For more information, contact Dave Barnes, 620-792-9342.

October 14, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
barnesd@bartonccc.edu

By Dave Barnes, Shafer Gallery Director

On Saturday afternoons when I was a boy growing up in the little North Texas town of Electra, I would often steal into the basement of my Dad’s church and sit for hours under the quilting frame set up by the Women’s Misssionary Council. The ladies of the church would sing hymns, gossip and generally catch up on the goings-on in their world. All the while, thimbles clicked and nimble fingers darted in and out of the batting suspended on the quilting frame. I was always amazed at how they could piece together all those disparate pieces of fabric into a unified whole. There is something quintessentially American about quilt making. Practical and beautiful, multifaceted and multicultural, even the process of quilt making reflects our quilted society. Most of those quilts were made from time-honored, traditional quilt designs.

At Barton Community College’s Shafer Gallery, you will see the work of contemporary quilt makers who were challenged by the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Ky., to create original quilts based on the classic Sunflower block pattern. “New Quilts From an Old Favorite 2010: Sunflower,” is an exhibit of the 18 finalists’ winning quilts. These are not your grandmother’s quilts! They push quilt making into the realm of art making. If you have never seen an exhibition of art quilts before, you are in for a visual treat.

Opening with a reception from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24, the exhibit will continue through Dec. 10. The reception on Sunday will celebrate the homespun art of quilting, the “Sunflower” exhibit and American ingenuity. In addition to the quilts on display, members of Threadbenders Quilt Guild will have a quilting bee, musicians Wayne Long and Arthetta Long, acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and autoharpist from Wichita, will play traditional music, and members of the community will bring potluck desserts.

“New Quilts From an Old Favorite 2010” features the work of experienced quilters from 11 U.S. states and Canada who have modified the Sunflower design in imaginative ways, providing a wonderful look at the skills, techniques and creativity of today's quiltmakers. Support for the contest was provided by Fairfield Processing Corporation, Janome America, Incorporated, and Clover Needlecraft Inc. Local support for this exhibit is provided by Barton Community College, the Kansas Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. We hope to see you there!

The Shafer Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. The Gallery is closed during College-observed holidays. Admission is free. For more information, contact me, Dave Barnes, at the Shafer Gallery, 620-792-9342.

Winning Quilts Depict Sunflower Pattern in Multitude of Designs

First place in the “New Quilts From an Old Favorite: Sunflower” contest was awarded to Claudia Clark Myers of Duluth, Minn., and Marilyn Badger of St. George, Utah, for their quilt titled “Gypsy Caravans.” Classic Sunflower blocks in orange and blue spin in an asymmetrical arrangement evoking the look of a gypsy wagon.

The second-place quilt, “Sun Flower Duet,” by Geri Parker and Kathy McNeil of Coupeville, Wash., interprets the Sunflower block as a composition of 12 blocks on a glowing purple background.

Sharon Rotz of Mosinee, Wis., created the third-place quilt, “Leaning on the Fence.” This quilt adapts many Sunflower block designs to a roadside setting.

Placing fourth was “Rising and Radiant” by Ann Feitelson and Ronna Erickson of Montague, Maine, who played with color to make their Sunflower blocks glow and vibrate.

The fifth-place quilt was “Sunflower Sutra” by Marion Perrault and Helena Scheffer of Beaconsfield, Quebec, Canada. Their design realistically portrays a sunflower lifting its head to the sun.

Other quilts to be featured in the exhibit are:

“Follow the Sun (on Route 66)” by Kathryn Botsford of Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada

“Crowing for Sunflowers” by Jill Bryant and Nancy Brown of Chesterfield, Mo.

“The Prodigal Sunflower” by Donnah Burke of Kirkland, Wash.

“3-D Sunflowers” by Martha DeLeonardis of Katy, Texas

“Midnight in the Garden of Good and Nouveau” by Robin Gausebeck of Rockford, Ill.

“The Desert Shall Rejoice” by Julia Graber of Brooksville, Miss.

“Flora” by Mary Ann Herndon of The Woodlands, Texas

“Trickster in the Garden” by Patricia Hobbs of Macomb, Ill.

“Southern Borders” by Ann Horton of Redwood Valley, Calif.

“Welcoming the Son Into Our Garden” by Chris Lynn Kirsch and Wendy Rieves of Watertown, Wis.

“No Forwarding Address” by Theresea Reeves of Oberlin, Kan.

“Navajo Sunflower” by Karen Watts of Houston, Texas

“Graffitti, Sunflowers & Bricks” by Judy and Bill Woodworth of Gering, Neb.

A book featuring full-color photos of the 18 finalists and their award winning quilts, biographical information about each quilter in addition to tips, techniques and patterns has been published by the American Quilter’s Society and is available for purchase at the Shafer Gallery during the exhibit.

“Gypsy Caravans”
First Place
Claudia Clark Myers, Duluth, Minn.
Marilyn Badger, St. George, Utah

“Leaning on the Fence”
Third Place
Sharon Rotz, Mosinee, Wis.

“Rising and Radiant”
Fourth Place
Ann Feitelson and Ronna Erickson
Montague, Maine

“Sunflower Sutra”
Fifth Place
Marion Perrault and Helena Scheffer
Beaconsfield, Quebec, Canada

“Flora”
Finalist
Mary Ann Herndon
The Woodlands, Texas