My Corner of the World: An Update!

Great news arrived this morning about the twin exhibits, My Corner of the World and My Corner of the World: Canada!

The exhibit's stay at the Stratford Perth Museum has been extended till October 20.  Thereafter, it begins it's cross-Canada tour with first stop in Thunder Bay!

As MCOTW: Canada curator, Bethany Garner, wrote this morning:

We are so pleased to announce that the Thunder Bay Museum has commissioned the joint My Corner of the World and My Corner of the World CANADA exhibitions for three months beginning on November 1 - January 29, 2017. This is a wonderful opportunity to see the amazing collection of Art Quilts by SAQA artists from around the world move into Canada and Ontario's northern areas and be available to the communities nearby for an extended period of time.

As a result, the STRATFORD PERTH MUSEUM in Stratford Ontario has extended the Exhibition in their location through October 10, 2016... hoping those of you who have not had the opportunity to see the 80 amazing  quilts will do just that and make the trip to Stratford before the quilts move on to Thunder Bay.

Once again, Thank You to each of our Canadian and International artists represented in this beautiful and so very exciting collection of art quilts! Special thanks to Micaela Fitzsimmons and her staff at the Stratford Perth Museum for a summer of welcoming the many hundreds of visitors to our Exhibition. And to Bill Reker, SAQA Exhibitions/Shipping Coordinator and the SAQA Executive and Exhibitions Committee members for arranging for the MY CORNER OF THE WORLD exhibition to become a reality as the first travelling exhibition of international SAQA artists work to come to Canada.

I can only add that our Western Canada members did us proud with their level of participation in this wonderful dual exhibit.  The quality of all the entries was so high that the juror, Micaela Fitzsimmons, opined that she could have created three eighty-piece shows with them.  Congratulations to everyone who contributed!

Note:  The Thunder Bay Museum is located in downtown Thunder Bay South, kitty-corner to City Hall near the intersection of Donald and May Streets. Our street address is 425 Donald St. East.  If you're going to be in Thunder Bay in the coming months, or have friends and family there, please suggest they visit!

A Call for Canadian Artists!

Moonlight Over Cordova (C)
Joan Hug-Valeriote

While at the Opening of the My Corner of the World twin exhibits in Stratford last May, yours truly* chanced to meet SAQA member Joan Hug-Valeriote, an Ontario artist who is mounting a multi-media exhibit of Canadian art quilts to celebrate Canada's Sesquicentennial (that's 150 years since Confederation) in 2017.

Now Joan is inviting all Canadian art quilters to be part of this unique presentation of both photographed and actual art quilts:

Be a part of celebrating Canada's Sesquicentennial Year by submitting photographs of your Contemporary Canadian Art Quilts for inclusion in an exciting multimedia Video and Art Quilt display curated by Joan Hug-Valeriote in the Berlin Tower Artspace, Kitchener City Hall, during April and May 2017.

This Call is open NOW and entries will be accepted through October 24, 2016.

For more details, click on Call for Entry .

*Posted by Margaret, Co-Rep (Alberta)

Show-outs in Calgary, Edmonton -- and Taiwan!

SAQA Western Canada members continue to do us proud in exhibits at home and overseas -- whether as part of SAQA, as soloists, or in other groups.

The Calgary POD has been busy with its own local exhibit, which has just closed at the Crowfoot Public Library in Calgary and opens again tomorrow (August 2) at the Art Gallery of the High River Public Library, 909 - 1st Street S.W. in that city -- and runs through the end of this month.

POD member Alison Dean Cowitz -- one of the artists in this exhibit -- visited it at the Crowfoot Library venue to capture these photographs:

And three Calgary-area SAQA members entered -- and took prizes -- at this year's Calgary Stampede.   "Roving Reporter", Alison Dean Cowitz, writes thus:

A big mention to Marie McEachern in entering for the first time at this years Calgary Stampede Creative Arts and Crafts Competition. A wonderful accomplishment for Marie. Her piece depicting her artistic interpretation of Calgary's downtown Bow building was turned down by the SAQA juried show for My Corner of the World [Canada]*, but was well received by the Stampede judges and awarded first prize ribbon in the Art quilt category and went on to be in the money prize for 2nd in [the entire Quilting] Section. A great shout out to art quilting too! This has shown me once again that art quilts are receiving more recognition in a typically traditional quilt judged show. Here's the link to the Western showcase Calgary Stampede :: Western Showcase.

The Bow Building
Marie McEachern, 2015

Other SAQA members also entered. Alison Dean Cowitz also received 2nd place ribbon in the Art Quilt category for "Rebirth of a Forest" which was a tribute to the recent forest fires in Fort McMurry.

Rebirth of a Forest
Alison Dean Cowitz, 2016.

Deborah Bray entered 2 pieces, one of them receiving a 3rd place ribbon in the Hand Quilted category, just beautiful!

Orange
Deborah Bray, 2015*

Deborah Bray, Calgary, 2016

 *Editor's Notes: 

1. Marie's piece, "Downtown" was successfully juried into My Corner of the World: Canada and is currently touring with that exhibit, at the Stratford-Perth Museum, Stratford, Ontario, until September 5.
2. Deborah's piece, "Orange" was featured in the March 20 e-mail newsletter produced by Janine Vangool, publisher of UPPERCASE magazine.  You can read more about that feature on the SAQA WC blog post HERE.

Meanwhile in Edmonton...

Member Mary Wilton of Camrose had her piece, "Generations of Gardeners", juried into the 2016 Biennial exhibit of the Edmonton-based Focus on Fibre Arts Association.  This year, the theme was "My Heritage"...and Mary's piece beautifully illustrates hers...

Generations of Gardeners
Mary Wilton, 2015

My Heritage  will be on exhibit at the 2nd floor Gallery, Enterprise Square, 10230 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, through August 31.  For additional venues, please check the "Networking" page at the top of the blog.


And in Taiwan...

The Taiwan International Quilt Exhibition 2016 was held in Tainan City, Taiwan, from April 30 through May 29, the theme of which was "Save the Environment". Following the Exhibition, beautiful catalogues and tote bags were sent to the artists who participated.

By chance...yours truly was able to find out which SAQA WC members had pieces in this prestigious exhibition...and there were at least three:

Alberta member and Co-Rep, Margaret Blank, participated in two group exhibits -- with the Fifteen by Fifteen International Quilting Group and in Trunk C of the 25th Anniversary SAQA Trunk Show.

Back to the Garden - 2013
One of three pieces by Margaret
included in the 15 x 15 Group exhibit at TIQE

Saskatchewan member, Paula Jolly of Mossbank, participated in Trunk H of the 25th Anniversary SAQA Trunk Show.

Painting Rocks - 2014
Paula M. Jolly

And Alberta member Patricia Scott of Edmonton participated in a group exhibit mounted by The Canadian Group, founded by Brenda Miller of the Huron Perth Quilters Guild in Ontario, after she was inspired by a meeting with SAQA Rep Hsin-Chen Lin while on a trip to Taiwan in 2014.  Brenda tells the story of how the group came about on her blog HERE.

Here's the photo of Pat's piece, straight from the TIQE catalogue...

Waterlily - 2015
Patricia Scott

Congratulations to all these artists!  Best wishes for continued success -- and continued exhibiting of your work -- and thanks to Alison for the Road Trip and Stampede photos and the story behind them.

(Apologies to anyone we missed!  If you were excluded -- through ignorance on our part -- please contact Margaret with your story and photos so that your work can be celebrated too.)