New Age Quilting

Early embellishment of quilts consisted of embroidering designs and specialised stitches on the surface of a quilt, such as redwork quilts and crazy quilts. Nowadays, in the age of contemporary and art quilts, the sky is the limit in terms of materials and techniques. From silk, corduroy and velveteen to beads, sequins, bleach and embroidery, every conceivable material can be used to create an art quilt.

Sue Dennis, one of Australia’s leading contemporary art quilters, received the Quilters’ Guild of NSW Scholarship in 2006 and used the opportunity to journey to the United States for the Studio Art Quilt Associates [SAQA] Conference, Bridging the Gap: Quilt World to Art World, 24-27 May 2007. Sue was the SAQA Oceania representative.

Sue recalls her travels, “As I sipped a glass of Californian Zinfandel Rose on the 12th floor rooftop garden of the apartment building in the Upper West Side, Manhattan and watched the sunset over the Hudson River in New YorkCity, while the lights were illuminating the spire of the Empire Building, I pinched myself. WOW! Quilting had got me here!

“The scholarship I had received from the Quilters’ Guild of NSW allowed me to attend the SAQA conference in Athens, Ohio with a stopover before and post-conference in New York.

“SAQA [www.saqa.com] is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development and documentation. Founded in 1989 by an initial group of 50 artists, SAQA now boasts over 1300 members: artists, teachers, collectors, gallery owners, museum curators and corporate sponsors.

“SAQA defines an art quilt as a contemporary artwork exploring and expressing aesthetic concerns common to the whole range of visual arts:painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, assemblage and sculpture, which retains, through materials or technique, a clear relationship to the folk art quilt from which it descends.”

Sue spent several days attending workshops and lectures to promote and aid art quilters. She then attended Quilt National 2007, which she describes as an unforgettable experience (see our report on page 11).

Some of the major contemporary art competitions each year includethe International Quilt Festival, Houston, Quilt National, the International Husqvarna Viking Quilt Competition and the World Quilt and Textile competition, for which Sue Dennis is the Australian coordinator.

In Australia, Expressions: The Wool Quilt Prize is popular among leading Australian and New Zealand art quilters. The next competition will be held in 2008 and details can be found on the Oz quilt Network site: www.ozquiltnetwork.org.au
There are also art and contemporary quilt categories at all of the major guild competitions Australia-wide.