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When it comes to traditional notions of what makes a quilt, the artists featured in the touring exhibition "Quilt National 2003" might be considered "off the wall," but actually, their works are created expressly to be on the wall.
The exhibit, now on display at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles through Feb. 27, emphasizes quilts created specifically as contemporary works of art and highlights innovations in both technique and content by textile artists.
The exhibit marks a rare opportunity, as the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles is the only West Coast stop for the touring exhibit, which features 24 of the 84 original pieces in the "Quilt National 2003" show, a prestigious juried exhibit on display every other year throughout the summer at the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Southeastern Ohio. Following the exhibition in Ohio, the show is split into three sections that then tour the country for two years. Since the exhibit only happens biennially, that makes this local installment of the event rarer still.
The name "Quilt National" has become a bit of a misnomer, as the event has grown to include submissions from countries around the globe, with quilts from Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Israel, England, Northern Ireland, France, New Zealand and Australia featured in the 2003 show. Some of those works will be on display in the section shown at the San Jose Museum, as well as works by some Bay Area artists, including Judith Content of Palo Alto, Sushma Patel-Bould of East Palo Alto and Ana-Lisa Hedstrom of La Honda.
There is no theme to which entrants must adhere, but the quilts in the 2003 edition of the show were notable for highlighting a broad number of social issues, in particular environmental themes, as well as more individual personal ideas.
The jury is in and the artworks have been selected for "Quilt National 2005," which will go on display in Ohio in May. Artists featured in next year's exhibit include Content and Hedstrom, Jean Williams Cacicedo of Berkeley, Susan Else of Santa Cruz, Janet Lipkin of Richmond and Therese May of San Jose.
"Quilt National 2003" runs through Feb. 27 at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, 110 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose. Admission is $4$5. For more information, call 408.971.0323 or see www.sjquiltmuseum.org.
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