Quilts=Art=Quilts 2022
A couple weeks ago, I took a trip to Auburn, New York to see the 2022 installment of Schweinfurth Art Center’s annual Quilts=Art=Quilts exhibition. My quilt Citron Swirl is part of the show, and it was exciting to see it hanging in such vibrant, colorful company.
Quilts have been associated with Schweinfurth for decades; they first hung in the center’s galleries in 1981.
Executive Director Donna Lamb says for a long time, Quilts=Art=Quilts separated submissions into two categories—traditional quilts and art quilts—and jurors used different sets of qualifications to evaluate the works. The distinction was removed in the early 2000’s, and these days the show features a delightful array of styles and techniques.
Program Director Davana Robedee told me the variety is intentional; jurors Sheila Frampton Cooper, Jacquie Gering, and Ana Lisa Hedstrom were instructed to select works that represent a wide range of aesthetics and straddle various quilting categories.
At the opening, I got to spend time with Lenny van Eijk, Audrey Esarey, Debbie Grifka, Judy Kirpich, and others. A complete list of participating artists is available here.
Judy’s solo show Emotional Constructs opened the same weekend, and if you have never seen her work before, I invite you to check it out! Seeing the Schweinfurth’s upstairs gallery filled with her quilts was spectacular. The exhibition summary says, “These pieces evoke a sense of opposing values: balance/unbalance, breaking apart apart/coming together.”
Finally, if you want to learn more about Citron Swirl and the evolution of my Swirl Series, Schweinfurth recorded this artist talk and shared it on their YouTube channel. Enjoy!
