Historically, quilting has been a practical technique to provide warmth and comfort. Decorative elements were also often present and at times quilts were used to memorialize loved ones or make political statements.
Today many quilts are primarily art pieces; created in a wide variety of sizes and shapes with numerous techniques and materials. Quilting has consistently remained an artform primarily completed by women, frequently collaboratively. From historic quilting bees to modern “telephone challenges,” (not to mention pandemic-era Zoom meetings), quilting continues to serve as both a creative outlet and a community building artform.
The unintended theme in this collection of quilts made by the members of the Courthouse Quilters over the past three years is Perception.
How does one interpret a whispered message or, in this case, a shared theme? How does one find the beauty in tragedy? How does one draw inspiration and make the decision to create something literal, figurative, imaginative or whimsical? When the theme is given invariably--a window--does one create a scene from the inside looking out or the outside looking in?
It all depends on Perception.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Al Accettola
Pam Abrosio
Andrea Cavallaro
Betty Czerwinski
Carol Esch
Babette Galinak
Mada Galloway
Cass Garner
Stephanie Greenberg
Ellen Heath
Laura Kohl
Gina Krejsa
Joan Lasota
Mary Lowe
Jude McCormick
Annie Palumbo
Ann Pietropinto
Cathy Preston
Mary Swarzenberger
Nicky Wallis
Linda Wood
GALLERY
"blessings"
Carol Esch - 33"x21" Wall Hanging
In the earliest days of the pandemic, many of us found ourselves grappling with the questions:
What do I do to occupy myself at home?
Is there any way I can help?
How do I grieve for the thousands of lives lost?
Artist Carol Esch found an answer to all three with her sewing. In spite of the challenges of being able to secure elastic and other sewing supplies, she managed to sew 1,400 masks to help ensure that her family, friends and community could stay safe.
After viewing an image of refrigerated trucks in New York City to alleviate overwhelmed morgues, she realized she could once again turn to her creative outlet to help work through her sorrow. Using scraps of material from her mask-making, including a fabric with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that used to make a mask for a priest while giving communion, Carol was able to transform the surreal into the profound.
“In Retrospect” by Joan Lasota
“Spiked Limeade with a Twist” by Joan Lasota
TELEPHONE CHAIN CHALLENGES
Quilt artists were challenged to create art quilts based on the children’s game of telephone, whereby the first person whispers something to the second person and it continues on around the circle to the last person who reveals what s/he heard. It often doesn’t resemble what was first said.
Each month the participants in the challenge were given a different person’s quilt to use as their inspiration, but were blind to the previous quilts passed. They were placed in a sealed envelope!
