Culture
Mastery: Sustaining Momentum Opens at Dairy Barn
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New, bold, large scale works by twelve master quilters will be featured at the upcoming exhibition, Mastery: Sustaining Momentum at the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, OH from May 28 – November 27, 2016. The exhibit is curated by Nancy Crow and sponsored by The Chaddock Group.
“She (Nancy Crow) selected 12 master quilters to participate, inviting them to create three large scale works,” said Meaghan Duffy, the Dairy Barn’s Quilt National and exhibitions director. “Each artist was encouraged to exhibit small studies illustrating their artistic process. Among other methods, the small studies include collages, paintings, and small quilts. The artists were asked to reflect upon the idea of mastery and how one sustains momentum after achieving it. The pieces themselves and their large size reflect this. The idea of one’s having achieved mastery through long hours of practice and dedication is echoed by this exhibition’s theme.”
The show will feature many talented master artists from around the world and the nation: Margaret Boys-Wolf (Washington), Bonnie Bucknam (Washington), Nancy Crow (Ohio), Marina Kamenskaya (Illinois), Judy Kirpich (Maryland), Colleen Kole (Michigan), Helen Mcbride Richter (Georgia), Leslie Riley (Illinois), Arturo Alonzo Sandoval (Kentucky), Gerri Spilka (Pennsylvania), Heide Stoll-Weber (Germany), and Kit Vincent (Canada).
“The traditions of the art form of quilt making are extended in this exciting exhibition,” said Duffy. “The large scale nature of these masters’ works lends our audience members a vantage point not as easily accessed with smaller scaled works. Every one of these quilts demonstrates mastery in its own way. We challenge our audience to come and take in all of their immensity and mastery.”
Duffy noted that quilting, as an art form, allows for artists to further explore their visions by providing them with “broader palettes with which they can work.”
“Many fiber artists have been practitioners and are trained in the visual arts. Working with fiber as an artistic medium is very versatile,” said Duffy. “Fiber offers endless variation for manipulation within the medium through the ability to alter different textures, techniques, and colors. Fiber lends artists more nuances than other mediums such as clay or paint. Interestingly, many fiber artists use other mediums (photography, painting, drawing, and writing) in their processes and their art works making it a truly interdisciplinary medium.”
In addition to the exhibition, The Dairy Barn Arts Center will be printing a full color catalog which will feature three of the large works by each of the artists. The catalog will be available only at the Dairy Barn Arts Center and presales are available online at www.dairybarn.org. The exhibit will be open to the public Tuesday through Sunday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., with evening hours on Thursdays until 8 p.m. General admission is $10; seniors and students are $8.00; children under 12 and Dairy Barn Members are admitted free of charge. Mastery: Sustaining Momentum is presented by the Dairy Barn Arts Center, with additional support provided by: The Chaddock Group; The Athens County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau; the Ohio Arts Council; and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio is world-renowned for its biennial Quilt National exhibition, and Athens was recently listed in USA Today as one of the top 10 small arts towns in America. Built in 1914, the Dairy Barn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features a 6500 square-foot gallery. Two of the structure’s distinctive architectural elements are its slate roof and three cupolas. It sits on 36 acres of scenic pastoral land.
For more information, you can contact Duffy at (740) 592-4981 or email her at meaghan@dairybarn.org.