Newest Art Genre-Art Quilts
The newest art genre-art quilts are one of the newest genres to enter the field of art. Back in 1989 The Studio Art Quilt Associates(SAQA)https://www.saqa.com/ began in Northern California by a group of about 50 artists. As a result,it has now spread across the globe and grown into a membership of over 4000. Yet,not all quilt artists use the same techniques nor materials. After that,there is a wide variation. Fabric is the medium. Likewise,two or three layers of fabric may be used for the final product.
Studio Art Quilt Associates(SAQA)
Since their start,SAQA promotes art quilts as fine art. From SAQA’s website, Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt: “a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure.”
Over the past 30 years, SAQA has grown into a dynamic and active community of nearly 4,000 artists, curators, collectors, and art professionals located around the world. Our vision is that the art quilt is universally respected as a fine art medium.
In addition,SAQA offers a wide range of resources for its members. Consequently,the entries in their shows are of the highest quality and expression.
The Fabric of our Lives
First of all,clothing or fabric is near and dear to our hearts. We all wear clothes for our whole lives, sometimes twenty four hours a day. Furthermore,we wrap ourselves in extra layers to stay warm. That is to say that quilts represent home, love and well being especially at night. Moreover, idioms in various languages attest to the depth of fabric’s affect. In the same vein,the texture of its weave reaches deep into cultures, past and present.
A Family Member’s Quilts
To begin,many conversations that I have had about art quilts start with a reference to a family member’s hand made quilts. This bothers some artists who want to distance themselves from seamstresses and the bed quilters. Not me though, I started out making bed quilts. In other words,I know the pull and charm of them, notwithstanding the love they embody. Abstract art or fabric collages use similar techniques as traditional quilts. Yet their function is quite different. They are not diminished by the quilts people wrap themselves in.
Shared Experiences
Furthermore,creating bridges in communication is more helpful than not. We have a possible entry to conversation through our shared experience with fabric. Yet, for the artist,this beginning must move on to a discussion of the actual art or the process to make the piece.
Museums
Above all,top notch museums have shed light on quilt artists with their gallery shows. This has helped to elevate the interest and value of all art quilters. Only then can the art viewing public begin to understand fabric as part of the artist’s palette of materials.
Long may this newest art genre-art quilts prosper and grow! Feel free to ask questions to further your own knowledge.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/annbmayartquilts/
https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2020/05/mexican-drawn-thread-work-by-leigh-thelmadatter/
https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2017/08/eli-leon-collector-of-quilts-and-other-items/
https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2019/12/african-american-quilts/