"Changing the World" Exhibit Now on Display

Today I went to the Anne Amie Vineyards in Carlton, Oregon, to install a small exhibit of quilts from the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI). The exhibit is called "Changing the World" and it includes 15 quilts from my personal collection that were made and sold through AAQI. The exhibit runs through October.

The whole exhibit and everything I needed for the installation fit nicely in one bag. For good luck, I used a bag recently given to me by Nyima Lhamo, aka Andrea Balosky, who has four quilts in the exhibit. The bag is made out of rice sacks, and she brought it to me from India when she was visiting Oregon last month.

When I got to the vineyard, there was a bare wall just waiting for me. There was also a big crowd of people gathered around the tasting bar. It took a few moments to get the attention of one of the people behind the bar. I wanted them to know what I was doing before I got started, and asked if there was an event going on, but no- just everyday business. It looks like business is booming!

If you haven't been to Anne Amie Vineyards, it's an absolutely gorgeous place and the wines are just lovely. It's no wonder the place was so crowded. I literally had to ask a few people to move so I could get to the wall. After that, it took just 15 minutes to install the exhibit. I was there for about 30 minutes, and talked to two ladies who were interested in the quilts, and as it turned out, both were quiltmakers.

Because most of the quilts have "fast finish corners" on the top edge of the back, all I needed to do was slip a thumbtack under the flap of fabric on each side, and each quilt was easily mounted on the wall with nothing but the quilt visible. I used a laser level, which helped me keep the quilts in straight rows.

Easy peasy! And I'm happy with how the quilts look. Several of the visitors were curious about what was going on, and there's no doubt the quilts will draw many viewers away from the wine tasting bar for at least a few moments.

One of the ladies I spoke with mentioned that the exhibit had been announced in a local paper, so hopefully that will bring in some visitors, too. Andrea Balosky has a strong connection to Oregon, having lived in Camp Sherman for many years. Other Oregon artists whose work is included are Lori Dejarnatt of Madras, Kristin Shields of Bend, and Michele Bilyeu of Salem.

There were also two mounted information sheets on the wall, one with my statement and one with a list of quilts and pictures. As a bonus, I created a small, 20-page catalog with my statement, pictures and information about each of the 15 quilts, and some information about AAQI. This catalog is available in print form and as an eBook through Blurb. To preview or purchase the catalog, click here.