Respect

Well, Lisa a lot to think about. I tend to agree with most of your arguments. I think its such a huge challenge to move beyond these shows because there is a lack of knowledge of how to do it in the quilt community. I also think there is an underlying insercurity in making that move. You really need to have a well developed belief in your work as art. In the quilt world, we know when we have achieved a high level of craftmanship, but you are right in that it tells us nothing about its merits as art.

I have enjoyed your contributions to quilt art, followed your move to art & perception, read your blog, It would be (has been) a shame for you to stop speaking out on these topics. Often times people don’t want to hear the truth but it still needs to be said.
rita steffenson

A while back I listened to a successful artist critique the show catalog of an art quilt show containing the work of many names I recognized. As a show, this artist seemed unimpressed with the quality of the pieces and questioned why the curator had allowed the show to go on in the form that it did. It was eye-opening. Yes, it was just one person’s opinion, as it always is. But it raised all sorts of un-asked questions about these group showings.

Since I am fairly new to the art quilt world I continue to spend most of my time getting together a broader body of work. The issues in these posts roll around in my head as I sit at the sewing machine. Thanks for referring to the other web site, and for the comments here.

Lisa, as I said on the Ragged Cloth blog ( http://www.raggedclothcafe.com ) your points are good ones. And as I see here, you said (before I did) exactly what I said about new entrants into the field of quilted textiles.

The Winkleman post told me even more about the “regular” art world as differing from the “quilted art” art world — I was not aware that there’s a stigma against the juried group shows in the minds of the general art world. Clearly there is and perhaps this needs to be said more and more often. On the other hand, moving to NYC as suggested by some of EW’s commentators doesn’t seem to be an agreeable option — even if it is the only way to become a respected artist…..

I have to say, to those of you who read Lisa’s blog, that her comments on Ragged Cloth were put into the spam pile by Wordpress, not by the moderator (who, I must also say, is me, myself and I, June Underwood). She had uploaded 3 or 4 comments, probably in frustration with the Wordpress load process, and by the time I got them sorted out at least 24 hours had lapsed. Sorry for the delay, Lisa. But rest assured that what you said was neither censored nor controversial. It was just in keeping with what we hope for on the Ragged Cloth Cafe. Your disagreement with the author was more in line with an addendum than a disagreement.

Perhaps one reason so many quilt artists stick with the juried show route (I haven’t started it except locally) is that relatively few galleries, topnotch art centers or other venues show quilt art, compared to paintings, sculpture, even photography. Also, many communities have public foci for different (other) media: in San Antonio, there is a contemporary art month and an official photography month, nothing equivalent for fiber art or a broader “fine art craft media” or whatever you want to call it. While there is no reason a gallery might not show fiber art in a contemporary focus, I don’t recall seeing any in recent years.

We do have a well-regarded art and craft school that shows fiber art in its galleries and we are lucky to have that opportunity — and we have had some stunning exhibits, but I notice that most of the artists who get the “big” one-person exhibits really operate outside of the quilt art world. Currently, a local contemporary artist who made her reputation in painting and sculpture (Betty Ward) has a large show of stitched pieces — her drawings were actually stitched by women in Mexico — and while she gives them first-name credit on the pieces, her process would certainly be controversial in the “quilt” world.

Recently I had an art quilt in a well-regarded local contemporary gallery, guest curated by another fiber artist, and the gallery owner knew NOTHING about fiber art, even as to how an art quilt would be hung on the wall. This is, to some extent, part of one of those implied vicious cycles — galleries don’t show quilt art because of the overexposure/lower standards and quilt artists continue showing in uneven juried shows because they can’t find other venues for their art.

I think quilts in the art world face the same issues that photography, prints, ceramics do — the mainstream forms of art are painting and sculpture — installations now. All the other forms have found their own places to show and indeed, have their own worlds within the art world.

I don’t think it’s a problem of too many juried shows as not enough curated 1-4 person shows that would show a body of work by each artist. One trend in the art world that could be taken up by art quilters is curating your own show and then proposing it to appropriate art centers, museums, etc. Many art centers put out a call for exhibit proposals. It’s lots of work to curate a show, but is a way to get a different level of exposure for fabric work.

I’m a painter with a strong interest in traditional quilt patterns. Does an artist need to make a self-conscious statement with his or her work (whether it be political or formal) in order for the work to be “good” or have depth? I don’t think so. I’ve spent many hours in the last two years looking at historical, geometric quilt patterns and find them to be imbued with a tremendous amount of depth, mystery and meaning. I wish more contemporary quilters would look to traditional patterns for inspiration and don’t understand why some quilters find it necessary seperate themselves from tradition by defining their work as art quilts. It’s all art to me.

It’s interesting that the “what is art” question we tossed around as students in the 70′s is still being tossed around all these years later. I went to school when the only serious art being looked at was conceptual art. As a mostly realistic painter I was sort of left out of this mix and have made my living as a custom ceramic tile artist–definitely considered decorative art by most. I also paint, sculpt, collage and generally enjoy myself. As I’ve gotten older and become the caretaker of the laces, quilts, embroideries and other lovely items my great grandmothers and grandmothers made I have a true appreciation for the arts women have used to express themselves throughout time. Watercolor, until recently, was not considered a serious path to study in art school because it was “woman’s art”, used by Victorian women in their afternoon studies. Men used it as a sketch medium but it might be argued that women developed watercolor as art. When I was in art school I had to study watercolor as an independent study. Fortunately I got to study with a wonderful Chinese man who was an amazing calligrapher and watercolorist and he took my under his wing.
Is it art? Just say yes and everyone else will fall into line with you….and if they don’t get it? Who cares? The role of the artist has always been to push the edges out a bit more, to change the shape of our thoughts, to urge an expansion of comprehension and imagaination, yes? Who cares if it is decorative or fine or applied or graphic? Today all those boundaries are blurring even more as the computer technologies and photography continue to evolve. Let’s just support each other and say “good work! good art! and keep on truckin’” as someone old and wise once said….;-)

I, too, have been struggling to move beyond the quilt show circuit and into the art world. The quilt world is “comfortable.” Our work is sought out by show committees throughout the world. Advertisements and on-line application forms make it easy to find venues and easy to apply. But if I consider my work to be “art,” then I must leave the “quilt” part of it behind me and move into the art world, which is a different arena altogether. Neither better nor worse, simply different. One major reason for the difference is that quilters place far more importance on technique than on the basic principles of design, which are potentially of primary importance for artists. Can you imagine an art judge looking at the back of a work to determine if the piece should be accepted or win an award? To what end? And what purpose is there in counting how many stitches per inch in the art world? None whatsoever. That would be like counting the tiny lines of a brush stroke in an oil or acrylic painting. Again, what is the value of that? Those are technical questions, but they do not define art, although they may indicate a level of craftsmanship.

For me, quilting is a technique of expression – my medium of choice at this particular time in my life. I spent 20 years as a transparent watercolorist and loved that until it became too predictable/boring for me to continue. I had met all my own personal challenges for growth with the medium and longed for something I could not define at the time. Now I know what I was seeking – depth, texture, a richness of layers that is minimal, at best, with watercolor. Mind you, this is simply my perspective – I do not speak for other artists in any medium.

So if we want to be considered seriously in the art world, we must stop referring to our work as “quilts” – art or otherwise. That one word puts a definition on our work that is limiting and not authentic. Yes, quilting has been the basis for the development of our art, but we do not make quilts, per se. Quilts, by most authoritative sources, are bed coverings. We make art and use fibers, fabric, threads and more to create our works of art.

It is my belief that artists, if they want to mature as artists, must actively seek out good critiques by their fellow artists or art educators. Critiques, when done properly, speak to the work itself: does it hold together, does it have good balance/harmony/tension/etc., does your eye travel the surface and come full circle to encompass the entire composition, is there a good focal point, do the colors work well or would the introduction or subtraction of a color be beneficial to the whole, do you feel you accomplished what you set out to create in this piece, and so on. With thought provoking questions such as these, artists are encouraged to consider their work from many different perspectives. They are invited to step back from their work and view it differently and learn from that experience. Is that difficult? Of course! Our creations are, in many ways, our offspring and we are rarely impartial about either. Yet learning to be objective is vitally important if we wish to improve either as artists or as parents (or anything else, for that matter).

Interestingly enough, even as as a watercolorist with a large body of work and plenty of local sales, was too timid to even consider approaching galleries with my work. Back then, I lived in rural America and couldn’t imagine going to the “big city” with my work. Now we lived between New York and Philadelphia and I’m still somewhat timid about approaching city galleries. But it has nothing to do with my medium of choice – it is my own level of insecurities that stands in my way. And I wouldn’t be too surprised if that wasn’t the main reason why many artists haven’t moved to a higher professional standing – low self-esteem.

So onward and upward. Keep on writing, challenging, questioning. It’s good for all of us and I, for one, am most grateful for the discussion.

Pat,
Are you saying that old-fashioned quilts – the kind made to go on a bed – aren’t art?
Laura

Like many other art quilters, I started making traditional quilts and moved on to creating original designs. Over time, my definition of “success” has changed a lot. Here are the different views of ultimate achievement I’ve been through, even though I haven’t actually done all of them.

1. The quilt guild challenge and state fair exhibit
2. The Paducah and Houston quilt shows
3. Art quilt shows
4. All-media art exhibitions
5. Solo exhibits and gallery representation
6. Worldwide acclaim as an “important artist”

I’ve just started work on Stage 5 and I’m only entering selected juried shows as a way to keep my work out there until a gallery says yes. It’s taken me about 14 years to get to this point, but when I consider how far I’ve come, I’m amazed I’ve been able to adapt my mindset so rapidly. I suspect that many other art quilters get stuck at Stage 2 or 3, because it’s a comfortable place to be. Others, like Lisa and June, are ready for Stage 6, but know they need to go through #5 first. The problem is leaving the quilt-related baggage behind. I’m having trouble doing it myself, but I know it’s ultimately necessary.