QUILTCON FRIDAY: Special Exhibit Tour and Three Talks 01

Before the show opened I went on a pre-booked tour of the special exhibits led by Lisa Ellis, the President of SAQA,, Nancy Bavor director of San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles and Mary Fons who had curated the Aids Quilt Exhibit.
In a sense I feel SAQA realises there is something new happening and wants to be involved and also to show the original elements of the modern movement are building on past innovations of their members. As someone who has been interested in quilting and quilters past and present I enjoyed seeing early cutting edge works by quilting giants. The fact they may not seem so cutting edge now is tribute to their influence on those who followed.

Where Dreams Are Born by Joan Schulze 1976
Uses velour and a variety of fabric before quilting cottons were widely available.
It is also hand quilted and large before art quilts shrank.

Razzle Dazzle by Yvonne Porcella, founder of  SAQA 1981
No rotary cutter as yet but al by machine.

Michael James: Crosscurrents III 1990
Strip piecing continues to this day and he has had great influence though his
book and as a teacher.

Detail. Note the commercial fabric: I have the one with curves!

Nancy Crow #Study 11 1990
I was sorry this was such a small piece

Amelia Leigh (UK): Elizabethan II 2013

Maria Shell:  Tribe 2014

You can see the line following through the strips of Porcella,, then James to Maria Shell with Amelia Leigh using them in a more organic and somewhat representational way, Maria's work is instantly recognizable, interesting since she uses such a widespread piecing technique. Nanct Bevor mentioned her admiringly a few times.
Last Pasadena Maria submitted 6 quilts but all were rejected so she set up a site for her and other refusees to display their work. This time she has a prizewinning quilt in the show as well this one!