Vermont Swimmers by Catherine McConnell
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Wisconsin Wetlands II: River Bend by Sue Benner |
Rio Hondo by Katie Pasquini-Masopust |
Aged: covered by wisdom by Kyoung Ae |
Sueno de Libertad para on Hijo by Maximo Laura |
Bottle of Red by Sarah Swett |
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May 5 – July 26, 2009
Opening reception, free with admission, is Sunday, May 10, 2:00-4:00pm.
showcases an extraordinary group of contemporary art quilts from the private collection of advocate and champion of the contemporary art quilt movement, John M. Walsh III. Reservoir includes a selection of 29 quilts based on water and nature-inspired themes, a primary component of the Walsh collection.
Walsh began collecting art quilts in the early 1990s and has built one of the country’s leading collections by nationally and internationally-renowned artists. Because of his own connection with water- -as owner of a water purification business and the owner of a property with a waterfall--quilts dealing with the subject of water have become a focus of his collection.
"Water has always played a big part in my life: as a little child playing in the glen that ran through my grandparents’ farm, living on the shore of Lake Michigan as a teenager, now playing in the same glen with my grandchildren," said Walsh. "My life’s work is making water safe to use including purifying drinking water, preventing pollution, controlling corrosion. When I commission a work for the collection, I normally request that water be the theme. Water takes so many forms – lakes, clouds, snow, steam, ice – that it allows the artist freedom of expression while tying the works together with a common thread."
From ethereal works like Rachel Brumer’s "Describing Rain," a quilt in two panels contrasting abstract imagery and photorealism, to the earthy views of a river at forest edge in "Forest Flowing," by Karen Perrine, water is explored in its many forms and contexts.
"This timely and provocative exhibition demonstrates the art quilt's power to express our relationship to water and nature with works of great sensitivity, beauty and variety." said Museum Curator Deborah Corsini. "It is also an intimate look at the growth and maturation of an important contemporary quilt collection."
The artists whose work is included in Reservoir are:
| Terese Agnew
Sue Benner
Rachel Brumer
Pauline Burbidge
Kyoung Ae Cho
Judith Content
Ardyth Davis
Lenore Davis
Ellen Anne Eddy
Gayle Fraas & Duncan Slade
Tim Harding
Wendy Huhn
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John Lefelhocz
Joan Lintault
Therese May
Catherine McConnell
Ruth McDowell
Jan Myers-Newbury
Velda Newman
Katie Pasquini Masopust
Karen Perrine
Joy Saville
Joan Schulze
Julie John Upshaw |
was juried by Jane Sauer of Jane Sauer Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. The intimate scale – 100 square inches – creates a provocative challenge for the artist weavers. All the elements of design, material choice, color, sett (the number of warp ends per inch) and concept become sharply honed and finely tuned in this format. According to Corsini, tapestry weaving (defined as a hand-woven, weft-faced fabric with discontinuous wefts) with its long history is well represented here in all of in its rich diversity, its meticulous craftsmanship and its inspired vocabulary of idea. "A wide range of ideas and styles – from the traditional to experimental, from the realistic to abstract – are showcased and the technique is thriving in the talented hands of these artists. Although small in scale the exhibited works express a powerful and imaginative creative voice," said Corsini.
The artists whose work is included in Connections: Small Tapestry International are:
| Janet Austin, Rhode Island, USA
Nicki Bair, Califonia, USA
Cecilia Blomberg, Washington State, USA
Barbara Burns, New York, USA
Don Burns, Washington, DC, USA
Laura Center, New Mexico, USA
Clare Coyle, Scotland
Sharon M. Crary, Louisiana, USA
Katy De Bock, Belgium
Elaine Duncan, Canada
Lany Eila, New Mexico, USA
Christina Frey, Germany
Tricia Goldberg Califonia, USA
Mihaela Mirela Grigore, Romania
Marianne Haller, California, USA
Louise Halsey, Kentucky, USA
Joyce Hayes, Washington, USA
Barbara Heller, Canada |
Urban R Jupena, Michigan, USA
Jean Pierre Larochette, California, USA
Ayelet Lindenstrauss Larsen, Indiana, USA
Maximo Laura, Peru
J.Martins, L.Branquinho, C.Ceia, V.Fino, Portugal
Lynn Mayne, Florida, USA
John Nicholson, Florida, USA
Pam Patrie, Oregon, USA
Christine Rivers, Canada
Pete Rocci, Oregon, USA
Deann Rubin, Missouri, USA
Terri Stewart, Florida, USA
Sarah Swett, Idaho, USA
Kathe Todd-Hooker, Oregon, USA
Pamela Topham, New York, USA
Linda G Weghorst, Tennesse, USA |
August 4 – Oct. 25, 2009
important historical quilts and ephemera from the Joyce Gross collection.
October 17, 2009
October 30 – November 8, 2009
annual art sale of fiber art for $500 or less.
November 17, 2009 – February 7, 2010
a huge selection of historical crazy quilts, most from the permanent collection.
This exhibition and related programs were funded, in part, by: Carmen M. Christensen; Silicon Valley Community Foundation; the David and Lucile Packard Foundation; Arts Council Silicon Valley in partnership with the County of Santa Clara and the National Endowment for the Arts; the City of San Jose; Adobe Systems Incorporated; Tapestry Weavers West; Heritage Bank; East Bay Heritage Quilters; and the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association.
This exhibition is co-presented by: Blue Planet Run Foundation; Contemporary Quilts & Fiber Art (CQFA); Friends of Coyote Creek; Friends of Guadalupe River Park; International Fiber Collaborative; Santa Clara Valley Water District; and Studio Art Quilters’ Association (SAQA)
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