in has any effect on their work? That is the light, topography, culture, regional differences etc?
Leslie-My personal response is yes, absolutely.  Perhaps this is the artists’ version of “You are what you eat”!  As an artist, I tend to believe that my work is a response to my own history, my environment, my daily experiences.

20.  Where are you guys scheduled to teach?
Leslie/Jamie -We took a teaching break this year, and frankly, it was a good thing we did:  Jamie experienced the loss of both parents and the subsequent aftermath of dealing with all that flows from that.  We both had our youngest children graduate from college.  Personally, I have had an upswing in commitments with the Alliance for American Quilts and the Surface Design Association, as well as some other things.  For a year that was supposed to be quieter it has been anything but!  Jamie - I've enjoyed making quilts, exploring, and heading up a sub-committee for SAQA.  I do miss the students!  Maybe next year!

Questions for Curators - Part 1

Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison
a couple of serious curators


Every year we ask the artists in our exhibit to give us a list of questions to answer.  This year we have 20, so today and tomorrow, we will answer your questions.


1.  If you couldn't do art, what would you do to feed your soul and  fulfill yourself?
Leslie -I’m a gardener and a cook, and I find these creative outlets very “artful”.  I can’t tell you how many things I have puzzled out while digging in the dirt!
Jamie - I love to read, research genealogy and tell the story of our family history in scrapbooks, work in the garden and cook. 

2.  How did you find your way into quilting/fiber art?
Leslie- Although my paternal grandmother was a seamstress and quilt maker, I did not learn from her.  Rather, I was exposed to the love of quilt making through a nurse-colleague during my years as an inpatient obstetrical nurse.
Jamie - I learned how to sew at a young age from my grandmother, which led me to make my first quilt in 1981.

3.  What has been your most memorable "aha!" moment in your art?
Leslie- Now, this is a tough question.  I’ve had a lot of “aha moments” in my studio, as I believe we all do.  If I have to choose one scenario it would have to be when I realized that creating unique cloth with personal imagery provided another “layer” of meaning to my work.
Jamie - this year actually, after losing both of my parents so close together and I was literally shut down, for obvious reasons.  I got my mojo back when making my entry for the Alliance for American Quilts contest “home is where your story begins.”

4. How do you physically design your "mock-up" for the exhibit???
Leslie- Jamie is the guru of mock-ups.  I bow to her!  It begins with a configuration, provided by the venue.  I use small photos of each quilt to arrange them on a grid.  I ask myself these questions; what quilt do I want the viewer to see if coming from this direction - those pieces are all put into play from every vantage point, and then I go about placing the pieces that enhance one another throughout the exhibit.  It’s really a dance of puzzle pieces.  I enjoy it immensely.

5. Do you Skype or I Chat often, being the dynamic duo that you are??
Leslie- Oddly, we don’t Skype very much, but we have very frequent email exchanges and phone conversations.  We have a long-running email exchange that we call, “Coffee Break”, which, coincidentally, is the theme of my curator’s quilt for the “Rituals” exhibition this year!
Jamie - We email mostly and talk on the phone.  Our e-mails always have “coffee break” or something similar in the subject, so we know to get a cup of coffee or tea, and sit down to read.  The simple joys in life are the best!

6.  Do you realize how grateful we are, as artists, for your efforts to propel us to stardom in the art quilt world??
Leslie/Jamie -Do YOU realize how grateful WE are, as curators of this exhibition, that you have carved out the creative time and energy to put forth your amazing work?  Seriously, it is our profound honor that you allow us to present your work.

7.  When you design the exhibit theme, do you consider whether the entries will be mostly representational or abstract? Do you have a preference?
Leslie- We try to come up with a theme that will embrace both styles of work.  It is, in our opinion, one of the best components of d@8 exhibits: the marriage of these two styles that become unified through the common theme.
Jamie - It’s not really something that I think about, to be quite honest.  We want the “best” work, and if it fits into the exhibit as a whole, it works for us. And work that matches the artists statement. I have no preference for representational or abstract.

8.  Have  you considered proposing a retrospective book to an established publisher?
Leslie- We have discussed this possibility.  Stay tuned!!
Jamie - Yes, and “best of” exhibits too.  Imagine the possibilities!

9.  Having curated shows myself I know that putting together "Rituals" has been a very large commitment of time and resources. Why do you do it?
Leslie- This is a multi-pronged answer:  We love showcasing the talent in our  segment of the art world, and part of that is seeking out emerging artists to rise to the challenge of entering a show.  Jamie and I enjoy the give and take of the collaborative process as co-curators.  We see things through different lenses, and I think this is one of the biggest strengths of our exhibitions.
To be honest, bringing the online entry process into the equation this year was an enormous help to us!  Wow, I can’t even tell you how many hours of labor it saved us!  Hooray for Art Call!
Jamie - It is a large commitment, but I enjoy every aspect of it, and having Leslie to collaborate with, utilizing our different strengths, works for us. Being highly organized helps.  I think the opportunity to work with such creative artists is a huge bonus. Using Art Call made a huge difference for us this year, because it took a lot of the extra work that is created by having CD’s and paperwork, off our plates.  It literally simplified the way that we work, and having the advantage of seeing all of the works on one page, and to be able to go back and forth on the artists pages to see their inspiration and statement, as invaluable.  And in turn, a venue can work with the information in the program, saving them time too.

10.  What's the most inspiring trip you've ever taken?
Leslie- I have been very fortunate to travel a great deal.  I believe one of  my favorite trips was to Italy:  we visited many parts of north-central Italy where we have close friends who live on the shore of Laggo Maggiore, on to Florence, and then to Rome.  The beauty of the land, the history, and the lifestyle and culture of the Italians was so inspiring.  Second to that would be Russia.
Jamie - My inspirational places to visit are Seattle, Ashland, OR, Cambridge, MA, NYC and San Francisco.  Mostly because there is family there.  And in those cities, there is a synergy with the architecture, artistic community, restaurants, culture, and they get my creative juices flowing.