2013 - phenomenal

my exhibition at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles

I could probably write a book about the year 2013. To call it eventful would be an understatement. It was phenomenal. If it is possible to have a year in which only good things happened, 2013 was the year. There were exhibitions: "Off the Wall: Maverick Quilts" at the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame & Museum in Ft. Worth, Texas; "Feeling Groovy" at the International Quilt Festival of Ireland; "Roots of Modernism" at the New England Quilt Museum; and "Collecting New York Beauty Quilts: Bill Volckening's Passion" at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles.

Julie Silber welcomes visitors to the Maverick Quilts exhibition at the
National Cowgirl Hall of Fame & Museum in Ft. Worth, Texas

Three of my New York Beauties were part of the exhibition 

"Wild Thing" c. 1970 was exhibited in the "Feeling Groovy"
exhibit at the International Quilt Festival of Ireland

Three quilts on display at the Westside Quilters Show in Hillsboro, Oregon

Lucy Mingo's quilt (right) across from Elda Wolfe's quilt in the "Roots of
Modernism" exhibition at the New England Quilt Museum. Elda Wolfe was
Victoria Findlay Wolfe's grandmother. Mingo is from Gee's Bend.

There were more publications: American Quilter Magazine published an article I wrote about the quilts of the 1970s; Generation Q published an article about Victoria Findlay Wolfe and I, the Double-Knit Twins; Quiltmania published an article about my collection (and me); and I was mentioned in Merikay Waldvogel's groundbreaking paper about chintz panels in Uncoverings, the annual journal of the American Quilt Study Group.

In 2013, I celebrated the one-year anniversary of making my first quilt, finishing two quilts started at the 2012 Folk Art Quilting Retreat with Sue Spargo and Gwen Marston in Sisters, Oregon. Both were displayed at the Northwest Quilters annual show in the spring. My only goal was to participate in the show as a first-time quilt maker. Later in the year, "Wild-Eyed Susans" received an honorable mention at the Pacific West Quilt Show in Tacoma, Washington- my first judged show. "Center Star" was recently accepted in MANifestations, the upcoming exhibit at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum featuring the work of men who make quilts. Both quilts were also published in Quiltmania Magazine.

"Center Star" 2013

"Wild-Eyed Susans" 2013 

And of course, there were quilts- lots of them!

When asked to choose a word for 2014 by some of my Facebook friends, the word I chose was "thriving"- really a carry-over from 2013. There was some luck involved, and opportunities came out of the blue, but it was not accidental. I worked hard, and the success was meant to be. Thank you, 2013, for another great year!