Pleasant Surprise

I have been a member of SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) for many years and a JAM (Juried Artist Member) of same group for several years. One of the perks of being a JAM member used to be that you would have one full page of a quilt of your choosing in the annual Portfolio book. It was a lovely, large soft covered book that was distributed to galleries and museums and was available for purchase. I was so pleased to be in several issues.

A few years ago the powers that be decided to discontinue the annual Portfolio and replace it with Art Quilt Quarterly. As the name suggests it is a magazine that comes out four times a year. It is also distributed to galleries and museums and can also be acquired by subscription. I was in issue 14 with my political statement quilt, Presidential Fabrications. 

Issue 16 arrived in the mail yesterday and as I was browsing through I was thinking of which quilt I would enter for the next issue. Much to my surprise my quilt, All the News That's Fit To Print was on page 91. I didn't think I was eligible so soon, but apparently I was wrong. 

This quilt was made for an exhibit put on by my FiberWorks group. I copied several pages of the local newspaper onto fabric and then cut it up and sewed it with fine line piecing. I got most of the newspaper headings online and tried to have a wide variety. It has been a favorite piece of mine, so I am glad that it is "out there". The red in the quilt is actually a bright red, not as dark as shown in picture. The whole quilt reads a little darker than it is in person.

Being in the Portfolio and the Quarterly have been instrumental in my participation in an invitational show at an important museum and being asked to enter another prestigious show. 

In addition to the Portfolio section of the magazine there are several interesting articles and spotlights on different artists in the art quilt world. You can buy it at Barnes and Nobles, but I don't think they carry too many issues or you can buy it online or subscribe at the SAQA website, given in the first paragraph.