Innovations in Textiles 8 and Fiber Focus

I am slow posting about this wonderful collection of exhibitions and especially about our SAQA members who have had works featured in the shows.



Pat Owoc has a solo show at Craft Alliance plus Fiber Focus plus the MOFA show plus Then there were Eight plus Tactile Fluency



Rosemary Claus-Gray had work in Fiber Focus plus Tactile Fluency.

Jean Brueggenjohann had work in Fiber Focus plus Tactile Fluency






Luanne Rimel had work at several of the venues plus works at Craft Alliance.



Toni DiSano was part of the planning of Innovations in Textiles 8 and had work at several venues.

Annie Helmericks- Louder and Pat Owoc both were selected as 2 of 14 artists in SAQA's invitational A Sense of Direction: Sightlines

Emmie Seaman had work selected into Houston's Eye of the Quilter as a part of the IQA show.


Congratulations to all our members who had their work selected. Big deals all around!!!

Please send me your listings of sales, workshops you'll be teaching, shows you have been juried into, solo shows, published images, etc. Up until now I have been rather discombuberated in regular publishing of this blog. But now I can focus and plan to get out regular monthly postings of kudos and announcements. So don't hold back--these are your peers. Bragging is an important part of our group association.

Send your good news to: susan@rebelquilter.com

That missing Image

My apologies to Linda Frost for missing her quilts' images when photos were taken upon hanging Tactile Fluency at the World Trade Center. Here you can see Linda Frost's Paisley Birds 1,2 and 3.



It is hanging on the 10th floor as you come off the elevator. That is a light sconce hanging above it.

Everyone who has seen the show and commented to me has said how great the show looks and what a wide diversity we have in our membership. I am proud of that.

If you haven't seen the show yet, it'll hang until the morning of October 30th. On that day Pat Owoc and I will take it down and I'll be packaging up the ship-able quilts to return home.

Even if you haven't gotten a chance to see the show, know that listing it among your recent exhibitions will be a coup for your resume.

WTC- 11th Floor

I get a little turned around when I get to the 11th floor. I think we are taking a right as we get off the elevator. Oh look! There's Rosemary! She the gal who took these lovely photos. Wait-- who took this one? Hmmm. Well, Rosemary Claus-Gray is proudly standing in front of her piece Facade XVII. A very nice serendipity here-- this round opening backs onto the stair promenade between the 10th and 11th floors and was just the kind of space Rosemary envisioned when she created this piece. It is hanging freely from a central point.

The 11th floor is the space where dignataries gather. It is an elaborate lobby with flags and sofas for photo ops. Above the sofa is Merrilee Tieche's Other Worlds Triptych.

And last, but certainly not least, is Ruth Power's The Promise of Springtime.

Thank you for being a part of this lovely exhibition. I hope you will be in St. Louis before the end of October and can see the exhibition in person.

Special thanks to Ellen and Jean Deschatres, Pat Owoc and Rosemary Clause-Gray for their help with installing this show. My extra hugs go to Rosemary for taking these images. I was so busy trying to keep up with all the parts while she followed her heart and kept shooting.

The building location is the northwest corner of S. Meramec and Bonhomme in Clayton.

If you want to visit the WTC website-- here is the link.

Watch your step as you return to the elevator.

10th Floor WTC part 3

Here we go. Again, moving to the right-- we see Arleta Johnson's Fighting Depression.

Turn right--Sharon Bass's Weather Report and Lighter Than Air.

Roberta Ranney's Iris and Friends.

Follow the wall to the corner and turn left.

Here we see Rosemary Claus-Gray's Fathom.

That's it for this floor. Great Job on the photos, Rosemary!
Please return to the elevator-- it 's right behind you. See you on the 11th floor.

WTC 10th floor part 2

Welcome back. We were moving clock-wise around the lobby of the conference room area. To the right of the doorway we just left is Lettie Blackburn's Jack.

Move around the corner and we see Emmie Seaman's Rattle Those Pots & Pans.

Again moving around the corner to the right we see Pat Owoc's High Plains Memories VI. It is hard to tell in the photos but the walls are taupe and this piece looks like it was created for that wall.

Sharing that wall to the right we stumble upon Susan Leslie Lumsden's Sweeping Changes.

Above a leather sofa we see Jean Brueggenjohann's 4:31am January 17, 1994. Next to it is Karen J. Cooper's Zrazy.

Oops. Time to reload. I'll be right back with the next group of photos.

WTC 10th floor

Welcome back to the St. Louis World Trade Center. We are now on the elevator to the 10th floor. This floor is mostly conference rooms that are booked for contract negotiations.

Before we go any further, I point out with pride that this show is co-sponsored by Art St. Louis who manages the exhibitions here and graciously allowed us to play on their playground. Thank you.

As you turn left out of the elevator the first piece you'll see on your left is Sharon Bass' Glossary in Pink.

As you continue clock-wise around the room--

Next we see Arleta Johnson's Tranquility.

To its right we see Roberta Ranney's Heron.






Jean Brueggenjoann's The Sun Was Always in Her Eyes.

Emmie Seaman's piece-- Looking Back is next but somehow got missed when photos were taken. So I am using her entry photo in its place. Sorry Emmie.

And finally, in this batch, is Merrilee Tieche's Tibia or not Tibia.

There will be a short intermission while I load the next five images into the blog. It appears I can only load 5 at a time.

Tactile Fluency

Welcome to the first issue of the SAQA Midwest Regional blog covering activities in the MO, OK and KS region. As our first group exhibition has just been hung at the World Trade Center in St. Louis, I thought I'd share the excitement with our members.



As you enter the World Trade Center lobby you see ahead of you Emmie Seaman's The Gardeners and Ellen Deschatres' Ragftime and Dragon's Dream.

As you turn the corner to your left you'll see Annie Helmerick-Louder's Big Fish and Ruth Power's Watermelon Wine.

Taking a right at the end of the wall you'll see Rosemary Claus-Gray's Facade XXVIII.

Turn to your right and see Susan Leslie Lumsden's Slipstream Adventure.

Further along that same wall and moving toward the front are Arleta Johnson's
Enlightenment, then Annie Helmerick-Louder's Dinner Guest and finally, Susan Leslie Lumsden's Ridgeline: Afterglow.

This is just the first floor lobby. In my next post I'll share with you what can be discovered on the 10th and 11th floors. This exhibition has 33 pieces by 14 artists.

Special thanks to Rosemary Claus-Gray for the photos!

The World Trade Center is on the corner of Bonhomme and S. Meramec in Clayton,MO. The building is open from 9-5 daily. I don't think it is normally open on the weekends. Not showing in the images are the labels plus bios with each piece. The prices are listed on the signage with directions to contact Art St. Louis about purchases.

Our intent with this blog is to keep our members connected, not only via email, but visually as well. I'll be posting guidelines as time goes by.

If you have work accepted into Fiber Focus or are a part of the Innovations in Textiles Festivities, please let me know so I can post it for everyone. The main openings associated with Innovations are on Sept 25th. We have chosen not to hold a reception for Tactile Fluency as most of the entries were from out of town and those who planned on attending wanted to see the wide range of exhibitions, not babysit.