Celebrating Fabric Art at the St. Charles Public Library Grand Re-Opening and the St. Charles Arts Council 10-year Anniversary/ National Endowment for the Arts Grant Project.

A large-scale fabric installation will soon be draping the south wall of the Municipal Building in downtown St. Charles, Illinois, thanks to many volunteer efforts and a $10,000 National Endowment of the Arts grant obtained by the St. Charles Arts Council. Amanda Browder, a Brooklyn-based international artist known for bright, large scale geometric designs, will grace the building wall in “swaths of color” using donated fabric, pinned, and sewn by community volunteers.
To celebrate the event and the opening of the newly renovated St. Charles Public Library, the St. Charles Arts Council will partner with the Library through an exhibit of art quilts from local artists including the Professional Art Quilt Alliance (PAQA). While art quilts are smaller in comparison to the larger format fabric installation, the shift in scale conveys another mode of personal expression and creative exploration. The beauty and diversity of the art quilt medium will be showcased in the new St. Charles Public Library Art Gallery and will echo the community’s promotion of the arts, creativity and culture.
Invitation Entry Deadline: August 13, 2021
Regional: An invitation exhibition is being extended to all members of the Professional Art Quilt Alliance (PAQA) that are in good standing and any artists that the organizers wish to include. Submissions for this show can be representational or abstract using any textures, patterns, shapes, or forms. The St. Charles Art Council will try to accommodate in as many quilts as possible.
Exhibition: September 1 – October 30, 2021
Entry Fee: None
Gallery Exhibition: St. Charles Public Library, St. Charles, Illinois, One South Sixth Avenue, St. Charles IL 60174
Deadline: August 13, 2021
Notification: August 17, 2021
Drop-off: Trinity, 2701 Maple Ave., Lisle, IL 60532, on August 28, from 12 – 1 pm or make arrangements with Darcy Berg, darcy@darcyberg.com for mailing.
For those artists living in or near St. Charles, a drop off-date is scheduled for 5 to 6 pm, August 28, at the St. Charles Public Library or make arrangements with Claudia Frost, cfinspirations@aol.com 630-772-0109
Pick-Up Date: To Be Determined. Exhibiting artists not associated with PAQA may make arrangements with Claudia Frost to pick up their quilts or pick up Friday, October 29 from 9 to 10 am at the Library.

PROSPECTUS for St. Charles Public Library Art Quilt Exhibition

“Focus on Fabric”

General Information

  1. Entry due August 13, 2021
  2. No fee or commission.
  3. Your accepted quilt must remain with the exhibition until the exhibition is complete.
  4. You will be asked to sign a Waiver and Release from Liability by the St. Charles Public Library District. You should have your own insurance.

Guidelines

  1. Quilts may have a binding.
  2. If you choose to use a facing or pillowcase finish, here is a video by Joe Cunningham that illustrates the facing process beautifully, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV-yd2SHjaQ&t=248s
  3. A vented sleeve must be a straight horizontal line suitable for hanging. Please follow Judy Zoelzer Levine’s process for a vented sleeve.
  4. Make sure that your quilt has a label which includes your contact information firmly attached to the quilt include:
    1. Title of Quilt
    2. Your name
    3. Any other information you think would be important if someone needed to get a hold of you, i.e., email address, etc.
  5. Include a wood slat for hanging.
    1. slat must be made of flat wood, such as this found at Home Depot https://www.homedepot.com/p/Weaber-1-4-in-x-2-in-x-4-ft-S4S-Poplar-Board-27402/207058967 and
    2. must be cut to be a ½ inch from each edge (so it doesn’t show behind the quilt), and
    3. be an inch to 2 inches wide and no more than a ¼ to 3/8 inch thick, and,
    4. have a ¼ inch hole at each end, no less than a ¼ inch from the end (otherwise the wood will split),
    5. slat does not need to be painted
    6. put your name on the slat
    7. Attach a loop made of leather, or some type of firm string or wire through the hole on each end of the slat so it can hang on the hook connected to the hanging cable of the hanging system.
Wire in drill hole

Entry Information

  1. Send Entry information to artistliaison@stcharlesartscouncil.org and provide the following:
    1. the name of your quilt
    2. the dimensions of your quilt
    3. your name
    4. your phone number
    5. your email address
    6. you may (optional) provide an artist statement no more than 3 sentences
    7. is your quilt for sale? How much? If not, say Not for Sale
    8. Two photos no more than 2000 pixels on the longest side
      1. one overall photo, and
      2. one detail photo
If you have any questions, please contact PAQA Exhibits Chair Vickie Alsene at alsene@sbcglobal.net or 815-481-4819 or President Claudia Frost at cfinspirations@aol.com or 630-772-0109.