Celebrating Silver (SAQA Global Exhibition)

SAQA's 25th Anniversary!

Oct 30, 2014

Feb 19, 2017

As part of SAQA's 25th Anniversary, we are Celebrating Silver. Silver is indispensable. From industrial use to decoration, technology, photography and medicine, its unique properties of strength, malleability, reflectivity and conductivity make it an irreplaceable force in the global market. In addition to its physical properties silver is recognized as a symbol of love, insurance and commitment for twenty-five years.

Juror: Yvonne Porcella

Exhibition Schedule

International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas, October 30-November 2, 2014
International Quilt Festival, Chicago, Illinois, March 2015
Quilt! Knit! Stitch!, Portland, Oregon, August 2015
St. George Art Museum, St. George, Utah, September 12 through December 31, 2015
Original Sewing and Quilting Expo Atlanta, GA, March 10, 11 & 12, 2016
Original Sewing and Quilting Expo Lakeland, FL, March 17, 18 & 19, 2016
Original Sewing and Quilting Expo Cleveland, OH, March 31, April 1 & 2, 2016
Original Sewing and Quilting Expo Worcester, MA, April 7, 8 & 9, 2016
America Quilts Expo Des Moines, IA, May 26, 27 & 28, 2016
Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, UK in August 11-14, 2016
8th Asia Quilt Festival in Shanghai, China, September 23 - 25, 2016
Adelaide Craft & Quilt Fair, Adelaide, Australia, November 3 - 6, 2016
Hobart Craft & Quilt Fair, Hobart, Australia, February 17 - 19, 2017

Juror's Statement

In the last quarter of the twentieth century, quilts were removed from the bed and hung on walls of museums and galleries. This dramatic shift in placement led to changes in the size and shape of a quilt. Artists who chose to work within the genre of quilts began to invent their own decorative surfaces, whether designing a new geometry or creating their own graphically exciting work in fiber. Instead of relying on a traditional block pattern to identify a quilt, art quilts were recognized by the quilt’s title, the maker’s name, and the artistic concept and design originality.

Celebrating Silver celebrates the 25th anniversary of Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA). I founded SAQA in 1989 to provide a professional organization for artists creating art quilts. This exhibition provided an opportunity to look back and reflect on how things have changed. Each artist submitted six digital images, three full pieces and three details, which were typical of their current style of work. My goal was not to select a specific work by the artist but rather to trust that the artist would individualize the theme with a variety of new and exciting techniques.

Names of the artists were not revealed to me until after the selection process. I kept notes as I scrolled through the 300 images, returning many times to individual artist’s images, scrutinizing the work, identifying the voice of the artist. I reread statements from the artists who gave a hint of what they would like to accomplish within the theme. Techniques new to the 21st century dominated the entries — use of electronic manipulation, painting, dyeing, texture within the fabric, copious use of machine threads, photography — yet there was also a link to tradition with piecing and hand stitching. I am excited to join you all as we enjoy the debut of Celebrating Silver at the International Quilt Festival Houston, October 2014.

—Yvonne Porcella

Yvonne Porcella was the Founder and served as President of the Board of Directors of Studio Art Quilt Associates from 1989–2000. She has also served on the boards of other non-profit organizations. Her work continues to be featured in major exhibitions, art galleries, and museums in the U.S. and abroad and is actively collected by individuals and corporations.

Selected Artists

Jeannie Moore, Margaret Fabrizio, Roseline Young, Jill Ault, and Sandra Branjord