After 5: Two art exhibits connect creativity and quilts

Quilt art is on display through September in ThreadLines 2008 at Missouri State University’s Art & Design Gallery and in an untitled three-artist set at the Creamery Arts Center.

Both shows will be unveiled Sept. 5 during downtown Springfield’s First Friday Art Walk.

But the quilt focus doesn’t stop there. Two other events make it a quilt-centric month in Springfield.

The Ozark Piecemakers Quilt Guild is holding its biennial quilt show Sept. 18–20 at the Springfield Expo Center, 635 St. Louis St., and artist Susan Leslie Lumsden’s art quilts are on display at Gillioz Theatre, 325 Park Central East.

The connectivity is not by accident; it’s part of a larger movement in fiber arts, of which quilts is a subset. Modeled after trends in St. Louis and Philadelphia, the events will bring multiple points of interest into the art of quilting, says Springfield artist Pam Rubert, a quilter with pieces in the Springfield Regional Arts Council show at the Creamery across from Hammons Field.

“That was all planned out,” Rubert says. “(We) can draw a lot of visitors to town to hit three or four shows.”

Rubert’s Wish You Were Hair mixed-media quilts series comprises four quilts, inspired by her collection of vintage international post cards. Rubert transforms such monuments as the St. Louis Arch, Sydney Opera House and Eiffel Tower into hairstyles of her quilt characters.

The play on words reflects the nearly extinct use of post cards as a way to stay connected with traveling family or friends. The “wish you were here” post card note is now often replaced with e-mails or text messages, including original photos, from one’s destination.

In this series, Rubert says she starts each piece with a sketch, then scans it to computer for revisions before printing the pattern on banner paper. “It’s a continually evolving concept throughout the whole process,” she says, noting that she’ll display several of her drawings. “That’s all part of the art – it’s the process. A lot of times in a gallery, you just see a finished piece. It just doesn’t land out of the sky; you’ve got to start somewhere.”

Joining Rubert at the Creamery show is Lettie Blackburn’s and Emmie Seaman’s The Nature of Things. The exhibit is a combination of Blackburn’s watercolors and Seaman’s photographs on floral- and tree-themed quilts.

The three artists are members of Uncommon Threads, a regional group of art quilters whose members exhibit internationally.

In another link to the two exhibits, Uncommon Threads is sponsor of ThreadLines 2008 at MSU’s gallery.

ThreadLines is an international exhibition juried by Jason Pollen, chairman of Kansas City Art Institute’s fiber department and president of Surface Design Association. With an emphasis on creativity and nontraditional materials, Pollen selected 45 art quilts from 275 original entries.

Springfield artists Carol Bormann, Arleta Johnson and Christine Marcum, and Kimberling City artist Barb Pozek make the cut. Others selected hail from each corner of the United States and many cities in between.

A sneak peek for Springfield Business Journal reveals that these aren’t your grandmother’s quilts. The collection includes strong impressions of politics and war, flowing floral, pop culture, hippie appeal, rich oriental history and chemical infusion.

MSU Gallery Director Robin Lowe notes an emergence in war themes among contemporary art, regardless of medium. “It’s kind of depressing, but it is reality,” she says.

Applied materials to which the ThreadLines juror gave high remarks are diamond studs, watch pieces, chrome numbers and letters, newspaper clippings, stretched cotton and costume jewelry. These artists bring it all together to communicate their message on quilt.

Go see for yourself. You’ll get wrapped up in it.

The Shows

Springfield Regional Arts Council’s untitled exhibit

Opening reception: 6–9 p.m., Sept. 5

Gallery: Creamery Arts Center, 411 N. Sherman Ave.

Featured artists: Lettie Blackburn, Pam Rubert and Emmie Seaman

Noteworthy: The artists will discuss their works and techniques 7–8 p.m.

Hours: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday

More info: (417) 862-2787

ThreadLines 2008

Opening reception: 4–6 p.m., Sept. 5

Gallery: MSU Art & Design Gallery, 333 E. Walnut St.

Featured artists: Some 40 national quilters, including four locals: Carol Bormann, Arleta Johnson, Christine Marcum and Barb Pozek

Noteworthy: Bormann’s works require mannequins displaying ice storm pictures digitally applied to quilt and shaped into chic dresses

Hours: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday

More info: (417) 829-5092

More Art Quilts

The Ozark Piecemakers Quilt Guild is holding its biennial quilt show Sept. 18–20 at the Springfield Expo Center, 635 St. Louis St., and Thayer artist Susan Leslie Lumsden’s quilts are on display at Gillioz Theatre, 325 Park Central East.[[In-content Ad]]