The artists featured in this exhibition are members of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), an organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt through exhibitions, publications, and professional-development opportunities. The IQM is pleased to partner with SAQA in this collaborative exhibition project.

SAQA Showcase: The Studio Art Quilt Associates Invitational began with a large pool of SAQA members who submitted representative examples of their art quilts for consideration. From among this group the International Quilt Museum and SAQA chose six artists whose works represent some of the best and most innovative approaches to studio art quilts. These artists were invited to select from their existing work or create new work for inclusion in the exhibition.

The artists express themselves through a variety of materials and techniques. Michael Cummings and Susan Shie incorporate text in their quilts, articulating their views on a range of historical and political topics; their text speaks to the viewer while also forming part of the quilts’ designs. Jan Myers-Newbury uses color, created through hand-dyeing, to evoke luminosity and an illusion of three-dimensional space. Deidre Adams explores the inevitable effect of time and human use on structures. Wen Redmond also explores time’s effects, using nature photographs in combination with painting to create ethereal landscapes. Gay Lasher uses photographs as the basis for her quilts, manipulating digital photography to portray vividly colored hard surfaces of urban life.

In all cases, the artists have used their individual approaches to show us what they see, think, or feel about the world around them.

Note: The views expressed in the artworks in this exhibition are those of the artists and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Nebraska or the International Quilt Museum