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)
4 comments:
Referring to #3 in your list of things to do...the whole Innovations in Textiles event that happens in St. Louis would be a wonderful road trip. I will be traveling to the area on October 6th to see Quilt National '11 in St. Charles, MO and to attend the opening reception of Speaking of Fibers at Maryville University. Some of my work was juried into this exhibit by Missouri Fiber Artists. (you don't have to live in MO to be a member!)
Thanks for taking on the job of SDA rep, Jeannette. It sounds like you have some worthy goals for the state.
Jeanette,
As a former high school art teacher, I'm in awe that you would take on yet another job--that of rep for SDA. Welcome! And thank you Frances for posting the interview.
I too would like to extend an invitation to fiber artists and lovers to attend some of the Innovations 2011 events in St. Louis and Edwardsville and Alton in Illinois. Fiber Focus at Art Saint Louis is only one of some twenty exhibits that begin opening in August with some running through December. Information on all of the exhibits can be found at http://innovationsintextiles.com
I am curating and participating in a collaboration with five other artists as part of Innovations 2011. The exhibition, Collaboration: Reaping and Sewing, will be at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton, IL. It opens August 26 with a reception and runs through Oct 2.
Also, one of my shibori rust silk pieces was accepted into Fiber Focus which drew entries from nine states.
The weekend of Sept 16/17 will be particularly exciting for Innovations with the opening of several big shows on Friday including Fiber Focus, and on Saturday the keynote address by Marci Rae McDade, and a number of gallery talks staggered so that visitors can attend all of them.
For more information on my collaboration and my work with organic printing in general please visit my blog at http://patvivod.blogspot.com
Thanks for the kind welcome and excitement about the Fiber Focus events. I went 2 years ago and found the whole experience to be wonderful and highly look forward to going again. We do have a member's meeting planned for September 17th. More info to come about that in the near future. I look forward to meeting you all soon.
-Jeanette
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