Ohio Trip

I went to Ohio last week to visit my brother, Jim, and his wife, Kathy, and to see the Quilt National 2021 exhibition at the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens.  This bi-annual exhibition showcases "the best of contemporary quilts," and this year included 84 quilts chosen by a three-person jury from the 747 pieces  submitted for consideration.  Having a piece in Quilt National is one of the highest honors that a fiber artist can receive, and I've always wanted to see the exhibition.  Earlier this year I had a hunger to see Jim and Kathy again and when I realized that their home outside of Columbus was a ninety-minute drive from Athens I decided to combine my two purposes into one trip.  I was delighted when they said they'd not only drive me down to Athens but that they'd see the show with me.  

From the Quilt National website

Here's me and Kathy in front of the Dairy Barn, ready to go into the show. 

Photographs are not allowed inside the exhibition, so I found this image on the Quilt National website to give you an idea of the interior.  It took a while to see all 84 pieces; when it got too overwhelming we took breaks! 

From the Quilt National website

Most of the artworks were abstract, rather than representational.  Here's the cover of the exhibition catalog featuring a detail of one of the abstract pieces, this one made of handmade paper (which is a fiber!) instead of fabric.

One reason I was excited to see the show with Jim and Kathy is that Kathy and I share many interests, including making our own fiber crafts and art.  I have known her for over fifty years and consider her a "kindred spirit."   The truth of this was shown when we compared notes on what pieces we had chosen for  "Viewer's Choice," an award which will be announced soon after the show ends on September 6.  We both chose the same piece, even though we had not viewed it together and had not discussed it before voting!  

We both picked Jill Kerttula's "6' of Chaos,'' a depiction of city street life during the pandemic which the artist made by editing, printing, and embellishing with paint and stitching a collage of photographs she took from her apartment window in Charlottesville.   What are the chances that Kathy and I would chose the same piece for our Viewer's Choice?  

detail from image on Jill Kerttula's website

And then, to top that off, it turned out that we had both selected Diane Melms' "Vivid Disposition," as our second choice!  It looked similar to the piece shown below.   

From Diane Melms' website

My brother enjoyed the exhibition,  and was especially taken taken by cow that watched over the lobby. 

I hadn't seen Jim and Kathy for four years and it was great to spend several days together.  Jim is a Certified Genealogist and gave me some very helpful guidance on some research I'm doing on Ben's family.  Kathy showed me some of her photography and textile projects and I got to visit their daughter (my niece) Tamara and her husband and children.  Here we are at Tamara's house. 

And to top it all off, I had a half-full flight on the way home and sat in the fifth row all by myself.  I spent much of the flight in the window seat watching as the plane chased the sun all the way to Colorado.