Where Were the Traditional Quilts? (A follow up to the Spring 2004 issue of the Canadian Quilter)

I have just returned from QC2004 in Winnipeg and it was wonderful- greeting old friends, making new friends, the quilts, the teachers, the talent, the merchant mall….!

Tuesday night I had the pleasure of attending the National Juried Show grand opening celebration. The Fibre Art pieces that hung in the venue were incredible. Seventy-eight pieces were on display including two wearable art garments. I quickly made the round of the show and was awed by the overwhelming talent, but again was uneasy about the imbalance of traditional quilts on display. Of the seventy-eight pieces, there were ten bed quilts (a few of which belonged on a wall), five large traditional wall quilts and two small traditional wall quilts, for a total of 17 pieces in the Traditional categories.

For the very first time, I had submitted slides to the jury for entry of one of my quilts. I was disappointed that my entry had been rejected, but I got over it. I was disappointed by the juror’s comments, but I chalked them up to the large number of pieces that they had to sift through. I finally concluded that my piece was not what they were looking for. It had been entered into the Innovative category, as it was pictorial, though done with traditional piecing, hand appliqué and hand quilting. My judgment classified it as Innovative but in retrospect it should have been entered in the Traditional category. I am still somewhat blurred on the difference.

While at the conference, I had the opportunity to attend the Gallery Walk tour with Jane Willoughby-Scott, Artist in Residence. She walked our group through the display, and discussed the reasoning behind the judge’s choices for awards and how the winners were chosen, but in general terms. This, I believe, was the most informative lesson for me. She clarified somewhat what a fibre artist views as traditional versus innovative. My piece definitely should have been entered in the Traditional category based on the perceptions of the Fibre Arts community as it pertains to Innovative quilting.

As to the Awards distribution, there was an award for Bed Quilt, one for Large Traditional quilt, and one for Small Traditional quilt. There was an award for Excellence in Hand quilting, and one for Excellence in Appliqué. The Excellence in Machine Quilting award went to a Bed Quilt. There were also Honorable mention awards for traditional pieces. Of the 17 traditional quilts in the show, eight won awards- a ratio of almost 50%. Both quilted garments won awards. Eight other awards were distributed to the remaining fifty-nine pieces in the Innovative categories, including the Best of Show award, the 1^st time entrant award, and all of the judge’s choice awards. The Viewer’s Choice had not as yet been determined when I headed back home.

So Ladies, get your traditional quilts photographed and enter the NJS. Flood the jurors with entries. The more slides submitted in the Traditional categories, the more pieces will be included to hang in the show. It is the lack of entries that have resulted in the imbalance, and this we can change. Any traditional block set or appliqué design can be adapted through choice of fabrics, colour, block manipulation and composition to make it your own. Your traditional quilt can be constructed, appliquéd and quilted by hand or by machine. Encourage your friends, and your guild members to submit stunning pieces to the jury- I know that the traditional quilts are out there! Let’s put some balance back into the National Juried Show and let the country see where the traditional quilts are….

One last note- the Manitoba Invitational show was spectacular, and the number of traditional pieces included were well balanced with the more innovative works, much more representative of what our quilting world is really about. It was a wonderful “Quilt Show”.