An exhibit on quilting at the Art Gallery of Sudbury by the Sudbury and District Quilting & Stitchery Guild opens Thursday and runs until Jan. 5.
An opening reception for The Art of Quilting takes place at the art gallery from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21.
The exhibition features 51 new textile works that demonstrate needlework techniques, including quilting, piecing, paper piecing, fabric origami, thread painting, applique, needle felting and stitchery, by members of the Sudbury and District Quilting & Stitchery Guild.
The exhibition is a wonderful introduction to and celebration of the needle worker’s art. Each work is a story, accompanied by an artist statement that describes the choices made in the art work’s production.
Patterns may be original, sourced from traditional quilt patterns, adapted from patterns in magazines, online sources, or attributed to other quilters. Materials used in the works in the exhibition include cotton, paper, silk, satin, lace, batik fabrics, fabric dye, embroidery floss, felted wool, alpaca wool, sequins, floral wire, beads, organza, vintage velvet and lace.
The quilting may have been produced by hand, domestic machine, by longarm quilting machine, by original design, pattern or free-hand.
Artists in the exhibition include Susan Cardinal, Sandra Castonguay, Joan Chabot, Janet Clark, Marilyn Clulow, Margaret Conibear, Elizabeth Denton, Lynda Edman, Anne Falvo, Natalie Ferguson, Louise Gosselin, Kelsey Gunn, Tracy Gunn, Cathy Harnish, Louise Henri, Carmen Huggins, Pat Jacobson, Cloe Lilly, Patti MacKinnon, Dot Manchuk, Liz Marcotte, Colette May, Louise Mayer, Juliet McDonald, Marjorie McEwen, Kathryn McIlmoyle, Betty McLeod, Dorothy McPhail, Elaine Paxton, Judy Peloso, Lucy St. Amant, Janet Wiebe, Susan Young, and Florence Ziminski.
“In January 2018, we reached out to the Sudbury and District Quilting & Stitchery Guild to open up the idea of a new community-based exhibition,” says Demetra Christakos, the gallery's director/curator.
“Guild members developed a methodology for organizing the exhibition in keeping with their community practices and values, formed an exhibition committee for this project, developed a theme – 'Celebrating the Old with the New' – and, through two open invitations to their members, brought together these 51 works, which are smaller pieces scaled to fit the dimensions of the art gallery’s walls.”
The Sudbury and District Quilting and Stitchery Guild is a volunteer-run guild established in 1975, with approximately 150 members. They meet once a week and are active most of the year, between September and April.
The guild’s learning initiative is supported by their wide-ranging programs, with ongoing projects such as Block of the Month Lottery, In-Club Quilt, Cuddle Quilts (donation of quilts to 15 organizations in Greater Sudbury including Neonatal, Genevra House, longterm care facilities, among others), and informative classes held throughout the guild year.
The guild is also founder of the Quilts on the Rocks show which is held every three years. Quilts on the Rocks draws quilters and stitchers from across Northern Ontario and is the largest show of its kind in the north.
Admission is by donation. The Art Gallery of Sudbury is located at 251 John St. The gallery is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Visit www.artsudbury.org or phone 705-675-4871.
