Inspiration In & Around the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles

Saturday was jam-packed with quilting fun and inspiration.  Once home from the California State Fair, I had a little over an hour to recover before heading off to the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles for their Champagne Gala.  Luckily there was no traffic so I had some time to explore the local downtown scene for a bit before the gala commenced.

There is free parking on the evenings and all day on Sundays under the 680/280 overpass, where all the columns are painted in an array of bright colors.  This most recent visit I noticed several paint patches, which I suspect are the city's solution to covering up graffiti.   While I certainly do not condone disrespect or destruction of public property, I really appreciated the way that the colors & shapes interacted with each other!

Just past the SJMQT is MACLA (Movimento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana)  and I was quite smitten with the artwork adorning their building and windows.  Above their sign is a graphic black & white artwork that reminds me of my favorite artist:  Keith Haring.  Then their windows have large banners that feature pastel colored organic shapes that overlap to create transparency.

Interaction of Color and Shapes

Interesting lines and textures were abundant within the architecture of the sidewalks and brick facades.  So many possibilities for walking foot quilting and modern piecing designs!!

Abundant ArchiTEXTURE

My little inspirational scavenger hunt lasted only a few minutes as soon it was time for the Champagne Gala to open.  Once inside, I was shocked to see that my donated FiberShot had already been purchased, as evidenced by a red dot next to the signage!!  The new owner revealed themselves and I am delighted that this lil' Mosaic Mod Mola is going home with a fellow quilter who is both a long-time supporter of SJMQT as well as a founding member of my guild.

This year all donated FiberShots were on display and will remain part of the exhibit for the next month or so.  So while quite a few were purchased during the Champagne Gala, there are several amazing pieces of Fiber Art that are still available for purchase for $125!!  I recognized one FiberShot that used the Interleave technique, as well as another that incorporated designs from my Walking Foot WOW! workshop.

FiberShots

In addition to all the fabulous FiberShots on display, there were three new exhibits in addition to the Artist in Residence space.

The first gallery featured Linear Intervention:  Sabine Reckewell, architectural installations that "focus on line, repetition and geometry."  I was especially entranced with her Linear Intervention, 2017 that is constructed out of polyester webbing, wood strips and screws.  I just kept moving around the space taking in the new patterns of light and color that emerged, especially with the bright orange webbing against the slate blue walls!!

Sabine Reckewell's Linear Intervention, 2017

Next stop was to the Maker Space featuring the current Artist in Residence:  Heather Deyling and her Invented Hybrids series.  Heather's colorful organic creations are a fabulous complement to Sabine's minimalist designs!

Heather Deyling's Invented Hybrids (left to right):  Accumulation 1, Stalk and Fused 2

Once again I was transformed as I viewed the award winning quilts from the 13th Quilt Nihon Exhibition.  These stunning quilts were made by some of the most talented artists from Japan and the Pacific Rim.  Not only did these quilt feature brilliant and beautiful designs, but were impeccably constructed!!!  I had a difficult time choosing my favorite, so here are a few of my favorites with accompanying detail pictures.

Harue Konishi, SYO#80:  I love how the machine pieced Ls dance and the floating circles

Keiko Ohno, Triangles to My Heart's Content:  Such energy created by the different shapes/angles and quilted lines

Yoko Kageyama, Sparkling Until the End:  Fall Leaves Reimagined into so many ways!!

Ayumi Asano, Good Luck:  Enamored with all the fun fabrics and quilted balloons floating in the background!

These are just a few highlights of these breathtaking exhibits, making the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles a must-see this summer!!  I am already looking forward to returning again to spend more time with these quilts where I am sure I will discover surprising new details!!