The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History is pleased to announce a call for entries for its annual juried quilt and wall hanging exhibition. The summer-long exhibition, Quilts and Wall Hangings 2004, will be displayed in the Great Hall and in the Art Gallery of the Cultural Center, State Capitol Complex, Charleston.
Quilts handmade by West Virginia residents are eligible for the exhibition. First- ($500), second- ($400), and third-place ($300) awards will be made in the following categories: pieced quilts, appliqued quilts, quilts made with mixed/other techniques, and wall hangings. In addition, the Division will provide a Purchase Award and add the quilt chosen to the collection of the West Virginia State Museum.
The judge may award a Best of Show award of $100. Honorable mention or other non-monetary awards will be given at the discretion of the judge. Quilts and wall hangings shown previously in a Department of Arts, Culture and History Quilts and Wallhangings juried exhibition are not eligible.
In addition to the monetary award, all winners will receive ribbons. Awards will be presented on Saturday, May 29, in the West Virginia State Theater of the Cultural Center as part of the 28th annual Vandalia Gathering.
Entries must be postmarked by March 29 and arrive at the Cultural Center by March 31. Hand-delivered entries will be accepted between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on March 25-26. Each entrant may submit one quilt and one wall hanging, which must be accompanied by a non-refundable fee of $20 for each entry.
Lois Smith of Rockville, Md., will serve as judge for this year’s exhibition. She is a nationally known teacher and judge, certified by the National Quilting Association. In additional to teaching throughout the United States, Smith has taught in Africa, Brazil, Canada and Scotland. She is well known for her distinctive sampler quilts, outstanding use of color, and subtle textural effects. One quilt, Golden Memories of Christmas, won Best of Show in the Houston Quilt Festival in 1988 and another one, Summertime Sampler, is part of the permanent collection of the American Quilters’ Museum in Paducah, Ky. Smith has written Fun and Fancy: MACHINE QUILTMAKING and Lois Smith’s Machine Quiltmaking.
Smith will teach a beginners-to-advanced-level paper piecing quilting workshop entitled “Points of Interest” at the Cultural Center, on Wednesday, April 14, from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Participants will choose a theme and use an eight-inch block to create a collage pattern. The cost of the workshop is $35. Advance registration is required and seating is limited. To register for the workshop and receive a list of needed supplies or to request complete guidelines and entry forms for Quilts and Wall Hangings 2004, call Stephanie Lilly, exhibits coordinator for the Division, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 128.
The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. Visit the Division’s website at www.wvculture.org for more information about programs of the Division. The Department of Arts, Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.