MICHELLE'S DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

I'm so sorry this news letter is so late. Life just has it's own path that steers even the well intentioned into directions beyond thier control. I hope you are doing well and having a blast working on new pieces. Our last meeting was in Silver City for the opening of the Silver City Fiber Arts Fiesta. We had 23 members and guests attend the dinner meeting. It was an inspiring night of making friends and show and tell. Thank you to all who attended. Our next meeting will be at 2 pm on January 3 in Las Cruses New Mexico at the Branigan, 501 N Main Street, on the North end of the Downtown Mall. Please see the message below from Linnea Egbert that explains what will be happening in conjuction with that show. I hope you will consider attending the meeting and the opening of our exhibit "A Color Runs Through It" at Bank of the West, 201 North Church Street. Please also keep in mind the current call for entry to "Beyond Tradition". Below is the info about that and it is also attatched. Remember the deadline is January 10, 2014. I hope you are thinking of entering some thing. We have a lot of space to fill! Lets make a grand statement that fiber art is strong, viberant and here to stay.  Here is a link to see interviews of some of our local SAQA artisists in Houston. http://www.youtube.com/user/QuiltAlliance Also see pictures from those who attended the IQF in Houston on our blog. http://saqanm.blogspot.com/   Hope to see you in Las Crusas, Michelle Jackson SAQA NM Representative Beyond Tradition An exhibition of contemporary fiber art by the Studio Art Quilt Associates of New Mexico at the Hubbard Museum of the American West April 5-TBD, 2014 VENUE: The Hubbard Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, is located at 26301 Hwy 70 West in Ruidoso Downs, NM 88346.  It is owned and operated by the City or Ruidoso Downs, and is open from 10:30 am to 4:43 pm daily. SAQA has been allocated the Mezzanine Gallery, 2500 sq. feet, and the Angle Gallery, 1500 sq. feet by Ray Pawley, Curator of Exhibits. ELIGIBILITY: All work must meet the SAQA definition of an Art Quilt: “The art quilt is a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered construction.” In addition, only original artwork, conceived and created by the entrant(s) will be considered; no patterns, kits or copies. All artists involved collaborating on an artwork must be listed as entrants and sign the loan agreement. Applicants must be current members of SAQA with New Mexico as one of their regions.  In state residence not required. THEME: What have you done with your fiber art that pushes the boundaries of tradition?  Do you use old techniques to produce new imagery?  Or do incorporate mixed media into your work?  This exhibit is intended to demonstrate new directions that we are taking. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:   Two dimensional “wall” pieces as well as three dimensional sculptural work be eligible.    Dimensions of wall work must be:            A minimum of 24" width.            A minimum of 24" height. *A maximum of THREE two dimensional works per artist will be considered. All wall entries must have a 4" sleeve sewn to the top of the quilt in the back.  There should be 1 ½" allowance on each side of the sleeve to allow hanging slats to remain hidden.  Each quilt should be labeled in the back with the title, artist name and contact information.   Dimensions of sculptural work must be: A maximum of 48” in any direction. •      A maximum of TWO sculptural pieces per artist will be considered for a possible total of FIVE entries per artist. •      Any work not able to be stacked or rolled will be the artists’ responsibility to deliver to the Museum. All entries must also be labeled with the artist's name, address, phone #, and email address. JURY: Selection of the two dimensional work to be shown will be made by Dr. Sandra Sider. Selection of the sculptural work to be shown will be made by the Exhibition Committee in conjunction with Ray Pawley, curator of the Hubbard Museum. Non-refundable entry fee is $30 for up to THREE wall entries and TWO sculptural entries, for a possible total of FIVE per artist. Please make checks payable to SAQA, and mail them to: Betty Busby 14306 Oakwood Pl. Albuquerque NM 87123. ENTRIES ARE NOT COMPLETE UNTIL FEES ARE RECEIVED. IMAGE REQUIREMENTS: Please submit one full and one detail digital image of each submitted work by email to Betty Busby at fbusby3@comcast.net. Save your images as JPEGs, minimum of 1800 pixels on the longest side. Be sure to label your images with your last name, and the title; for example, gould-moonrise-full. Images must be in sharp focus. The quilt should be photographed on a plain white background with no hanging devices, pins, tacks or other extraneous items visible and the quilt should be as straight as possible. Poor quality images will affect the jurors' decisions. If an entrant disregards the requirements, their quilt(s) may be disqualified. From Linnea Egbert and the Las Colcheras Quilt Guild:  I.  It’s All About Color Two Fiber Challenge Exhibits will be on display the month of January in one venue: A Color Runs Through It, by fifty New Mexico SAQA artists.  The challenge was to create an art quilt, measuring 18” x  24” using any variation of black, white, or gray and any variation of one color.  Many of the quilts on display will be for sale. My Favorite Things by members of Las Colcheras Quilt Guild is a judged contest whose winners will be announced at the opening reception on January 3.  The challenge was to create a small quilt relating to the challenge theme using a supplied blue batik. The exhibit runs from January 3 through January 31, 2014 at the Bank of the West, 201 North Church Street, Las Cruces, New Mexico.  The opening reception will be on Friday, January 3 during the Main Street Downtown Ramble starting at 5 PM. II.  12th Judged Quilt Show, Under the Sun Las Colcheras Quilt Guild presents a judged quilt show, Under the Sun, on Saturday, February 15 and Sunday, February 16, 2014 at the Las Cruces Convention Center.  Saturday hours are from 9 to 5 and Sunday, 10 to 4.  NQA Certified Judge, Diane Pitchford of Gilbert, Arizona will judge the show and handmade ribbons and cash awards will be presented.  The contest is open to all and Categories and Rules are posted on the guild website, www.lcqg.org. Michelle Watts of Roswell, New Mexico will give classes during the show as well as on Monday, February 17.  Michelle is known for her beautiful southwest designs and these will be incorporated in her workshops using PaintStiks, learning Redwork by machine, and invisible machine appliqué.  Her workshop descriptions, dates, and fees as well as registration forms can be accessed on the guild website.  AQS Certified Appraiser, Bobbie Aug, will be available for quilt appraisals.  Appointments can be made for Saturday or Sunday by emailing LasColcherasQG@aol.com.  There is also a Quilt Marketplace with Commercial Vendors and a Guild Boutique. Las Colcheras extends an invitation to any New Mexico or El Paso County guild for a free space during the show to exhibit and sell tickets to their current Raffle Quilt.  Please join us! Las Cruces loves raffle quilts.  For additional information, contact: Linnea Egbert LasColcherasQG@aol.com