Quilt National '97

Quilt National '97

The whole collection is documented in Contemporary Quilts published by Lark Books.

Five hundred ninety five artists submitted 1,254 works. Jurors Nancy Halpern, Jason Pollen, and Joan Schulze selected 80 quilts by 82 artists. The exhibitors represented twenty-six states and eight foreign countries. There were 8 awards granted.

Best of Show
Fran Skiles
Red Landscape, ©FS
63 by 52 inches. Cotton duck fabric and woven printed hemp treated with oil stick, acrylic and fabric paint; machine stitched.
Artist's statement: My assemblages are about old decaying materials -- old wooden piers, buildings and stuff found therein. Traditionally I turn to landscapes for design. My thoughts and elements are abstract. The imagery I use in my quilts is from my own photography. I want the image to lose its identity and become a part of the whole.

Award of Excellence
Kyoung Ae Cho
AGED: Covered by Wisdom, ©KAC
108 by 108 inches. Fabric, construction board, pieces of pine; hand stitched and tied.
Artist's statement: Time and nurturing are carried through rings of wisdom. These rings are displayed in their natural form through geometric cuts. The patterns allow the viewer to visualize the existence and environmental history of this tree and how it has sheltered and nurtured earth.

Most Innovative Use of the Medium
sponsored by
Friends of Fiber Art International
Elizabeth Brimelow
Elsworth, ©EB
70 by 70 inches. Dyed, discharged and screen printed fabric; appliquéd (direct and reverse) and embroidered, hand quilted and tied.
Artist's statement: The inspiration for my work is landscape and man's mark on it. I am very aware of earlier cultures and times and how man has left behind evidence of his presence. Disclose, lay open, reveal, discover and uncover are key words and have influenced my textile techniques. I stitch and manipulate cloth, which I use for its tactile quality, its substance and its intimacy.

Rookie Award
Lorraine Roy
Shadow, ©LR
37 by 37 inches. Needlepoint panels with thread and fabric collage; machine appliquéd and machine quilted.
Artist's statement: My quilts mark the path of a spiritual journey. The images come from dreams, and are influenced by research into their symbolic message. The fish, which is often in my dreams, is thought to act as a guide to the unconscious because it never closes its eyes. As such, it inspired a series of pieces that acknowledged and honored a part of my nature that is wild, mysterious and filled with potential.

Domini McCarthy Memorial Award
Connie Scheele
611 River Rocks, ©CS
60 by 60 inches. Hand-dyed cotton fabrics, cotton batting, silk and cotton quilting threads; machine pieced and hand quilted.
Artist's statement: This is the third quilt in a series inspired by river rocks. I have canoed the Brule River in northern Wisconsin since I was a young girl, and love the look of the river rocks through clear water. After dyeing a wide range of neutral fabrics, I felt compelled to create quilts incorporating the wonderful colors of nature and the fascinating shapes of the river rocks.

Quilts Japan Prize
Teresa Barkley
Tea Will Make It Better, ©TB
61 by 71 inches. Commercial cotton and rayon, found textile objects; machine pieced, hand appliquéd and machine quilted.
Artist's statement: I did not drink tea at all when I first met my husband, but I finally yielded to his frequent offering to have a cup. Over the years, tea has been a great source of enjoyment. Through both its delicious flavors and its ritualistic preparation, the experience of tea is a comfort. Whether faced with exhaustion, tension, confusion, anxiety, or cold, tea will make it better.

Fairfield Tenth Commemorative Prize
Jill Pace
Heaven's Gate, ©JP
82 by 82 inches. Cotton fabric; machine pieced, hand appliquéd, hand embroidered, hand beaded and hand quilted.
Artist's statement: I was inspired to make Heaven's Gate after viewing a television program about people's near-death experiences. I was amazed by how similar the stories were. All described themselves floating down a corridor with colorful squares of light and the glowing outline of a figure reaching out to them. All of the people reported that the experience was very peaceful and that they no longer feared death. After the show, I also felt more peaceful about death and what happens after . . . it truly is only "another horizon."

Trailblazer Award
Emily Parson
I'm Buggin', ©EP
51 by 50 inches. Cotton fabric hand-dyed (by artist and Cynthia Bonner); machine appliquéd and machine quilted.
Artist's statement: For the past year, I have been working on whimsical quilts that depict images of important objects in my life. The Volkswagen bug was an especially fun quilt to make, bringing back memories of the cream colored bug I had in college that my friends affectionately nicknamed "The Egg."

People's Choice Award
Miwako Miyamoto
A Gust of Wind, ©MM
84 by 88 inches. Cotton, blends and silk fabrics; hand and machine pieced, hand quilted.
Artist's statement: I like to create a sense of movement by using a variety of fabric piece sizes. I always hope that people will think that the quilt tells a story.

QN '79 QN '81 QN '83
QN '85 QN '87 QN '89 QN '91
QN '93 QN '95 QN '99 QN '01
QN '03 QN '05 QN '07
QN Prize Winners Home

	Best of Show Fran Skiles Red Landscape, ©FS 63 by 52 inches. Cotton duck fabric and woven printed hemp treated with oil stick, acrylic and fabric paint; machine stitched. Artist's statement: My assemblages are about old decaying materials -- old wooden piers, buildings and stuff found therein. Traditionally I turn to landscapes for design. My thoughts and elements are abstract. The imagery I use in my quilts is from my own photography. I want the image to lose its identity and become a part of the whole.
Award of Excellence Kyoung Ae Cho AGED: Covered by Wisdom, ©KAC 108 by 108 inches. Fabric, construction board, pieces of pine; hand stitched and tied. Artist's statement: Time and nurturing are carried through rings of wisdom. These rings are displayed in their natural form through geometric cuts. The patterns allow the viewer to visualize the existence and environmental history of this tree and how it has sheltered and nurtured earth.
	Most Innovative Use of the Medium sponsored by Friends of Fiber Art International Elizabeth Brimelow Elsworth, ©EB 70 by 70 inches. Dyed, discharged and screen printed fabric; appliquéd (direct and reverse) and embroidered, hand quilted and tied. Artist's statement: The inspiration for my work is landscape and man's mark on it. I am very aware of earlier cultures and times and how man has left behind evidence of his presence. Disclose, lay open, reveal, discover and uncover are key words and have influenced my textile techniques. I stitch and manipulate cloth, which I use for its tactile quality, its substance and its intimacy.
Rookie Award Lorraine Roy Shadow, ©LR 37 by 37 inches. Needlepoint panels with thread and fabric collage; machine appliquéd and machine quilted. Artist's statement: My quilts mark the path of a spiritual journey. The images come from dreams, and are influenced by research into their symbolic message. The fish, which is often in my dreams, is thought to act as a guide to the unconscious because it never closes its eyes. As such, it inspired a series of pieces that acknowledged and honored a part of my nature that is wild, mysterious and filled with potential.
	Domini McCarthy Memorial Award Connie Scheele 611 River Rocks, ©CS 60 by 60 inches. Hand-dyed cotton fabrics, cotton batting, silk and cotton quilting threads; machine pieced and hand quilted. Artist's statement: This is the third quilt in a series inspired by river rocks. I have canoed the Brule River in northern Wisconsin since I was a young girl, and love the look of the river rocks through clear water. After dyeing a wide range of neutral fabrics, I felt compelled to create quilts incorporating the wonderful colors of nature and the fascinating shapes of the river rocks.
Quilts Japan Prize Teresa Barkley Tea Will Make It Better, ©TB 61 by 71 inches. Commercial cotton and rayon, found textile objects; machine pieced, hand appliquéd and machine quilted. Artist's statement: I did not drink tea at all when I first met my husband, but I finally yielded to his frequent offering to have a cup. Over the years, tea has been a great source of enjoyment. Through both its delicious flavors and its ritualistic preparation, the experience of tea is a comfort. Whether faced with exhaustion, tension, confusion, anxiety, or cold, tea will make it better.
	Fairfield Tenth Commemorative Prize Jill Pace Heaven's Gate, ©JP 82 by 82 inches. Cotton fabric; machine pieced, hand appliquéd, hand embroidered, hand beaded and hand quilted. Artist's statement: I was inspired to make Heaven's Gate after viewing a television program about people's near-death experiences. I was amazed by how similar the stories were. All described themselves floating down a corridor with colorful squares of light and the glowing outline of a figure reaching out to them. All of the people reported that the experience was very peaceful and that they no longer feared death. After the show, I also felt more peaceful about death and what happens after . . . it truly is only "another horizon."
Trailblazer Award Emily Parson I'm Buggin', ©EP 51 by 50 inches. Cotton fabric hand-dyed (by artist and Cynthia Bonner); machine appliquéd and machine quilted. Artist's statement: For the past year, I have been working on whimsical quilts that depict images of important objects in my life. The Volkswagen bug was an especially fun quilt to make, bringing back memories of the cream colored bug I had in college that my friends affectionately nicknamed "The Egg."
	People's Choice Award Miwako Miyamoto A Gust of Wind, ©MM 84 by 88 inches. Cotton, blends and silk fabrics; hand and machine pieced, hand quilted. Artist's statement: I like to create a sense of movement by using a variety of fabric piece sizes. I always hope that people will think that the quilt tells a story.