I came to making art quilts as my main work at a bit of a slant, as described in this post from 2015. When I realized this new direction was going to be more than temporary, I joined Studio Art Quilt Associates to widen opportunities to show my work. So many of the exhibitions I was interested in were under the umbrella of SAQA (as it is known); you had to be a member to enter the calls. The venues were prominent and outstanding, which prompted me even further. It took several tries and fees before one of my quilts, Hand Gun, was accepted to a SAQA show.
Since 2017, and many more tries, three more quilts were accepted into global exhibitions, three into regional shows, and one into a virtual show (list and links at the end of this post). I felt and still feel that all the fees and dues were worthwhile. In addition to the notable museums to which they have connections, SAQA's juried global shows promise the accepted artists a catalogue of the show. The regional shows are run locally and on a much tighter budget, so artists may buy those catalogues if they want one. For nearly all of the SAQA exhibitions, the quilts travel for three years to different places: another amazing feature.
Which brings me around to their auctions. For a few years I have logged in and bid on small quilts that interested me, made by members who donated them: SAQA has a few each year with different size specifications. I've always been beat out by other bidders who ferociously wanted the same ones. But that is okay! The funds go to the organization, to help pay for those gratis catalogues, exhibition venue fees, and mailing the quilts back to the artists. Organizations do not live on dues alone.
When the call for 6" x 8" mini quilts came this year I decided it was my turn to participate, to give. I can't stop making things, and having in mind that this would be a little quilt to give away did not make me feel unhappy, but it made me feel joyful; I could make it with love for someone I knew not who. In a few days, Go Fish was born. A little taste of many of my previous quilts (and a preview of one I am working on now). And I got to try out the new shimmery Lumiere fabric paint color, (538) Galaxy: it's an almost black base with tiny blue glitter. Lots of hand stitching.
I will post a link when the auction goes live, if you would like to bid on it: it's a few months away, April 3-6, 2025 is when the auction will be open at the website (At that time, or a little sooner, you will need to make an account with Handbid.)
A game, a sport, a warning, a living – all of the above. These are four fish commonly caught by fishers with longlines: tuna, Patagonian toothfish (sea bass), cod, and hake, celebrated here swimming freely and bejeweled, part of my ongoing immersion in and concern for sea life, inspired by authors and ecologists, Carl Safina and Rachel Carson.
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