The Power of Art

Here we are at The Cascade's restaurant enjoying a meal together. From left to right: Charlie, Alice, Sharon, Karen, Me and Dorothy (my Aunt).

On Wednesday I made my annual pilgrimage to Nashville to see the AQS Quilt Expo. For the past 5 years I have been meeting my aunt (who lives in Louisville, KY) and my mom (who comes from Carlsbad, CA) in Nashville and we stay at the Opryland Hotel, go to the Expo, shop and look at quilts. This year my mom, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, was not able to join us, so my Aunt and I went to the Expo without her! We missed you mom.

The installation of the quilts at the AQS Quilt Expo was disapointing. Quilts were hung too close together and you just couldn't see them. Some big name quilters submitted works to this show and I think if they saw how their quilts were displayed, they would think twice before submitting work again.

In both photos, viewers are straining to see a quilt.
The quilts were not displayed very well by AQS.

The exhibit which takes the grand prize was Ami Simm's Exhibit, "Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece." This is an exhibit of art quilts which interpret Alzheimer's disease in some way.
THE POWER OF ART quilts was evident by the number of people viewing the exhibit, and the many conversations of viewers talking about the exhibit.

Viewers stopped to read artist statements and view the work in the Alzheimer's: Forgetting a Thread at a Time exhibit.

This Exhibit is very moving and I had to view it in three separate sessions it was so emotional. The hostesses for this exhibit were Ami Simms and artists whose quilts were on exhibit. They took the time to talk to viewers and listen to countless stories, as everyone is affected, either directly or indirectly, by this disease.

Viewers take their time as they move through the Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece exhibit. It was hard to make it through without becoming overwhelmed by emotion and many people were crying. The quilts and artist statements were very moving.

Another aspect to the discussions among viewers was the curiosity of traditional quilters. They wondered how some of the artists made their quilts. When I explained to one group of traditional quilters that the main feature of the quilt they were looking at was Tyvek, painted, then ironed or burned, they looked at me like I was from outer space. They had no idea what Tyvek was and had never thought to burn something and put it on a quilt -- but they LOVED the results.

Bravo to Ami Simms and everyone who participated in this exhibit. It was excellently installed, the works were fabulous, and the impact was profound, on many levels. I purchased the CD of this exhibit which features pictures of the quilts and a voice over of the quiltmakers telling their stories. I encourage you to find out how you can support this project by visiting Ami Simms website.