SAQA Atlantic Regional Show - Call for Entry

SAQA Atlantic is very pleased to announce a Call for Entry for our second Regional Show, ‘Structures’! 

Our show will premiere at the Art Gallery of St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia on June 1, 2015, with opening night on June 5, 2015.

Show Concept: 

Structures surround us. They can comprise man-made or natural arrangements, thought concepts, social relations, musical compositions and much more. We are embedded within social structures of all types and rely on them to determine everything from how we organize our days to how we build our sentences. Physical structures can be as large as a bridge or high rise building or as small as a molecular arrangement.

SAQA Atlantic Canada encourages its members to submit art quilts which are inspired by structures. Abstract and representational work are encouraged.

Juror: Alan Syliboy:

An established Mi’kmaq artist, Alan Syliboy’s work is influenced by the indigenous Mi'kmaq rock drawing and quill weaving traditions. Working in acrylic and mixed media, Alan creates vibrantly coloured images exploring the themes of family, searching, spirituality, struggle, and strength. The use of layering symbols and mark making creates depth and texture in Alan’s work. Besides painting Alan also works in sculpture and pottery. His career spans several decades of highly acclaimed work. You find more information on his website www.alansyliboy.org 

Curator: Regina Marzlin 

IMPORTANT DATES

Entry opens ► March 15, 2015 

Deadline for receipt of entries ► April 15, 2015 

Notification of acceptance ► April 30, 2015

Accepted artwork delivery date ► May 15, 2015 

Artist reception ► June 5, 2015 

Exhibition opens ► June 1, 2015

Exhibition closes► The show will travel to multiple venues. We anticipate that it will remain intact until June 30, 2016.

Nova Scotia Fibre Fest 2014 Upcoming Workshops - Deb Plestid, Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia

The 7th annual Nova Scotia Fibre Arts Festival takes place in Amherst from October 14-18th, 2014. It is a five day celebration of all things fibre - quilting, rug hooking, knitting, weaving, felting, crocheting and much more. This festival features creative workshops, stunning exhibits and hands-on demonstrations and some of the region’s most beautiful fibre work.

I am pleased to be a part of the festival and to have my work displayed in the Dayle’s Department Store windows at 129 Victoria St East in Amherst. Check out the festival website at www.fibreartsfestival.com

I’ll be presenting two workshops - Three Bums on a Beach and Thread Vessels.
The festival will thrill those who love to hold and behold fibre in all its guises.

Three Bums on a Beach - Deb Plestid

Thread Vessel - Deb Plestid

Thread Vessel - Deb Plestid

Update - Chris Nielsen, Head of St. Margaret’s Bay, Nova Scotia

I know many are wondering just how our esteemed leader, Chris is doing after her surgery on Friday. I am very pleased to report she is doing well and if you would like to send her notes of encouragement, please do so via her personal blog The Galloping Cat, where she has posted her first "real time" post-surgery entry this morning. 

Feel free to express your awe as she takes control of her recovery with her usual focus, determination and attention to detail. 

Speedy recovery, Chris! We know better than to expect nothing less.

What's my view? - Chris Nielsen, Head of St. Margaret's Bay, NS

Readers of my blog have already seen this image but it so important to me that I will share it here. This was taken on my solo bike ride along the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany in 2013. It represents my love of that part of the world, my freedom to do as I pleased for a week and is attractive to me in its simplicity. The pure reflections on the water say a lot to me.

Road trip report

Susan Tilsley Manley, Kate Madeloso and I recently took a two day road trip  to see all four galleries where the Oh, Canada show was being presented. After picking up Susan in Durham, NS we took the ferry to Prince Edward Island with the gallery at the Confederation Centre for the Arts as our first destination. But we didn't get there without a fibre detour! After passing the sign for Belfast Mini Mills we turned around (yes, we foolishly drove a few more kilometres) and headed for the business. It was one of the highlights of the trip. The owners are warm wonderful people who delighted in giving us a tour of their operation. We had a chance to talk with Hazel who creates wonderful wet felted backgrounds for people who want to pursue felting but are put off by the blinding whiteness at the start. She offers a one day class and we will definitely go back for a day of felting and laughter.

I had never been to the Confederation Centre of the Arts and I was really surprised to see such a large and well-kept facility. The gallery space was very nice. The show was a mixture of pieces we liked, pieces that puzzled us, and pieces we really disliked. After ice cream at Cows we headed over the bridge to Moncton.

Our first stop the next morning was to be Galerie Sans Nom. We were about thirty minutes early so we wandered around the Aberdeen Cultural Centre where the gallery is located. An artist in a studio on the main floor told us about a fibre artist upstairs. Imagine that person's surprise when the three of us piled into her studio and started oohing and aahing. As it became clear that we spoke her language she started going into her closet and bringing out things that were hidden away, probably because not many non-fibre people would 'get' them. We loved each new thing more. The artist is Marjolaine Bourgeois. You should stop by and say hello when you are in Moncton. You won't regret a visit to the Aberdeen building. It has a warm and creative vibe.

Les pieds dans l'eau, 2014, Marjolaine Bourgeois

We saw the next two galleries on the afternoon of the second day. It was good to end at the Owens Gallery at Mount Allison University. All three of us felt found some of our favourite artwork in that portion of the show. The Oh, Canada show will remain in our region for a couple more weeks. I encourage everyone to get out to see it if you can. You won't like everything (or anything) but it will prompt you to reflect on important topics globally and in your own art practice.

SAQA Atlantic trunk show

As summer ends and we begin to convene in groups of all kinds to help offset the trials of the coming cold and snow, please don't forget that our regional trunk show is available to travel. Think outside the box about where you'd like to spread the love of art quilts and share the talents of your fellow SAQA members.

Check out the trunk show link on the home page of the blog to contact the coordinators. Even if the trunk is in another province, we can make arrangements to get it to you. The coordinators can help create a reasonable schedule for its travels.

Laurie Swim, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia - Student’s Work

Recently Laurie taught her class, From Start to Finish, in Lunenburg, NS. Cathy Nunn was one of her students and wrote this lovely note to Laurie about her experience and what she learned in the five day workshop. Here she is with her nearly completed art quilt.

August, 2014.Wow!  It’s been a great week. I have learned so much. Can I just say what a fine teacher you are? Thank you for your generosity in sharing your skills and techniques and stories. I feel more confident now meeting those “unexpected” opportunities for creativity. Again, thank you for sharing your time and space.  -Cathy Nunn.

Laurie would also like tell folks that with her project, Hope and Survival, The Halifax Explosion taking place over the next three years, as well as taking on a large commission recently (more on that to come), she most likely will not be teaching these workshops for some time.

There are still openings in the September 15-19, 2014 workshop for anyone who is interested.  Contact Laurie at swim@ican.net