Denise Oyama Miller, Poppy Reserve.
Rickie Seifried, Madonna
The Pixeladies (Deb Cashatt and Kris Sazaki), Fault Line.
California is a large and complicated place, where dreams are formed and sometimes realized, and where homelessness, want, and xenophobia are all too prevalent.
“Stitching California: Fiber Artists Interpret the State’s People, Life, and Land” — a new traveling exhibition appearing at Turlock’s Carnegie Arts Center from Sept. 13 to Dec. 31 — showcases an exciting collection of art quilts that interpret the complexities of the Golden State. Viewers will enjoy a balanced show of beauty, originality, thought-provoking content, realistic and abstract imagery, and quality workmanship.
Presenting a well-rounded picture of a complex state, Stitching California displays works from over 40 artists working in California and neighboring states today. Their dynamic offerings pay tribute to iconic California views, and to the beautiful native flora of the state. But other, more challenging themes also emerge: the impacts of climate change through drought, flood, and fire; the lasting detrimental effects of the Gold Rush; and the persecutions faced by California’s Indigenous peoples, Hispanic population, and Japanese Americans interned during World War II. Rendered in diverse ways, Stitching California’s 2D and 3D fiber works contain references to industry, economy, geography, and topography, and run the emotional gamut from hope to despair.
A reception celebrating the start of the 2022-23 season at the CAC will take place on Sept. 30 from 6PM to 9PM. The reception is free and open to the public and will include a preview look at the CAC’s Artober online fundraising auction.
Additional related programming includes Family Friday activities, gallery talks with artists, and arts lectures with experts in California history and geography. For dates and details visit online at: CarnegieArtsTurlock.org/Calendar.
Stitching California originated at the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah, CA and is traveled through Exhibit Envoy in partnership with Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA).
About the Artists
Stitching California includes work from more than 40 contemporary fiber artists working in California, Nevada, Colorado, and Oregon. Artworks in the exhibition were selected by jurists Katie Pasquini Masopust and Karen Holmes. Katie is an award-winning fiber artist and successful teacher and lecturer. She is also a prolific author on creative quilting, and is the executive director of Colorado’s Alegre Retreat at the Gateway Canyons Resort. Karen’s background is in art history, graphic design, and archival studies. She was a curator at the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah, Mendocino County, where she has created and designed numerous exhibits related to the art and artists of the state.
Stitching California was curated by Holly Brackmann and Jennifer Landau of Studio Art Quilt Associates, a nonprofit organization whose members challenge the boundaries of art and change perceptions about contemporary fiber art.
The Carnegie Arts Center is located at 250 N. Broadway in Downtown Turlock.
Gallery hours are: Tuesday – Saturday 10AM – 5PM. Admission: $7 general; $5 seniors & students; CAC members, CSU Stanislaus students, and children 12 and under are admitted free. First Friday of every month is free admission for all. Website: carnegieartsturlock.org. Call the CAC at (209) 632-5761, x104.