Artist Access Grants
Artist Access Grants
Three 16" x 20" art quilts inspired by my photographs.
Tara Makinen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Amber Burns: choreographer, dancer, actor, middle school art teacher; Tammy Mattonen: visual artists, co-founder of Crescendo Youth Orchestra; Kayla Aubid: Native American craft artist, writer, employee at MacRostie Art Center; Ariana Daniel: mixed media artist, arts instructor; Kathy Neff: musician, Director, Fine Arts Academy at the University of Minnesota-Duluth; Ron Piercy: jeweler, gallery owner; Emily Swanson: arts administrator at Oldenburg Arts and Cultural Community; Christina Nohre: writer and arts advocate.
Tara Makinen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Amber Burns: choreographer, dancer, actor, middle school art teacher; Tammy Mattonen: visual artist, co-founder of Crescendo Youth Orchestra; Kayla Aubid: Native American craft artist, writer, employee at MacRostie Art Center. Ron Piercy: jeweler, gallery owner.
ACHF Arts Access ACHF Arts Education ACHF Cultural Heritage
As I strive to create original work, I need to adjust my thinking, to rethink my process of creating textile art by incorporating what I already know and taking my work beyond the use of commercial patterns. As I challenge myself, I want to start each day from the perspective of a textile artist vs. a quiltmaker. I will also need to commit to my artistic goals, just as I did in my professional working career as an educator. I already have the studio space and many of the skills and supplies. I try to sew almost every day in an effort to maintain those skills and incorporate new techniques into my work. This project and grant opportunity will help me stay focused on my artistic practice as well as my goals. And, by displaying my art quilts in a gallery environment, I hope to promote textile art to a broader audience - beyond the quilting community. Perhaps some collaborations with other artists will occur as a result, too. That would indeed be wonderful. The following is a quote from the Textile Center of Minnesota (a non-profit national center for fiber art): "Fiber Art ranks #1 when it comes to artistic expression among Minnesota residents 18 years or older. ... We are willing to bet that you have someone in your life who is perhaps a quilter, a weaver, a felt-maker, a knitter or crocheter, a beader, among others." How wonderful! It is exciting to see that Fiber Art is alive and well. For years, I have felt that I am not an "artist" because I don't draw on paper or paint on canvas. But, the more I've thought about it and the more I create, the more I realize that I use the same elements of design and composition as those who draw, paint, sculpt, etc. Creating an art quilt involves original ideas, color, value, texture, line, shape, form, and emotion. I think I will feel successful with the making of my proposed art quilts, too, when the images I create truly resemble the photograph I'm working from, when I feel the emotions each art quilt was meant to convey, and when I see positive reactions to my work. Questions like: "You made this'" "This is made with fabric and thread?!" "How did you do that?!" I will also feel success if I am proud of what I have created. Of course, if someone is interested in purchasing one of my art quilts, that, too, will help make me feel successful.
My overall artistic goal was to challenge myself and elevate my work to a higher level by creating original work. This would involve learning some new quilt-making techniques. Specifically, I wanted to learn methods of quilt construction that I had not experienced in the past. Creating original work from photographs is quite different from purchasing a pattern that someone else has designed and includes step-by-step instructions. I wanted to learn how to take my image (a photograph) and transform it into a piece of artwork using fabric and thread. Along the way, I realized several different methods to create this type of work. To optimize my learning experience, I decided to use a different technique for each art quilt.
Other,local or private