Display of quilts represents first textile-focused exhibit at the museum
Staff Report
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to announce “Sewjourners: TREES,” now on view in the museum’s third floor Barbara Goodall Education Center through Jan. 16, 2022. The exhibition features 45 new quilts created by textile artists Isabel Downs, Linda Estrada, Carol Fay, Ranell Hansen, Pamela Holst, Patti Hunter, Susan Bullington Katz, Mary Maxwell and Patty Six.
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged artists around the world by cutting them off from a community of inspiration and friendship. Most of them have been cut off from travel, family and global experiences.
The exhibiting nine artists, known collectively as the Sewjourners, however, have chosen to continue in their efforts to create and inspire each other to the best of their abilities.
The Sewjourners are a satellite group of the Coastal Quilters Guild of Santa Barbara and Goleta. This community exhibition marks the museum’s first textile-focused exhibition and is inspired by the artists’ various interpretations of trees, translating a range of species, textures, and seasonal transitions through the quilt medium.
“We’re thrilled to be able to offer our first fiber arts exhibition,” says Wildling Museum Executive Director Stacey Otte-Demangate, “The diversity of how the quilters interpreted the theme of trees is truly stunning.”
Works featured in the show incorporate a range of quilting techniques, as well as embroidery and even found natural materials.
Many of the 45 quilts on view are also for sale through the Wildling Museum store.
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature, where art and nature meet, offers visitors a unique perspective on the importance of preserving our natural heritage. Through the eyes of artists, and education and field experiences, guests can renew their relationship with the wilderness and understand its fragile nature – hopefully leaving more committed toward ensuring those spaces remain for future generations. Current hours are Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, and to volunteer or join as a member to support this important local arts and nature institution, please visit www.wildlingmuseum.org.
Additional digital resources are available at www.wildlingmuseum.org/virtual-visit, including online galleries from all current exhibitions, links to art activities, videos, and more to help online visitors experience the museum from home.
