Quilt National opened this past Friday night at the Dairy Barn in Athens, Ohio. It was a very crowded, exciting event. Three SAQA Pennsylvania members were among the select group of artists chosen to exhibit their work. Cynthia Friedman showed  A MAN AMONG GIANTS. Patrica Kennedy-Zafred won the Heartland Award for her DESCENT INTO DARKNESS: THE BOYS OF THE MINES, and Jan Myers-Newbury showed  TILT-A-WHIRL. It was amazing to be at the opening and enjoy all the excitement.  I am very glad though that I had the opportunity to return on Saturday to hear the artists talk about their work and to view the pieces more closely. They are outstanding. Congratulations to you all!

I also had the opportunity to see the FIBERART INTERNATIONAL show in Pittsburgh, the previous Saturday. The show is in two venues and Patty Kennedy-Zafred graciously offered to host me through both. A fantastic show. We were joined by PA SAQA members Marty Ressler, Camilla Pearce, and Jay van Wagenen, Co-Director of FIBERART INTERNATIONAL,  who was our docent for the tour. A great group, to see the show with. I was especially fascinated to hear  stories about the shows set up, as well as some background stories about the artists. So, it was a day of seeing new and wonderful fiber work, and meeting new friends. All in all a wonderful experience.

Both shows were wonderful and both are up for a while. Quilt National is open select dates until Sept 2, 2013 check website for specifics: www.dairybarn.org.  Fiberart International is open until August 18, 2013. If you are in the area of either I highly recommend that you go, they were both thought provoking and beautiful.