Broad Spectrum - SAQA Regional Exhibition curated by Cynthia St. Charles

Ryniker-Morrison Gallery on the campus of Rocky Mountain College

1511 Poly Drive, Billings, Montana

February 17 - March 30, 2012

Opening Reception 5 - 7 pm on Friday, February 17

The gallery is an intimate space divided into two rooms. With 11 foot ceilings, and glossy hardwood floors, it feels spacious and provides a wonderful atmosphere for this Montana - Idaho SAQA regional exhibition.

Here is my curator statement:

The human existence is infused with fiber and textile. Cloth is the first thing to touch our bodies at birth and the last thing to embrace us at our death. Throughout our lives, we use textiles to clothe ourselves, upholster our furniture, cover our windows. It is everywhere around us. It comforts us, warms us, protects us.

People have been using textiles as an expressive art form since the dawn of civilization. However, this art form phased out rapidly when mass production made cloth cheap and plentiful. Now, in the age of technology, there is a deep, slow underground movement of artists around the world who have chosen textile as their medium for artistic expression. These artists are rapidly gaining recognition and acceptance in the world of fine art. Art quilts straddle the space between art and craft. The tactile quality of the medium is both seductive and comforting, while also being visually gratifying.

This is the first time regional members of Studio Art Quilt Association have shown their work together. The show was juried by Desiree Vaughn, a nationally recognized quilt artist from Suttons Bay, Michigan. The curator is Cynthia St. Charles, an award winning textile artist from Billings, Montana.

I have posted the images as they would be seen as the viewer enters the room and moves around the space.

"Grass" by Christine Mullaney and "Twilight" by Heidi Zielinski

"Twilight" by Heidi Zielinski and "Pockets of Shadow" by Heidi Zielinski

"Blue Herons" by Linda MacDonald and "Autumn Leaf" by Linda McLaughlin

"Autumn Leaf" by Linda McLaughlin and "Green Woman" by Nancy Erickson

"Green Woman" by Nancy Erickson and "The Outsider" by Pat Budge
Then, going around the wall here, and into the second room:

"Home Away from Home" by Karen Burton and "Closure" by Wanda Nelson

"Closure" by Wanda Nelson and "Peepholes #3" by Kathleen Probst

"Peepholes #3" by Kathleen Probst, "Fire" by Regina Browne and "Peppers" by Barb Olson

"Fire" by Regina Browne, "Peppers" by Barb Olson and "Indian Summer" by Lisa Flowers Ross

"Indian Summer' by Lisa Flowers Ross, Cell #8: Muse Self Portrait by Kathleen Probst, and "Resilience" by Brooke Atherton

"Resilience" by Brooke Atherton, "Ode to Dad" by Nora Bebee and

"Coneflower and Bee" by Kathy Hammond

Then around to the other side of this wall, back into the first room:

"Color Study 1" by Donna Deaver, "Big Sky Country: Heart Mountain" by Phyllis Movius

and "Montana Grizzly" by Karen Burton

I do apologize for the quality of these pictures. They were still working on tweaking the spots when I left, so many of these pieces are not well lit in the pictures I am posting right now.

The opening reception is tonight and I will try to get pictures of the crowd for another posting.
I could also do a post that shows each piece individually and with a detail, if there is interest in that.
I just wanted to give you all a feel for the venue and the show as it appears in the gallery.

As we were setting up, a few people passed through and they were quite impressed! Congratulations to all the artists!