Quilt National

Quilt National

I was privileged to visit the Quilt National exhibit in St. Charles, MO this week.  It held some surprises.  Sometimes it’s hard to see what judges are looking for.   Best of Show was a surprise.  I loved its abstract-ness in the book, but at the Foundry Center I was viewing it too close so I could not fully appreciate the piece at all.  The book is invaluable because it gives insight into what the judges were looking for.  This sparked conversation as to how to define the term “ambitious” when viewing  the work that was presented.  I also find it interesting to read the statement from the Quilt National website, which is as follows:

“Quilt National was intended to demonstrate the transformations taking place in the world of quilting. Its purpose was then, and still is, to carry the definition of quilting far beyond its traditional parameters and to promote quiltmaking as what it always has been — an art form.”

I notice some artists with repeating and similar work have been selected over and over again,  which surprises me, especially in light of the word “transformations” in the above statement.  When a fairly young art novice such as me can easily recognize the maker of a piece just by seeing the piece, I know the judges can too. There were a lot of new artists in this show which I think is a good thing, if they meet the criteria of the purpose of the show.  I congratulate the few who were juried in out of the over 1000 entries.  That is indeed a privilege when there are so many to choose from.  And I do not envy the judges their task at all!

Monday Musings…

It’s the day before election day.  I am preparing for my day tomorrow as an election judge.  It is a very long day. At the center I work at, there are two precincts and some of us potluck, so I have made two batches of turkey chili and some salsa crab dip to have with corn chips and salsa.  We usually nibble all day long.  I will be up by 4 a.m. and probably earlier as I need to arrive at the voting center by 5 a.m with polls to open at 6 a.m.  I  drive 8 miles on a very winding road (as in, one curve right after another) to get to the polling place…and in the dark, that can be a bit weird.  It’s all rural, so I have to watch out for deer.  So this morning I was awake at 5.  It’s about 1:30 p.m. right now and I already want to take a nap, but I can’t because I won’t sleep tonight…and that’s the important part…that I sleep tonight.  I probably won’t get back home tomorrow night until 9 p.m.  After the polls close at 7, it will take us an hour to get everything wrapped up and ready to go to the courthouse, and I usually go to the courthouse with the stuff.  There is a new girl working with us tomorrow…hmmm…I wonder if she’ll want to go to the courthouse in my place?  Then I can get home earlier.  We’ll see.

I am taking some fabric ready to hand piece some blocks with me.  Even though the anticipation is a 92% turnout, I live in a very rural area and the precinct I judge in doesn’t have many voters, so I expect to have time to do a little sewing.  Reading will only make me sleepy!

It will all soon be over for another election year and we will have a new president in January.  I am looking forward to finding out who that will be.  Later.

VOTE NOVEMBER 4