‘Conceptual Threads’ exhibit showcases art quilting
The Coastal Discovery Museum is presenting “Conceptual Threads,” an exhibition by the Art Quilters of the Lowcountry that showcases more than 60 works exploring memory, landscape, family history and artistic experimentation through fabric and thread.
The exhibition runs through July 26 in the museum’s main gallery and features work by members Ron Hodge, Roberta “Ro” Morrissey, Peg Weschke and Jody Wigton, along with guest quilters Chris Lanigan, Deborah Legiadre, Marty Kotter and Candace Hackett Shively. Admission is free.
“We are delighted to once again showcase these award-winning fiber artists who explore both abstract themes and personal stories through this unique art form,” Elizabeth Greenberg, the museum’s director of exhibitions, said in a statement.
Morrissey said the exhibition invites viewers to see quilting beyond its traditional associations.
“Each quilt is an invitation to experience quilts not only as works of art, but also as conversations between tradition and innovation, artist and viewer, and the threads that tie us all together,” Morrissey said.
That spirit of experimentation is evident in the artists’ varied approaches and backgrounds.
Lanigan, who worked in the garment industry for many years, said she creates her pieces intuitively rather than beginning with a detailed sketch.
“I basically create this improvisation,” Lanigan said. “I just put pieces of fabric on the wall and create a composition. You never quite know what will happen.”
For Hodge, quilting grew naturally from a longtime career working with stained glass.
“I was the stained glass artist,” Hodge said. “It’s not that much different because with glass and fabric, you either sew the fabric together or you lead the stained glass together.”
After moving to the Lowcountry, Hodge said he found less demand for stained-glass window panels and turned his creative energy toward fiber art.
Wigton said she learned to sew as a child and spent years making her own clothing before discovering quilting.
After taking classes at a quilt shop and joining a quilting guild in Columbus, Ohio, she was introduced to artists working beyond traditional bed quilts.
“That’s what I want to do,” Wigton recalled thinking after seeing art quilting. “The rest is history.”
Guest artist Shively said her piece “The Teacher Gene” honors generations of educators in her family.
The work incorporates school papers and other materials contributed by people from around the country, many dating from the pre-computer era of “chalk dust and purple dittos and handwritten everything.”
For Morrissey, art quilting emerged from an unexpected challenge. After retiring to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, she began learning traditional quilting but struggled with the precision it required.
“I was diagnosed with two retina problems,” Morrissey said.
Unable to see well enough to accurately match points and patterns, she turned instead to fabric collage inspired by her photography and love of the coast.
“I realized that I really am a saltwater girl and my seascapes are my signature pieces,” Morrissey said.
The exhibition also demonstrates how quilting can move beyond flat wall hangings. Weschke discussed the group’s exploration of vessels created with fabric and a heat-formed interior material known as Fosshape.
“It was just another limb on the quilting tree,” Weschke said.
Museum visitors will have opportunities to hear directly from the artists during a series of free gallery walks.
Wigton and Morrissey will lead a quilting workshop June 23 from noon to 3 p.m.
The Coastal Discovery Museum is located at 70 Honey Horn Drive on Hilton Head Island. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
