Shifting Tides: Convergence in Cloth (SAQA Regional)

Created as a group exhibit to shine a light on the issues facing the Pacific Ocean today, Shifting Tides is a collection of work by 46 artists chosen from the seven Pacific-facing regions of SAQA. Curated by renowned textile artist Ann Johnston, the exhibit offers a variation of style and context about the plight of oceans and the communities they support.  

From their strikingly different vantage points—from Southern California northward to Western Canada and Alaska, plus Hawaii—artists from a range of backgrounds were asked to express their concerns and feelings about the Pacific. “Merely because we live in this part of the world, we as individuals are part of the Pacific ecosystem. On a daily basis we may not recognize the changes that are happening, but they are of vital importance to our world,” write Georgia French and Sonja Campbell, co-chairs of the exhibit planning committee.

Shifting Tides debuted in San Jose, California at the time of the 2019 SAQA Conference for the purpose of showcasing the talents of SAQA members living in the greater North Pacific region. The show will tour the seven participating Regions, bringing to public view the innovative contemporary art that SAQA stands for.

Forty-six artists from the seven Pacific-facing SAQA regions, from the northern reaches of Alaska to the Archipelago of Hawaii, are represented in this comprehensive regional exhibition.

Juror: Ann Johnston, Lake Oswego, Oregon.