I am a guest blogger at LillStreets Textile Blog

I am a guest blogger over at the LillStreet Textile Blog here. Check it out.

Correction

Sorry!
I just made a correction to my previous post regarding our new rep Jeanette Thompson. I had written that she had lived in Chicago for 4 years when in actuality she has lived in Chicago 7 years. Sorry for the mistake. Thank you for reading.

Innovations in Textiles

Hello. I want to share with you about a series of textile events coming up soon. Innovations in Textiles is a biennial textile event held in the St. Louis metro area which includes Alton and Edwardsville in Illinois. "Innovations '11 events run from late August to October and feature contemporary fiber art at more than eighteen venues - from St. Charles, MO to Edwardsville, IL. It will showcase what’s new in contemporary fiber art. This collaboration of galleries, non-profits and private arts organizations will feature displays of textile arts, plus lectures, fiber workshops and other programs. It is not to be missed!
Innovations 2011 will focus on a wide range of materials and techniques: soft yarns woven into
tapestries, shaped and dyed shibori wearables, paper stitched with horse hair, fusions of glass
and fiber, sculpture, collage, quilts whose colors rival the palettes of the Old Masters and more."

September 17 - Keynote Speaker: Marci Rae McDade, Former Editor of Fiberarts Magazine, followed by the bus tour, which includes lunch, to the following galleries for artist/curator talks: Missouri History Museum, Third Degree Glass, Duane Reed Gallery, Craft Alliance University City and Grand Center, The Sheldon Art Galleries, Art Saint Louis, Gya Gallery, Norton’s Fine Art Framing & Gallery, Saint Louis Artists’ Guild, University City Library Gallery, and the Regional Arts Commission Gallery.

October 10 - Outlying Bus Tour (including lunch) to: Regional Arts Commission Gallery, Maryville University/MoFA Show, Chesterfield Arts, Crossroads Art Studios, Foundry Art Centre, Florissant Valley, Jacoby Arts Center, Alton, IL, and the Edwardsville Arts Center, Edwardsville, IL.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: http://innovationsintextiles.wordpress.com/

Participating organizations include:
• Art St. Louis: Fiber Focus 2011: Sept. 6- Oct. 13, 2011; 555 Washington Ave. St. Louis, MO.
Opening Reception & Awards: Friday September 16, 2011
• Craft Alliance (The Delmar Loop Gallery): Nnenna Okore: Aug. 26 – Oct. 30, 2011; 6640 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO; Phone: 314-725-1177; www.craftalliance.org Opening concurrently in the Charak Gallery: Jim Hay.
• Craft Alliance (Gallery, in the Kranzberg Arts Center in Grand Center): Guerra De La Paz: Sept.16, 2011 - January 2012 (TBA); 501 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO. Phone: 314-534-7528,
www.craftalliance.org
• The Foundry Art Centre: Quilt National 2011: The 17th Biennial International Juried Traveling Exhibition, 100 Clark Street, St. Charles, MO. Phone: 636-255-0270
• The Gallery at University City Library: It Figures: Two person show with Deann Rubin and Betty Shew. Medium: Handwoven tapestry and molded paper, September 2011. Contact: Lexine,lexine@ucpl.lib.mo.us or Deann, deannrubin@yahoo.com
• Gya Gallery: Yeyo Arts Collective, 2700 Locust, St. Louis, MO; yeyoarts@gmail.com
• Jacoby Arts Center: Reaping and Sewing (Collaboration). Artists: Erin Cork, Nina Ganci, Laura Strand, Jo Stealey, Erin Vigneau Dimick and Patricia Vivod, curator. August 26-Oct 2, 2011; Opening Reception: Aug. 26th 5-8 pm; 627 East Broadway, Alton, IL; Phone: 618-462-5222.
• Missouri Fiber Artists (MoFA): Speaking of Fibers: Morton J. May Foundation Gallery, Sept. 28 - Oct. 31, 2011; Reception on Oct 6th; Maryville University, 650 Maryville University Drive, St. Louis, MO. www.maryville.edu, www.missourifiberartists.com
• Missouri History Museum: Woven in Time: Sept. 12, 2011 - Aug. 12, 2012. Woven in Time
commemorates the 85th anniversary of the St. Louis Weavers’ Guild. The exhibit will feature pieces by early chapter members and new works by current members; 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO
• Norton’s Fine Art & Framing: No Limitations: A Mixed Media Fiber Show, Sep 16 - Oct 15, 2011, Artist: Suzanne Galli Koenen. 2025 S. Big Bend Blvd, ST. Louis, MO
• St. Louis Artists’ Guild: Hecho a Mano: Illustrations on Life: Sept. 4 – Oct. 28, 2011, Two Oak Knoll Park St. Louis, MO; Phone: 314-727-6266
• Third Degree Glass Factory: Reflections: ArtFiber Saint Louis, An Exhibit of Art Quilts, Sculptural Works and Stitched Constructions; Sept. 16 – Oct. 18, 2011, 5200 Delmar Blvd., (between Union and Kingshighway) St. Louis, MO Phone: 314-367-4527, www.stlglass.com
• Women’s Caucus for the Art: Beyond the Stitch, Sept. 8 - Oct. 6, 2011; Reception on Sept. 9th; Crossroads Art Gallery and Studios, 501 N. Kingshighway, St. Charles, MO
• Additional Venues with shows: Chesterfield Arts, Duane Reed Gallery, Main Street Gallery in Edwardsville, IL, Regional Arts Commission (RAC), SLCC-Florissant Valley Art Gallery, and The Sheldon Art Galleries.

Welcome Jeanette Thompson As Our New Illinois State Rep For the SDA!

I would like to introduce to you the new SDA Illinois State Representative; Jeanette Thompson. I sat down with Jeanette last week to do a mini-interview so I could write an informative blog entry. Jeanette is a Chicago based fiber artist and art educator. She has an AAS in Fine Art from FIT, a BFA in Theater Design from SUNY New Paltz, and a MA from NYU in Educational Theater. She works primarily creating art quilts and teaching Art & Technology at a Chicago High School. She moved to Chicago from New York about 7 years ago and became a Surface Design Association member approximately 4 months ago. She has been and is presently involved with SAQA and the Illinois Art Educators Association. Jeanette attended her first SDA conference back in June with a scholarship from the SDA for educators. She told me she was amazed and blown away by the breath and depth of art embraced and conveyed at the conference. She also told me that not only did she really enjoy the conference but she really enjoyed how enthusiastic, open, and friendly everyone was. So, when the job for a SDA Illinois representative opened up she jumped at it. Jeanette has been involved in a number of Art Quilt Shows and helped coordinate the exhibition "The Unspoken Truth About Color: A Dialogue in Art Quilts About Racism" by the Fiber Artists for Hope. You can read and see more about the exhibition Here.

Jeanette says her top goals for the Illinois chapter of the SDA are:
1. To get Artists together and facilitate communication and the building of relationships
2. To Have at least 4 quarterly meetings per year in various locales (to be held in January, March, June, and September).
3. To plan a few group excursions to various fiber and textile shows/events (i.e. Fiber Focus 2011 in St. Louis)
4. To look into getting an exhibit of Illinois SDA member art together.
You can find out more about Jeanette by taking a look at her blog here.

Below you will find a couple examples of Jeanette's work. Welcome Jeanette!


("A Quiet Place" by Jeanette Thompson)




("Staying in the Light" and "Keeping Balance" by Jeanette Thompson)

A Fond Farerwell to Darcy Berg as the Illinois State Rep for the SDA

We wish to say a fond farewell to Darcy Berg as the Illinois representative of the Surface Design Association. As many of you know Darcy Berg decided to step down as the SDA's Illinois representative at the end of June to pursue other projects. A new representative has been found in Jeanette Thompson from Chicago. Although Darcy has stepped down as the Illinois rep. she says she will still see us at the meetings. I look forward to seeing you Darcy. Many thanks!