Indianapolis, Indiana, USA • June 23, 2016 - September 4, 2016
SAQA members from 8 Midwestern states are included in this juried exhibition coordinated by Kate Lenkowsky. Artists were invited to submit work that is inspired by and responds to the early 20th century quilts designed and made by Indiana native, Marie Daugherty Webster (1859-1956). Niloo Paydar, Curator of Textiles and Fashion Arts at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, was the juror for this exhibition, organized in conjunction with the IMA's exhibition of "A Joy Forever: Marie Webster Quilts."
I was thrilled to have my quilt accepted into this prestigious show. To enter, you needed to create a quilt as a modern response to one of her quilts from the early 20th century. I chose to respond to her quilt Pink Roses/American Beauty.
My quilt is the modern interpretation of Marie Webster’s Pink Rose/American Beauty. Marie’s quilt shows somewhat abstracted roses arranged formally in a repeating symmetrical pattern. It is very modern for its time but expresses a rigidity that mirrors women’s expected roles in society. I like to think my quilt might express a Marie Webster of today, with the increased freedom women have to pursue their goals, to reach for the sky and bloom, to not be constrained by traditional bonds. Slashed fabric, raw edges, wild and unfettered stitchery, fabric of differing weight and origin, melded together to represent a woman’s art today.
Here is my quilt: