“We hear it all the time,” says Amy Allison as she talks with me about an upcoming Arts Council exhibition. “’My grandma used to quilt.’ ‘I have one on my bed.’ That sort of thing. A lot of people call us the blanket brigade. But we’re much more.”
She’s talking about the Tarheel Quilters Guild as she and other members prepare for their upcoming gallery show, Joined by Stitching: A Quilter's Art, which opens on April 10 at the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County at 301 Hay St.
The Tarheel Quilters have been around for 45 years, and members enjoy monthly meetings and service projects together (including donating an impressive 400 quilts for NICU babies and veterans last year). Amy Allison serves as one of the curators of the exhibit, along with fellow Guild members Irene Grimes and Sana Moulder. They see it as part of their mission to showcase what quilting can be with over 40 handmade quilts featured in the exhibition.
But they know what you’re picturing when you hear the word ‘quilt,’ and they are ready to prove you wrong.
“Fiber arts - quilting in particular - are often categorized as either traditional craft or contemporary art,” says Grimes. “What excites me about this exhibit is that it bridges both worlds; many of the pieces are utilitarian while also expressing strong ideas and perspectives.”
Some pieces also tackle larger concerns of the artist. Allison’s quilt, titled “Save Our Water,” addresses the issue of clean water availability.
“Water treatment plants are doing the best that they can, but people like stuff, and stuff is manufactured, and sometimes there is a byproduct that is unintended and gets in our water.” For many, quilting is how they process the world.
“My quilts are where I find my voice. They are a form of reflection, advocacy and opinion,” says Grimes.
In a more meta way, the act of having a quilting exhibit is enough to challenge the art world.
“Historically, women have had few socially acceptable outlets for expressing their creativity or opinions,” remarks Moulder. “Quilting was one of the few activities society deemed ‘useful,’ and therefore permissible.”
The hope is to remind visitors that quilting is art, that the work these women do with cloth and thread is a creative process.
“I hope new quilters and textile artists see that quilting is every bit as much a form of artistic expression as painting, sculpture, or photography.”
As the Tarheel Quilters continue to share their work with the wider community, they invite viewers to look more closely at the stitches and the stories.
As Grimes puts it, “If visitors leave the exhibit understanding what the artists wanted to say, perhaps gaining a new perspective or simply feeling more curious, then we’ve done our job.”
The opening reception for Joined by Stitching: A Quilter's Art, will be held on April 10 in the main gallery from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.