"Light And Bright: The Quilts Of Summer" Exhibit To Be Held At 1861 Custom House, June 16 Through August 29

"Light And Bright: The Quilts Of Summer" Exhibit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2008
CONTACT: Molly Dannenmaier
Director of Marketing and Public Relations,
409-765-7834
molly.dannenmaier@galvestonhistory.org

Artwalk Opening Scheduled for Saturday, July 5

"Light and Bright: the Quilts of Summer," an exhibit of quilts suitable in theme and weight for summer display, will open at the 1861 U. S. Custom House, headquarters of Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF) on June 16. The exhibit is being organized by volunteer curator, GHF member and quilter, Jul Kamen. A formal opening of the show will take place during Galveston's ArtWalk on Saturday, July 5.

"Some people might think that the words 'quilt' and 'summer' would be mutually exclusive," says Kamen; "that one should have absolutely nothing to do with the other. But quilts have always been used as a means of self-expression and community cohesion¬¬-not for the sole purpose of providing physical warmth. In other words, they are an art form. The same elements present in other art forms--line, shape, color, size, and texture--all come in to play when designing and constructing a quilt."

Summer is a time of freedom; these quilts were chosen with that relaxed sensibility in mind, according to Kamen. The exhibit seeks to display the whimsical side of quilting, she says.

"Lizards and lilies, fruits and flowers are just some of the subject matter and inspiration for these quilts. All are executed using bright colors such as hot pink, chartreuse green, sunflower yellow--not the typical repertoire of colors associated with quilting. The creators have freed themselves from the usual rules and colors associated with traditional quilts and are branching out in all directions to express themselves in this bright and colorful exhibit."

The poster quilt for the "Light and Bright" exhibit was made by local quilter Jenny Chiovaro and is entitled, "Tutti Fruitty, New York Beauty." It incorporates the "New York Beauty," a traditional block, but alters the size and shape of the design, creating variations on a traditional theme. The precision piecing was achieved through the use of a computer software program for quilt design.

"This is not your Grandma's quilt." says Kamen. It was designed in response to a "challenge" project of the Lakeview Quilt Guild, whose members were charged to use fruit as the subject matter, with a finished size of 40" x 52". This quilt was one of the group of quilts that took first place in the guild challenge division in the American Quilt Society (AQS) Nashville Show, 2007.

Jenny Chiovaro says she cannot remember a time when she did not sew. As a young girl she made doll clothes, her own school clothes, and gifts for friends, starting out with patchwork bags using scraps of whatever she had. That is when the quilting bug hit her, she says. During her career as a schoolteacher she taught gifted and talented students, emotionally disturbed students, music, remedial reading, and many other subjects. Her master's degrees in psychology, counseling, and elementary education enabled her to pursue this wide range of experiences. Now retired, she is focusing on creative pursuits. She is a five-year member of Houston Symphony Chorus, regularly attends ballet, symphony, and yoga, and is an active member of five local quilting groups, having served as president of several. The Tutti Fruitty quilt is one of many she has done, and Kamen hopes to feature others in future shows.

"Light and Bright: The Quilts of Summer" opens Monday, June 16, 2008, at the 1861 Custom House at 502 20th Street. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and admission is free.