January 18, 2014, The Sum of Many Parts: 25 Quiltmakers in 21st-Century America; Iowa State Historical Museum, Des Moines, IA

2:00PM - Please join me for a gallery talk in conjunction with The Sum of Many Parts exhibit.  The presentation will feature my video, A Piece of Me, a Q&A session, and the quilt I'm currently making with the lao bu (handwoven, indigo-dyed fabric) brought back from my trip to Shanghai (September, 2012). 

Here is a preview of my video A Piece of Me.  

Along with five other quilts, it features Portmanteau, 

my quilt from the exhibit, The Sum of Many Parts.  

Iowa State Historical Museum

600 East Locust, Des Moines Iowa

Second Floor Gallery,
Oct. 4, 2013 - Jan. 31, 2014

More information about the exhibit from the State Historical Society of Iowa website:

Making its North American debut at the State Historical Museum of Iowa, this traveling exhibition featuring works of 25 contemporary quilters from the United States – including two from Iowa. Des Moines is the only city in the United States to host the exhibition in its entirety. It was originally developed as a cross-cultural exchange to introduce the people of China to American culture through a shared love of textile arts, using quiltmaking as a metaphor for the rich diversity of American society.

This exhibition has been touring major cultural institutions in China since 2012, and it’s installation in Des Moines includes additional information about the state of Iowa’s unique and ongoing relationship with China, along with quilts from the State Historical Museum’s collection that represent Iowa’s contribution to quilting.

The Sum of Many Parts: 25 Quiltmakers from 21st-Century America is a program conceived and sponsored by the United States Embassy-Beijing. The exhibition and its tour throughout the People’s Republic of China was jointly developed and managed by Arts Midwest and South Arts, with additional assistance from the Great Lakes Quilt Center at Michigan State University.

Partial funding provided by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Additional support from Rhoda A. Pierce, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Illinois Arts Council, Illinois Office of Trade and Investment, Iowa Arts Council, Kentucky Arts Council, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Mississippi Arts Commission, North Dakota Council on the Arts, Ohio Arts Council, and South Dakota Arts Council. The exhibition’s presentation in Iowa has been made possible by the Iowa Arts Council and State Historical Museum of Iowa.

My longtime friend (since 1989), Lori Sip who

braved the weather all the way from Nebraska to

Des Moines.  What a friend!