Scenes from a Meeting

Select photos from a very BRIGHT and sunny morning at the Lyric, our perennial meeting space in St. Paul, on Nov. 17. Pictured top to bottom: The group examining various works by members; discussion of Jean Judd's work; Peggy Wright's incredible beading and fabric art; group examining more work by Peggy during Show N Tell; detail of works on view.

Happy New Year everyone! Our next SAQA MN meeting happens on January 19, 10:30am at The Lyric. Please put it on your calendar! 
Another note: Just got my postcard today for "A Common Thread: Textile Center Members Exhibition," running Jan. 18-March 2, 2013. SAQA MN has a bunch of members in this show! The reception is January 18, 6 to 8pm, the night before our meeting. Hope to see you there! 

Jean M. Judd, Elk River Area Arts Alliance, Arts in Harmony, 2013 International Juried Art exhibition

The Elk River Area Arts Alliance has announced textile artist Jean M. Judd of Cushing, Wisconsin as one of the artists selected for inclusion in the Arts in Harmony, 2013 International Juried Art exhibition. Artwork selected for inclusion in the exhibit includes: Scribble #2: Black Pathways.  This year is Judd’s sixth being included in this prestigious exhibition.

Exhibit juror Curt Pederson, Curator of Exhibits and Collections at the American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis has selected artworks from one of the largest submission pools ever received. The exhibit opens on February 4, 2013 and is open through March 28, 2013. The artists' reception and awards presentation (over $10,000) is on February 10, 2013 from 1 to 3:30pm. The address for the exhibition is:

Sherburne County Government Center

13880 US Highway 10

Elk River, Minnesota 55330

This exhibition is the largest juried fine art exhibition in the state of Minnesota and is in its 18^th year. Visit the Arts Alliance web site, www.elkriverart.org, for more information about the organization, exhibitions, etc.  Exhibition Director is Mr. Robert Meyer.

Jean M. Judd shares her journey in ongoing series of books, An Artist’s Journey

Join award winning textile artist Jean M. Judd as she shares her journey as a textile artist and art quilter in this ongoing series of books, An Artist’s Journey (ISBN-13:978-1481009461). Discover her thoughts, inspirations, and influences as she shares her experiences in Book 1 released in November of 2012. View a diverse selection of her hand stitched textile artworks and commission pieces from 1995 to 2006 along with breathtaking scenic images from across the US. Her introspection and contemplation may also shed some light on your own journey: professionally, personally, spiritually, or artistically.

The series will be available on www.amazon.com as well as www.createspace.com/4057477 Book 2 and Book 3 of the series is slated for release in 2013. Brick and mortar booksellers will also be handling the book so be sure to check your local bookstore too.

Hi All,
Our next SAQA MN meeting will take place on November 17, at 10:30am at The Lyric (as usual). Agenda soon to be determined. I suspect a number of people have announcements to share (I know I do); perhaps your work sold at the SAQA Auction?! Stay tuned for more info.
Peace,
JS

SAQA Notes: "This is a Quilt!"

Greetings! We had a lovely time on September 15th, at The Lyric, enjoying a lively discussion that centered around our enjoyment of the trunk show: "This is a Quilt!" (see below for more info) We have Trunk D, one of the seven trunks presently traveling the globe. Containing about 30 pieces, the work included a diverse selection of techniques, themes and approaches. There was even a three-dimensional quilted sculpture encased in Plexiglas. Each attending SAQA member chose one piece that particularly spoke to her, and we took turns reporting on our chosen works. We shared the pertinent information included with the piece, then discussed the ways each piece personally resonated for the SAQA artist. Trunk D will be shared at a future Minnesota Contemporary Quilters meeting, on Monday Sept. 24. Other dates pending. Contact Peggy Wright for more info, mwright1438@comcast.net.

Our next meeting date and location is in the process of being determined. Watch your email inbox for a SurveyMonkey missive that will help us make some important choices! 

Unbelievably it's September, and the first cool breezes are wafting through the house, prompting thoughts of bed quilts and wool batting. On the 15th of September we will have one last Saturday meeting at The Lyric, at 10:00am until Noon. We'll have the wonderful opportunity to view Trunk D of "This is a Quilt!", SAQA’s second Trunk Show, curated by Deb Cashatt and Kris Sazaki. See below for info. 

Remember: The SAQA 2012 Benefit Auction starts Monday, SEPT. 10! At 1:00pm Central Time. Visit www.saqa.com to view Group 1 of the 288 small works of art, donated by SAQA members to raise money to support SAQA's exhibition, education and outreach programs. 

Also: We will enjoy a little birthday cake or some such to mark the birthdays of your two co-reps, Jennifer C. and Jennifer S., whose special days fall on Aug. 29 and Sept. 15 respectively. Cake is good, right? Bring something to share if you like. 

See you there! 

MORE INFO ON THE TRUNK SHOW: This is a Quilt! is SAQA’s second Trunk Show. Curated by Deb Cashatt and Kris Sazaki, it showcases SAQA’s diversity of talent and its mission to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development, documentation, and publications. Two hundred sixty-eight SAQA artists at every level of their careers answered the invitation to submit a quilt to the Trunk Show, in order to answer the question, “How do we as SAQA members explain what we do –- create quilts -- without people immediately thinking of a nine-patch that goes on your bed?”

Seven trunks, containing 30-50 art quilts, will travel the globe between 2011 and 2013. The pieces are in 12” square white mats with 8" openings, and are presented in clear envelopes with artists’ statements on the back. Some trunks also contain 3D pieces housed in acrylic boxes.

The trunk show is a wonderful way for members and non-members alike to view and engage with quilts made using a wide variety of styles, techniques, and fibers. Some regions might want to organize special meetings around the trunk show and invite local quilt groups to view the works. Other regions might want to use the trunk show as the basis for a critique session while still more might consider exhibiting the trunk show in their local libraries or art centers.

Jean M. Judd of Cushing, Wisconsin to be featured on electronic bulletin board in Atlanta

Textile artist Jean M. Judd of Cushing, Wisconsin will have six of her textile artworks featured on an electronic bulletin board in Atlanta, Georgia. The Billboard Art Project is a special project started in 2010 to feature artists’ work on electronic billboards in select cities across the USA.

Artworks by Ms. Judd to be featured on the billboard from September 29 to October 26, 2012 include: Art Deco #1, Contaminated Water #6: Suspended Particles, Flaming Grapes, Fractured ‘Gello #1, Rusted Grapes and Scribble #2: Black Pathways. 

 This billboard is located right behind a Citgo Station on Peachtree Road NE. The board faces north, so you see it while driving southbound right around 2064 Peachtree Road NE. The images will change on the billboard every 6 to 10 seconds depending on the local department of motor vehicle's regulations.

A few days before the exhibition starts on the electronic billboard, the names of the featured artists and their web sites will be available on line at this web site: http://billboardartproject.org/cities/atlanta.html

The Billboard Art Project is a nonprofit organization that acquires digital billboards normally used for advertising and repurposes them as roadside galleries. The organization shows projects in cities all over the country, and the projects are open to all individuals and groups who are interested in participating.

Jean M. Judd of Cushing, Wisconsin, Pinnacle 2012 National Juried Art Competition

The Foster Tanner Fine Arts Gallery in Tallahassee, Florida has selected textile artist Jean M. Judd of Cushing, Wisconsin for inclusion in the Pinnacle 2012 National Juried Art Competition. Artwork selected for inclusion in the exhibit includes: Contaminated Water #2: Pond Scum. 

Contaminated Water 2

 This exhibit was open to artists residing in the United States, working in 2- and 3-dimensional mediums. Exhibit juror Steven Bernard Jones selected the art works from a pool of submissions.

The exhibition opens on September 7, 2012 and is open through September 28, 2012. The artists' reception and awards presentation is on September 7, 2012 from 6 to 8pm. The address of the gallery is:

 Foster Tanner Fine Arts Gallery

 1630 Pinder Street

 Tallahassee, Florida  32307

Visit the gallery web site at www.famuart.com/fostertannergallery.htmhttp://www.famuart.com/fostertannergallery.htm  for more information about the exhibition and gallery or call 850-599-8755 to speak to Aja Roache, Gallery Coordinator.

Jean M. Judd, Breckenridge Fine Arts Center's Juried Art Show

The Breckenridge Fine Arts Center in Breckenridge, Texas has selected textile artist Jean M. Judd of Cushing, Wisconsin for inclusion in the Breckenridge 21st Annual, Juried Art Show Sale and Competition. Artwork selected for inclusion in the exhibit includes: Sound Waves #1. 

This exhibition was open to artists residing in the United States, working in 2 and 3-dimensional art mediums. 

The center received well over 200 submissions, and exhibition juror John Pototschnik selected 125 artworks to be included in the exhibit.

The exhibition opens on August 13, 2012 and runs through September 21, 2012. The artists' reception and awards presentation is on August 19, 2012 from 2 to 4pm. The address of the art center is:

Breckenridge Fine Arts Center

207 North Breckenridge Avenue

Breckenridge, TX   76424

Visit the art center's web site at www.breckenridgefineart.org for more information about the exhibition and gallery or call 254-559-6602 to speak to Victoria MacFarlane, Director.

Agenda for July 24, 2012

Greetings All! 

Our next meeting takes place at 6:30pm on Tuesday, July 24 at The Lyric (765 Hampden Ave, St. Paul 55114.) This is our last meeting at The Lyric, sadly; unless otherwise noted, future meetings will take place at Grace Center for Community Life, in Northeast Minneapolis. 

The following items will be included in the next meeting's agenda. Please contact me or Jennifer Conrad if you wish to add items to the agenda.

July 24: Agenda

Welcome/Introductions
Best Foot Forward: a quick review & feedback from those who attended the MQ show in Rochester MN, in June.  

PAMS support/discussion group - any takers? 

Member Benefits Survey

Show and Tell

FILM: "Stitched!" Stitched is a fun-filled documentary following three quilters racing to complete their entries for the International Quilt Festival, the largest quilt show in the nation. The Houston show draws more than 50,000 quilters including three artists who created some controversy with their work. Quilting legend Caryl Bryer Fallert was the first to win a major prize for her quilt made with a sewing machine. She mentored Hollis Chatelain who caused a stir when she won an award for a painted quilt. And Hollis mentored Randall Cook who sparked controversy with his quilt of a male nude. In this 72-minute documentary, these quilters create their pieces to compete in the 2010 quilt show.

Are you interested in becoming a Profession Artist Member (PAM) of SAQA? Have you ever applied, or are you currently preparing an application? Please reply with a comment on this posting if you are interested in joining a discussion with your regional reps about PAM-level membership, its benefits, and its challenges. We're interested in why (or why not) you think PAM membership is important to you, and we'd like to create a cohort offering mutual support, advice and encouragement for aspiring PAMs. Interested? Let us know! Follow the link above for the SAQA definition of a Professional Artist Member, and for application guidelines.

Minutes from May 12, 2012

Hi All. Yes, I'm tardy in posting the minutes from the last meeting - my apologies. Here's what happened:

Welcome, Intros

1. Business & Announcements: 

• We're wrapping up the entry process for our MQ show offering, "Best Foot Forward." Jennifer Conrad will deliver the works to be shown to the MQ office by the June 7 deadline. 
• There is a possibility that "Best Foot Forward" will be shown at the American Craft Council offices in Northeast Minneapolis this year. Jennifer Conrad will arrange. 
• Summer schedule meeting poll: The group elected to continue meetings over the summer, switching to the Tuesday night schedule as has been done in the past. Our next meeting will be on July 24, at 6:30pm, at The Lyric.*Note that this will probably be our last meeting at The Lyric (sadly), because Jennifer C. is moving to a new residence and will no longer have free use of The Lyric's community room. Jennifer S. can offer free meeting space at her workplace in Northeast Minneapolis, though it won't be as pleasantly appointed as The Lyric! More info at the next meeting. Anyone else willing to host a meeting should contact the Jennifers.   

     2.  Presentation by photographer Jeff Conrad: Guidelines for preparing and shooting your work, available 

          through SAQA-U, were distributed to those present. Let us know if you need copies, and we'll email     

          them to you. Jeff took us through a quick overview that included color correction, backdrops, camera 

          types, saving and transmitting files for jurying etc, and other useful info. 

(Break - 15 mins) 

After the break, artists who brought work to be photographed by Jeff assembled in an adjacent room. The rest of us, and some of those waiting their turn with Jeff, continued with discussion. 

1. "13 Blackbirds" - An exhibit of works by the Fiber Artists Coalition, inspired by the poem (previously published on this blog), Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens. This show was recently exhibited at the American Craft Council offices. Jennifer Conrad is presently in possession of the artwork and shared those pieces with us, displaying them around the meeting room. We looked at the work and briefly discussed. 
2. The floor opened for discussion of future themed shows that SAQA-MN might undertake as a group.  Everyone agrees it's great to have our work out there for viewing, and our group is better represented with organized exhibits of unified work. Some suggestions for theme shows included: Maps - look at work by Valerie Goodwin as an example of how we might explore this theme. Change - Life changes, the dichotomy of constancy versus change, etc. Voice - inspired by this quote by Georgia O'Keeffe: “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.”  The group agreed that it would be important to continue implementing size restrictions as a way to unify a body of work. We also agree it's nice to have at least six months to plan and work towards a show deadline. 

Other announcements:

• Fiber Artists Coalition has a show coming up that is themed around recycling, called "Salvage to Selvedge." Stay tuned for more info. 
• Melissa Nellis is putting together a show of MN fiber artists of Finnish heritage. Contact her for more info. 
• "The Complete Photo Guide to Art Quilting" by Susan Stein is finally available at a book store near you! Congratulations Susan! 
• We need suggestions for good local photographers to document our work. If you have had a good experience with a local photographer, please let Jennifer S. know, and we will post the photographer's contact info online in an evolving list, for referrals. 

Conclusion - Thanks everyone for another wonderful gathering, and thanks Jeff Conrad for helping artists preserve and document their artwork! 

Jean M. Judd, show at the Peninsula Fine Arts Center in Newport News, Virginia

The Biennial 2012 Fine Art Exhibition has accepted textile artist Jean M. Judd of Cushing, Wisconsin into a show at the Peninsula Fine Arts Center in Newport News, Virginia. Her artwork, Twirling Leaves #2, is one of the artworks selected for the exhibit. The exhibition will feature 87 artworks selected from 681 submissions.

             Twirling Leaves #2

The juror for this exhibition was David Mickenberg, Executive Director and senior curator at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Virginia. Mr. Mickenberg is an active scholar with expertise in the areas of modern painting and printmaking and in 12^th century French architecture.

The exhibition opens to the public on July 21, 2012. An artists' reception, juror's talk, and awards presentation will occur on Friday, July 20, 2012 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.  The exhibition closes on October 7, 2012. The address of the facility is Peninsula Fine Arts Center (Pfac), 101 Museum Drive, Newport News, Virginia 23606. Visit the Peninsula Fine Arts Center’s website at http://www.pfac-va.org for more information about the exhibition or call Michael Preble, Curator/Program Director, at 757-596-8175.

13 Blackbirds

The Fiber Artists Coalition is made up of Professional Artist Members of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) from the upper Midwest. FAC curates traveling exhibits of its members' works.  Members employ a variety of innovative materials and techniques in the creation of fiber art with a contemporary edge. Some members have published books about their artistic processes and are in demand as teachers and presenters. Many exhibit their work in juried group and solo exhibitions within and beyond the U.S. The eleven members whose works are included in this show are Frieda Anderson, Astrid Hilger Bennett, Kathie Briggs, Shelley Brucar, Clairan Ferrono, Peg Keeney, Pat Kroth, Casey Puetz, Joan Potter Thomas, Laura Wasilowski, and Trish Williams.

As an example, Clairan Ferrono’s Eye of the Blackbird interprets the opening stanza:

Among twenty snowy mountains,

The only moving thing

Was the eye of the blackbird.

In The Beauty of Innuendo, local artist Astrid Hilger Bennett chose to interpret Stanza V:

I do not know which to prefer,

The beauty of inflections

Or the beauty of innuendoes,

The blackbird whistling

Or just after.

List of Blackbirds participating artists plus state of residence:

Astrid Hilger Bennett, Iowa City, IA

Kathie Briggs, Charlevoix, MI

Shelley Brucar, Buffalo Grove, IL

Cheryl Dineen Ferrin, Mattawan, MI

Clairan Ferrono, Chicago, IL

Peg Keeney, Harbor Springs, MI

Pat Kroth, Verona, WI

Casey Puetz, Waukesha, WI

Joan Potter Thomas, Northville, MI

Laura Wasilowski, Elgin, IL

Trish Williams, Chicago, IL

Source Material:

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, by Wallace Stevens

Among twenty snowy mountains,

The only moving thing

Was the eye of the blackbird.

II

I was of three minds,

Like a tree

In which there are three blackbirds.

III

The blackbird whirled in the autumn winds.

It was a small part of the pantomime.

IV

A man and a woman

Are one.

A man and a woman and a blackbird

Are one.

V

I do not know which to prefer,

The beauty of inflections

Or the beauty of innuendoes,

The blackbird whistling

Or just after.

VI

Icicles filled the long window

With barbaric glass.

The shadow of the blackbird

Crossed it, to and fro.

The mood

Traced in the shadow

An indecipherable cause.

VII

O thin men of Haddam,

Why do you imagine golden birds?

Do you not see how the blackbird

Walks around the feet

Of the women about you?

VIII

I know noble accents

And lucid, inescapable rhythms;

But I know, too,

That the blackbird is involved

In what I know.

IX

When the blackbird flew out of sight,

It marked the edge

Of one of many circles.

X

At the sight of blackbirds

Flying in a green light,

Even the bawds of euphony

Would cry out sharply.

XI

He rode over Connecticut

In a glass coach.

Once, a fear pierced him,

In that he mistook

The shadow of his equipage

For blackbirds.

XII

The river is moving.

The blackbird must be flying.

XIII

It was evening all afternoon.

It was snowing

And it was going to snow.

The blackbird sat

In the cedar-limbs.