Yesterday the package at my door (delivered by our friendly and accommodating USPS lady) was a little quilt returning home from an exhibit in New York.
The quilt was “Wind”. The exhibit was the 2009 National Small Art Quilt Works Exhibition, held July 23 through September 6 at The Main Street Gallery in Groton, New York.
Last fall, after an encouraging and rewarding workshop with Laura Cater-Woods, I decided that in 2009 I would concentrate on making more work and sending it out into the world to be juried, judged, and (perhaps) sold.
It’s been a good year.
Two quilts – “Heron Hunting #2” and “Moonlight on Water” – were juried into “Focus on Fiber II” at the Studio Channel Islands Art Center in Camarillo, California. Much to my surprise and delight, Heron was awarded first prize in the Small Art Quilt division.
Another little quilt – “I Know So Little About My Mother’s Life #2” – was accepted into “Conversations in Fabric”, a juried exhibit at the Ohio Craft Museum in Columbus, Ohio, September 13 through November 1, 2009.
A 3-D work – “Pueblo I” – was juried into the Blurred Boundaries exhibit held in Kalamazoo last month in conjunction with Fabrications Retreat 2009.
And I managed to complete a little quilt for the SAQA Benefit Auction (look for it on page 3a on the auction site) and one for the Michigan Quilt Artists Invitational.
So were there any rejections? Of course – since this is after all real life. I really wanted to be part of the SAQA exhibit “Musings” at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan (ended August 31, 2009). I submitted my best (in my opinion) piece that met the size and theme requirements, but it didn’t make the cut. HOWEVER, after reading the juror’s statement and seeing the pieces that were selected, at least I understand how my quilt did not fit in. So even that rejection was a useful learning experience – although it really is a lot more fun to receive an email that says “Accepted!”