21st Cultural Connection

Greetings All,
It's that time of the year and I am so excited.  The 21st Cultural Connection is coming to Arthur Dixon Elementary School in Chicago, IL. and we hope/pray to see you there.

More Cloth Works updates.

Greetings All,
Here are my latest for my double dose of  Rit Dye in powder form in Teal done in the stove top method. 

Over dyed vintage tablecloth (below).

Flour sack tea towel (above)

 Vintage table linen (below left) and I am loving the way the embroidery pops.
A vintage tea towel with waffle weave and embroidered (below right).

Updates...

Greetings All,
My latest accomplishments have been about fashioning things for others.  I builded two frames to attached Kuba Cloth to once I sewed it to burlap and help with the install.

I've created a waterfall jacket from some beautiful cloth from central Vietnam known as Ta Oi tribes of aLuoi. 

I have also help Vera Agusta create a sweater jacket our of some Bubble Gum Pink yarn and she's loving it.

And I created an improvised sweater jacket out of some variegated bulky yarn with handmade polymer clay button by Anne Pastucha.

I was borned to create and facilitate...

Peoria's 2nd Annual Jazz & Art Festival

Greetings All,

Today we will be celebrating the Peoria's 2nd Annual Jazz & Art Festival will feature five Illinois jazz groups and a variety of local artists. This festival was made possible by the Peoria Park District and Central Illinois Jazz Society.

Entertainment Schedule:

3:00: Change-Up4:30: JC & the Redemption6:00 Mardra & Reggie Thomas7:30: The Brazilionaires9:00: Soul Message (Greg Ward)
Kagan Masters
Joshua Hawkins
Adrienne Risby
Abby Collins
Jennifer Short
Scott Sternberg
Johnny M. Hunter
Ellen Monteith 
Daniel Buchanan
Noah Christopher Otten
W. Joe Hudson
Natalie Jackson O'Neal
Mary Hildebrand
Jeff D. Selke
Chelsie Tamms
Jeremy Berkley
Jessica Peterson
Amy Williams
Ava Kamm
Trish Williams
Kristina Bohan
Rachel Newell
&
Arts Partners

Admission: $8 before 4:30pm, $10 after. Children 12 and under are FREE with a paid adult.

For more information, visit the festival's website at : http://www.cijs.org/peoria-riverfront-jazz-festival/

Participating 2017 artists:Marina Wirtz

20th Cultural Connection

Greetings All,
It's that time of the year and I hope to see you there if you are in the area.

Got Jazz?- update and 1st Friday

Greetings All,

Today is the opening of Got Jazz?  Also it's 1st Friday all around town here in Peoria, IL.  So if you are in the area stop on by one or more of the venues.  I will be at the CAC on the 3rd floor in the resident artist studio of Pat Keck.  Got Jazz? is an FAC exhibit.

ths

1st Friday @ the CAC - Sept 4, 2015

Greetings All,
Here's my announcement for 1st Friday at the C.A.C.  I will be there on the 3rd floor in the resident artist studio of Pat Keck.  This will also be the opening for Got Jazz?  If you can make the artist reception on September 12th please stop by on the 4th.  And if you would like to say hello to me on the 4th I will be upstairs on the 3rd floor of the Contemporary Arts Center, Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11:00 am - 5:00 pm, till 8:00 pm on Fridays.

305 SW Water Street, Peoria, IL 61602

#1 Grandson's Quilt.

Greetings All,

My #1 grandson, my only grandson graduated from high school and will be off to college this fall, so Nana offered to create a quilt for him.  Once I asked what where is favorite colors (blue, green, and red) I chose what I had in my stash and we are all pleased with my choices.  He even said that a pillow sham would be nice and do it was done.

 

The Journal Project/SWAQ Journal

 Greetings All,
Here is an update on The Journal Project.  We I have changed one of them by re-constructing the tree (below).  I am so very pleased with this new one and several have found new homes, so they are being well received.  They make great gift ideas and the covers can be remove and framed/hung.

Below is my new series of journals named after a group of friends/artists that we use to meet and have "Play-dates" and whom I miss greatly.  All the fabrics I either dyed, over-dyed, painted, stamped, stenciled and the shadow profiles represent me looking forward to meeting up sometime again.

The Journal Project/Pieces of the Week.

Greetings All,
The Journal Project was inspired by this lovely journal (left/below) that was created by fiber artist Lauren Austin whom I met at the Underground Freedom Center at the opening "And Still We Rise".  I love Lauren's work so much I decided to create a series of my own.  Thank you Lauren for inspiring me to do so. 

Behold my Black Bird Journal series and my pieces of the week..

Cultural Connection 2013

Greetings All,

It's that time of the year.  CULTURAL CONNECTION African Marketplace & Bazaar is the place to come face to face with the most beautiful art, clothing, jewelry, textiles, and so much more. Vendors from all around the country will be there. Tell a friend, or two, or three and mark your calendars!  See you there...look for me in the gymnasium!

March 8-9, 2013
Dixon Elementary
8306 S. St. Lawrence

Friday - 11am to 8pm

Saturday - 9am to 7pm 

CAM Update @ the Switching Station Artists Lofts.

Greetings All,
Here is the slide-show from CAM opening house at the "Switching Station Artists Lofts".  Enjoy:>)

Greetings All,
More CAM events.  Next weekend, Oct 13th and 14th is open house/studio at the Switching Station Artists Lofts.  My live-work space will be open Saturday the 13th from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. and Sunday the 14th from Noon until 6 p.m. I'm not sure how may of the spaces will be open, but last year was a blast and I will post photos.

Road Trip

Greetings All,

This coming weekend I shall be at the 8th Annual Lake Meadows Art Fair, June 16th & 17th from 11 am until 8 pm. So if you are in the area stop by and say hello.

Below is the 5th stage in the piece that I've been working on for the past month. This is the final section and now I will assemble, bind, and embellish. I will post more later.

Pieces of the Week (Oct/Nov/Dec).

Greetings All,
Sorry it's been a while since I posted any "Pieces of the Week", here are a couple. Last week I completed a small piece that was inspired by some fabrics that were given to me by my friend Judy Coats Perez. I love the hand-dyed nylon/cotton background fabric and the bottom part of this piece was already pieced and in the bag of goodies. So a new piece was created titled "The Shadow of a Man" and I think that a new series will be born:-)
I created a long duster type coat (below) of purples for "Purple Nancy" down in the Carolina's in October and I hope that she's enjoying it as much as I did in creating it. I know that I must create one for myself. Flow on Purple Nancy.

For November I covered an old chair and made a table topper for a friend who was creating a scared space for her participants in a project that she's volunteering in for ex-offenders and since purple represents the highest form of spirituality and I had some upholstery fabric that another friend had given me I used it in this project. Thank you Michele Hardman.

So I have been busy, but not posting and I do hope/pray that you all will have a great/safe holiday.

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.

On The Road Again.

Greetings All,

It's that time of the year and I'm preparing for the "7th Annual Lake Meadows Art Fair". This year the fair will present "Her Legacy A Tribute To Dr. Margaret Burroughs". Dr Burroughs (below) was the co-founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History here is Chicago, IL and died earlier this year. The last time I saw Dr. Burroughs was at this venue, the first time I participated in an art fair was at Lake Meadows, and the first time a piece of mine won a purchase award was at the DuSable the first time I participated in that art. All of this was so many years ago and this coming weekend will have many memories, but all good. The art fair is:

June 18th & 19th, 2011

35th Street & Dr. Martin Luther King Drive

Chicago, IL 60616

11 am until 8 pm both days

So if you are in the area do stop by for some good art, music, shopping and stop by and say hello, I would love to see you.

Piece of the week.

Greetings All,
The piece of the week are some more of those wonderful "Bark Cloth" pillows for the queen of "Bark Cloth" Sylvia. I love the fabric and the opportunity to create them for someone who I know in her heart of hearts is helping me out big time by allowing me to create them. Plus she has some of the best fabrics and each time it takes me back down memory lane just by touching them. Sylvia thank you.