Fabric Artist/Art Quilter Ramona Linsdey

Greetings All,
Fabric artist/art quilter Ramona Lindsey has been very busy with her new career as a fabric artist/art quilter. Getting laid-off from Chicago Public Schools as a teacher was the best thing to jump start her life as an artist. Since September of this year, she has hosted a solo exhibit, been a semi-finalist in a national fine art competition, been selected for the SAQA IL/WI Stitches in Science exhibit, lectured & presented at the Fine Art of Fiber, and been selected to participate in Columbia College's Teaching Artist Development Studio.

The competition was sponsored by the A.R.I.S.E. Entrepreneur Program. The program required each participant to attend 7 weekly classes and complete a detailed business plan with financials and marketing plan during the same 7 week period. At the end of the 7 weeks each business was required to set-up an exhibit at a business expo with approximately 3000 attendees. Their plans and exhibits were judged by a panel.

She was the only visual artist competing out of a group of about 65 small businesses. So you know she was also the only fabric artist. People in her class knew nothing about art quilting and very little about quilting in general. Well, she's proud to announce that she was the first place winner of the A.R.I.S.E. Entrepreneur Program. She received a prize valued at over $10,000 which included cash and professional services to support her fabric art business. One goal of her business is to continue her efforts to elevate fabric art into the realm of fine art. I believe this award is the first in many steps towards achieving that goal.
I'm so very proud to know her and look forward to her advancement. For more information you can check our her website at www.ramonadlindseyartist.com

Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts

Greetings All,
Here's a video interview of Shelley Brucar at the Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts about the exhibits of FAC members. Thank you Shelley for doing such a great job.
Enjoy;-)

FAC at the Schaumburg Prairie Center

Greetings All,

FIBER ARTISTS COALITION presents two traveling exhibits, “Some Like It Hot” and “13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” at the Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg, IL. The show runs November 1 through November 27. Fiber Artists Coalition is a group of Midwestern textile artists who are also professional artist members of Studio Art Quilt Associates. These artists have joined together to promote the art quilt by bringing this exciting art form to the public through traveling art exhibits.

The works of Fiber Artists Coalition are not bed quilts, but art works created from commercial fabrics as well as many uniquely designed fabrics. Some of the techniques FAC members use are: dyeing, painting, stamping, printing, batik, shibori, discharge, embellishment, collage, and assemblage. Most of their works are hand or machine stitched, adding additional texture and design.

Fiber is organic, and fiber art is vibrant, alive, warm and inviting. You are invited to share the artists’ enthusiasm for this unique medium. For more information: Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts, 847-895-3600.

Chicago Artists Month-2011

Greetings All,
Please mark your calendar and join us in celebration Switching Station Artist Lofts presents 8th Annual Open House / Open Studios
Saturday & Sunday, October 15-16, 2011 12:00-6:00pm

Artists at Switching Station Artist Lofts open their doors to the public only once a year in October. Easy to find near the Garfield Park Conservatory, we are proud to be in an area that is quickly becoming a hotspot for art and artists. Join us in celebrating the uniqueness of our artists and our space, a former telephone switching station and school, redesigned by Artspace of Minneapolis. Visit open studios, exhibits, and performances in this artist live/work community, which supports painting, photography, book & paper arts, printmaking, sculpture, installation, multi-media, spoken-word, theatre, dance and music. We are a growing resource for collectors, designers, corporations and home owners. Come see what all the excitement is about. Admission is free.

Switching Station Artist Lofts is a proud participant in the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s special event, openhousechicago.

SSAL 8th Annual Open House / Open Studios is part of Chicago Artists Month 2011, the sixteenth annual celebration of Chicago’s vibrant visual art community presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture.

For more information, visit www.openhousechicago.org and http://www.chicagoartistsmonth.org/.

******************* East Garfield Park Art Walk*******************

We participate in the East Garfield Park Art Walk, which offers the public access to artists’ private home studios, repurposed industrial buildings and avenues of art. Start at Switching Station Artist Lofts for a self-guided tour. Admission is free!

Switching Station Artist Lofts 15 S. Homan (Homan at Madison)
Albany Carroll Open Studios 319 N. Albany
West Carroll Open Studios 3200 W. Carroll
Andrea Jablonski 3310 W. Carroll
3311 Carroll Artist Building 3311 W. Carroll
Art on the Boulevards Franklin Blvd. from Sacramento to Central Park
Gold Dome, Garfield Park 100 S. Central Park [sculpture on the lawn]
Plus numerous community murals and installations throughout the area.

Sheldon - Ties Than Bind: Art Quilts - Video

Greetings All,
Here is a video of the exhibit at the Sheldon and I hope that you enjoy it and if you are in the area do go see the exhibit. Enjoy:-)

Sheldon The Ties That Bind: Art Quilts from Dickson Beall on Vimeo.

1st Cultural Arts Awards Ceremony honoring Faith Ringgold

The Keeper of the City.

Greetings All,
My piece (The Keeper of the City-above) Will be a part of an exhibit at The City College of New York Office of Government and Community Affairs Presents the 1st Annual Cultural Arts Awards Ceremony honoring Faith Ringgold, author, fine artist, quilt maker and CCNY Alumna on Thursday October 6, 2011 at Aaron Davis Hall Center for the Performing and Visual Arts West 135th Street at Convent Avenue, New York, NY

A commemorative quilt exhibition curated by Dr. Myrah Brown Green
featuring quilters from across North America opens with a reception at 5:00 pm in the Aaron Davis Hall Gallery. Award ceremony immediately follows at 6:30 pm in the Marian Anderson Theatre. Quilt show closes December 1, 2011. Special presentation of bronze sculpture designed by master sculptor Otto Neals in honor of Ms. Ringgold.
Music by “Rafik and Friends” featuring CCNY student, Charnae Betton.

Featured Quilt Artists:
Gwen Aqui
Carol Beck
Sherry Boram
Bisa Butler
Marion Coleman
Carolyn Crump
Adrienne Cruz
Ife Felix
L’Merchie Frazier
Marjorie Freeman
Carole Harris
Laura Gadson
Sylvia Hernandez
Peggie Hartwell
Sonji Hunt
Shani Jamila
Jacqueline Johnson
Arlene Kweli Jones
Viola Burley Leak
Cynthia Lockhart
Carolyn L. Mazloomi
Dindga McCannon
Sherry Whetstone McCall
Pixil Ladies Deb Cashatt & Kris Sazaki
Susan Sato
Latifah Shakir
Carole Staples
Rita Strickland
Valerie White
Trish Williams
Sauda Zahra

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Myrah Brown Green
mbgreen@ccny.cuny.edu
P: 212-650-5361 F: 212-650-6415
FREE Event

The Lynch Quilts Project

Greetings All,
Help heal America's racial past and its contemporary effects, join with individuals of all backgrounds from across the country (international too!) and sew with The Lynch Quilts Project. The Lynch Quilts Project, is a community-based art work which explores the history and ramifications of racial violence, specifically lynching in the United States, through the textile tradition of quilting. At the core of this project, is a healing ritual, which DEPENDS UPON the hands of the community to help reclaim and heal this history. As such, the Project must be realized through the efforts of many hands and many hearts. So please, help us fight old hidden intolerance and heal these historical and contemporary wounds in America's side. For more information on how to participate, please visit www.TheLynchQuiltsProject.com

LaShawnda Crowe Storm