EXHIBITION: More Quilting, Carving, and Printing Too!
DATE: October 6, 2015 – January 14, 2016
LOCATION: University Medical Center, 850 Fifth Avenue East, Tuscaloosa, Ala., 35401
The new installation of Wellness Walls For Art features the return of the combined themes of quilting, carving and printmaking with new work from the West Alabama Quilters Guild, poster artist Isadora Bullock and selected letterpress posters by Amos Kennedy. The exhibition, More Quilting, Carving, and Printing Too!, runs through January 14, 2016, at the University Medical Center, which is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Curator Deborah Hughes emphasizes the essential handmade aspect of the works in the exhibition: “All of the artists in this show are involved in very hands-on processes that continue boldly in a world that is increasingly operating in cyberspace.”
ABOUT THE QUILTERS:
The West Alabama Quilters Guild (WAQG) was established in 1991 to promote the appreciation of quilts, share knowledge about quilts and quilting and perform community service projects. They have over 100 members, including both women and men. Over the years, guild members have made hundreds of charity quilts and donated them to neighbors and individuals receiving services through numerous local organizations including the Ronald McDonald House, Tuscaloosa County Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Department, Tuscaloosa Children’s Center and Turning Point of West Alabama, to name a few.
Every October, members of WAQG demonstrate quilting techniques from their booth at the Kentuck Festival of the Arts. On March 4 and 5, 2016, they will host their biennial quilt show at the Taylorville United Methodist Church, 640 Bear Creek Road, Tuscaloosa. The group also hosts an annual workshop with nationally known quilters, as well as quarterly mini-workshops to teach quilting techniques. The West Alabama Quilters Guild meets on the second Saturday of each month at the Tuscaloosa Department of Transportation, 1000 28th Avenue, Tuscaloosa.
ABOUT THE PRINT ARTISTS:
Isadora Bullock, a Tuscaloosa native and a BFA graduate of the UA Department of Art and Art History, continues her work of designing posters for music events from her home base of Asheville, NC. Work that began in college and continued throughout an MFA program in printmaking at the University of Delaware has become a full time profession. Her artistic process is complex, with the carving of successive layers of linoleum blocks to create a limited edition of prints that most often celebrate the music and venues of the rock band Phish. Her award-winning and dynamic designs are prized for their incredible detail and the incorporation of embedded references to the lyrics of Phish. Within this community she has many ardent fans and branches out to design for other music groups and individuals. Bullock designed the cover art and poster for the latest album by pianist Holly Bowling, Distillation of a Dream. Bullock has recently acquired a Vandercook printing press and plans to set up a studio in Asheville. Her website is isadorabullock.com.
Wellness Walls curator Deborah Hughes said the first time she encountered the posters of internationally known letterpress artist Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. was at the Rooster Days Art Festival in York, Alabama, more than a decade ago. For several years she has been delighted that Kennedy graced the Kentuck Festival of the Arts, cheerfully demonstrating his art and rolling out prints with messages in words both amusing and thought provoking. Hughes said she was surprised to next encounter Kennedy’s posters in one of the most prestigious galleries in Santa Barbara California. She remarked that he is sometimes regarded as a talented folk artist, but defies any label or profile, adding with a laugh, “He sure does get around.” Kennedy is currently based in Detroit, but his work can be purchased through gallery affiliations across the country and in Italy and Switzerland.
For information about Wellness Walls for Art, contact Deborah Hughes at deborahhughes50 [at] gmail [dot] com or 205-310-5939.
