CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
CLOSING SOON!

First Floor

Viral Load by Julie Sevilla Drake

Thirteen Ways of Looking
Artist Julie Sevilla Drake
CLOSING October 6

When asked by a famous artist why she was not a painter, artist Julie Sevilla Drake replied "I don't know how to paint; I know how to sew" to explain how she became a quilt maker. "I began making art quilts in 2013, when I realized that I could not express my imagination through traditional quilt patterns."

In describing her process, Drake says
"... I find joy in my studio dyeing fabrics and making abstract quilts that are both serious and playful. A storyteller and poet as well as a visual artist, I use color, texture, and bold, robust shapes to tell thoughtful stories. For me, quilt making is quite intense—physically and mentally— body and soul grooving together to make art."

Drake's works are bright and engaging, curved shapes interacting and bringing to mind a retro mid-century modern style, cut freehand from cotton fabric using no rulers or templates, and quilted on a longarm machine.

Drake's works have been displayed in private collections, galleries, and museums nationally and internationally. Here in the Pacific Northwest, Drake’s quilts have been displayed at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art; Whatcom Lightcatcher Museum; Smith and Vallee Gallery; Schack Art Center; Museum of Northwest Art; Anchorage Museum at Rasmussen Center; UAF Museum of the North; UAA Hugh McPeck Gallery.

In Thirteen Ways of Looking, Drake uses her abstract designs and bold colors to represent her experiences as she walks "exuberantly" through the world. "You will see quilts about birds, blossoms, my cat, my dog, dancing, and the seasons."

Second Floor

Tomorrow by Sanae Muranaka

Quilts Japan: The 16th Quilt Nihon
Various Artists
CLOSING October 13

The Quilt Nihon (Japan) Exhibition is an international exhibition sponsored by the Japan Handicraft Instructors' Association (JHIA) which is supported by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. It is the biggest quilting contest in Japan and was conceived to promote patchwork and quilting. It has been held biannually since 1989.
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Since the 5th Exhibition, it has become an international contest and one of the most prestigious. The 15th competition drew 347 quilt entries from ten countries. Judging took place in July of 2019, and 81 quilts in both traditional and contemporary categories were awarded prizes, from Honorary Mention to Gold Award. This traveling exhibition features 36 of these stunning quilts.

The history of JHIA starts in 1964, when Tadanobu Seto founded the Vogue Handicraft Consulting Association. In order to perpetuate the handcraft culture in Japan, it was essential to educate highly-skilled craftspeople to teach. By 1969, the completion of instructor education was highly regarded, and it was accredited by the Minister of Education and Cultural Sports in Japan. That was the time when Vogue Handicraft Consulting Association changed its name to Japan Handicraft Instructors' Association.
Forty-nine years have passed since then, and JHIA continues to educate instructors, and promote handicraft activities. Currently, the number of instructors is over 12,000, consisting of eight specialized divisions: Knitting, embroidery, lace, patchwork quilt,
painting, hand weaving, leather craft, and flower art. 6,000 of these members are quilters.
This exhibit is the Museum’s 13th biennial Japanese quilt exhibit, continuing a treasured tradition and partnership of 27 years begun in 1998 by Miwako Kimura and Ako Shimozato.

Third Floor

Dress For Less by Kendall Ross

Having a Moment
Kendall Ross
CLOSING October 6

Kendall Ross, also known by the pseudonym, “I’d Knit That,” is an Oklahoma City-based fiber artist. She creates handknitted sculptural and wearable art from wool, using intricate colorwork to convey provocative, playful, and deeply private messages. Ross learned to crochet from her maternal grandmother, while knitting alongside other women in her family. These bonds deepened her interest in women’s history, leading her to attend Pepperdine University, where she earned a B.A. in History, focusing her research on racial divisions between Black and White women’s knitting movements in the early 20th century.

This historical lens filters her artistic practice, wherein Ross leverages the traditionally domestic and “feminine” craft of knitting yarn to express her confessions boldly and publicly. Her original texts, expressed in brightly contrasting thread, implore the viewer, with Ross’s “heart” emblazoned on her proverbial “sleeve.”

Formally, Ross also experiments with scale in her exaggerated “sweaters” by challenging function and incorporating randomness into the pattern. Here, the wearable format- a familiar sweater - presents itself as a more meaningful canvas for the image to reside, highlighting deep biases against the display of “domestic arts” in the contemporary, “fine arts” arena.

The title, Having A Moment, refers both to the subject of Ross’s fleeting truths, and to this pivotal moment in Ross’s artistic journey as her highly personal and idiosyncratic creations resonate with a very public audience, and have been featured in publications including Glamour, Colossal, and the Surface Design Journal.

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS

 Samplers from Seattle: Contemporary Needlework Elly Smith  | October 9 - December 1, 2024

In Stitches: The Art of Judith Vierow (1941 - 2022)  | October 9 - November 10, 2024

Woven Joy: 19th-Century Coverlets from the Permanent Collection  | December 3 - January 19, 2024