SAQA NEW MEXICO MEETING AND OPENING RECEPTION AT HUBBARD MUSEUM CANCELLED.

The Hubbard Museum in Ruidoso Downs just cancelled all their special events through early April. That means the reception planned for the opening of Life Along the Rio Grande has been cancelled. Given the current warning about COVID-19, we are cancelling the March SAQA NM meeting planned for March 21. We hope to be back to our regular schedule with the May 16 meeting in Santa Fe. We’ll keep you posted.

Since we are cancelling the March meeting, we hope you will join us for the online NM SAQA critique on Saturday, April 18, at 9am, MST. The ZOOM PLATFORM is very easy to use. If you want a practice session, Vicki Conley, the critique leader, would be glad to set it up. Vicki also needs one more volunteer to put up a work for critique. This is a friendly setting and everyone learns a lot. Please contact Vicki for the ZOOM info you will need to access the meeting.

SAQA CONFERENCE NOW A VIRTUAL EVENT

As you probably know by now, MOSAICA, the international SAQA conference scheduled to take place in Toronto was cancelled. The good news is that the conference team is converting the program (including the Spotlight Auction) to a virtual event that will take place Thursday, March 19, to Saturday, March 21. With this new format, registration is extended to all SAQA members, no matter your location! Registration is $200 and you will be able to access all the programs through June 30, even if you can’t attend all the conference sessions in real time. Visit http://www.saqa.com/ and access SAQA conferences from the members’ section for complete information and registration. This is a great opportunity to join the conference without the cost of travel, hotel and meals. What a deal!

Announcing SAQA NM Call for Entry:

WEATHER or NOT

SAQA NM is pleased to announce a new call for entry for 2021 at the Capitol Rotunda Gallery in Santa Fe. The theme is weather in all its forms. From sunny summer days to stormy winter nights, weather is an integral part of all our lives. Abstract and representational work will be considered, two-dimensional wall-hung work (including framed pieces) and free-standing, three-dimensional sculpture may also be submitted.

Selected portions of the show will travel to the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, in September 2021. Check out the Call for Entry Tab for details.

Important - Change of Location/Time of Next SAQA NM Regional Meeting

CHANGE OF VENUE AND TIME FOR MARCH 21 SAQA NEW MEXICO REGIONAL MEETING (Note: as of 3/14/2020 the reception and March meeting are cancelled)

The next New Mexico SAQA Regional meeting is Saturday, March 21, 2020. The meeting will be held in conjunction with the opening of LIFE ALONG THE RIO GRANDE at the Hubbard Museum of the American West in Ruidoso Downs, NM. Since several members plan to attend the museum opening on March 20, the regional meeting will take place at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Mount in Ruidoso, from 9:00 am to 10:30 am. A light breakfast of pastries, coffee, tea and juice will be served.

We are asking members who plan to attend the meeting to email Lynn Rogers so that we can purchase an appropriate amount of food and beverages for everyone.

Episcopal Church of the Holy Mount

121 Mescalero Trail

Ruidoso. NM

A huge thank you to Ruidoso-based member Mary Aigner for arranging the venue and food for this meeting. It is a rare opportunity to bring together SAQA NM members from areas of our very large state beyond Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

As a reminder: our first exhibition of 2020 will open at the Hubbard Museum of the American West in Ruidoso Downs, NM, with a reception for LIFE ALONG THE RIO GRANDE, Friday, March 20, from 5 to 7 pm. The show will be on view from March 21 to July 31, 2020.

Hubbard Museum of the American West
26301 U. S. Hwy 70
Ruidoso Downs, NM
575-378-4142
www.hubbardmuseum.org

Your Invitiation for the LIFE ALONG THE RIO GRANDE reception is HERE.

Next up is an exhibition of OUT OF THE BLUE at the Farmington Museum in Farmington, NM,

from April 4 to August 1, 2020. The 23 quilts curated into this exhibition have been collected. Thanks again to Kay Sutt and Julee Coffman for volunteering to deliver the quilts to Farmington. This is a lovely museum and worth the trip to see OUT OF THE BLUE while it is on display there.

Information on these and other SAQA NM exhibitions is on our blog at http://saqanm.blogspot.com.

SAQA NM CRITIQUE GROUP

The second Critique Group Online Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, April 18. So far we have one volunteer; we would like to have 2 more volunteers for this session. Critique discussions last about 15-20 minutes each and loosely follow Jane Dunnewold’s critique guidelines. You can find the guidelines at https://janedunnewold.com/tutorials. Both finished pieces and works-in-progress are welcome. If you would like to volunteer to enter a piece to be critiqued, please email Vicki Conley. All SAQA NM members are invited to participate in the critique group, whether you have a piece you want discussed or would simply like to see how the process work.

These online meetings are conducted using the ZOOM video conferencing tool. It’s an easy process to take part in. If you haven’t yet participated in a ZOOM meeting, you can learn more at the SAQA website by searching for ZOOM or going to http://www.saqa.com/members.php?ID=3529.

ALBUQUERQUE FIBER ARTS COUNCIL NEWS

Albuquerque Fiber Arts Council’s spring show will be held at the Albuquerque Garden Center on April 3 and 4, 2020.  Char Punke and Beverly Tones are the SAQA representatives on the education committee that sponsors this show. Calls for Entry are available at www.fiberartsfiesta.org. This is a great opportunity to show smaller art quilts. It would be wonderful to have SAQA well-represented at this show. SAQA is a member organization so our members do not have to pay an entry fee.

It's not too soon to start thinking about the ABQ Fiber Arts Fiesta coming up in 2021. Bev Firth is the co-chair of the AFAF quilt committee. We are still looking for a volunteer to represent SAQA on the quilt committee. Please email Mary Jo Stipe if you can take on this role.

Don’t forget to take advantage of all the articles, webinars, news and inspiration available 24/7 on the SAQA website. Tap into SAQA Seminar 2020 — Your Professional Toolkit, along with archives of earlier seminars. Looking for opportunities to show your work? Check out

http://www.saqa.com/calendar.

Mary Jo Stipe
NM Regional Co-Representative
Studio Art Quilt Associates

Update on Items from September, 2019 Meeting: Trunk Show/Presentation and NM Regional Conference 2021

SAQA TRUNK SHOW
            We have reserved a SAQA trunk show for the months of July and August, 2020. Mary
Jo Stipe will be doing a program on art quilts and the history of SAQA to accompany the
trunk show. In addition to the July SAQA NM Regional Meeting, she will be speaking to the
ABQ Modern Quilt Guild, NMQA, Taos Quilt Guild, and the NNMQG. If you know of
another group that might be interested in having this program at their meeting, contact
Mary Jo.

SAQA NM REGIONAL CONFERENCE 2021
            We are in the early stages of looking into the feasibility of doing a SAQA NM Regional
Conference in 2021. Tentative plans are to feature Susie Monday to make the keynote
address and present a workshop. If you are interested in being on a committee to help
with this project, please contact Mary Jo.

HIghlights from the January 18, 2020 Meeting

Life Along the Rio Grande at Hubbard Museum of the American West

LARG will be featured at the Hubbard Museum in Ruidoso Downs. The show begins with a reception on Friday, March 20, 2020, from 5 to 7 pm, and will be on view through July 31, 2020. IMPORTANT NOTE: If your quilt is for sale, you must complete and return the consignment agreement to the Hubbard Museum. Here are the Tax Forms and Consignment agreement for the Hubbard show. Please download and send them directly to the Hubbard Museum. If you don’t want to offer your quilt for sale, you don’t need to send in these forms. Contact is: Caralyn Contreras; caralyn@hubbardmuseum.org or 575-378-4142 Ext. 8. Hubbard Museum of the American West, 26301 Hwy 70, Ruidoso Downs, NM 88346

Out of the Blue Quilts for Farmington

The director of the Farmington Museum in Farmington, NM, selected 23 pieces from Out of the Blue to exhibit from April 4 to August 1, 2020. We will need to collect all the quilts by February 12. Please contact Mary Jo Stipe or Lynn Rogers to arrange delivery. Don’t forget to include the slats for hanging. Many thanks to Kay Sutt and Julee Coffman for volunteering to take the quilts to Farmington. 

Here’s the list of featured quilts:

Anita McSorley                                   Cosmic Storm

Ann Anastasio                                    Nothing But Blue Skies

April Foster                                         Steelhead

Betty Busby                                        Willow Revisited

Carolyn Castaneda                             A Blue Haunting

Carolyn Castaneda                             Solstice

Colleen Konetzni                                Wide Open Sky, A Bunny’s View

Cynthia Fowler                                   Bubble Netting

Ginny McVickar                                   Fast Food

Jane Ann Bode                                    Just Blue

Jo Barton                                            Silent Landscape

Jo Barton                                            Kaleidoscope of Life

Judith Roderick                                   Whales

Julee Coffman                                     Out of the Blue on NM 104

Lorraine Hollingsworth                      Wonky Tonk Blues

Lynn Rogers                                        Indigo II

Marianne Williamson                         Blue Cascade

Mary Jo Stipe                                      Angel Wing

Mary Olivea                                        Wisps

Nancy J. Steidle                                  Restless Waves

Nicole Dunn                                        Thunderbird

Patricia Gould                                     Dancing Waves

Robyn Gold                                         Sea Song

More Exhibition News

LARG will travel to the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza, September 17 to 20, 2020, at the Greater Pennsylvania Expo Center in Oaks, PA.

A selection of quilts from Out of the Blue will be on display at the Coos Bay Museum in Coos Bay, Oregon, beginning in February 2021.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE WEATHER…Although we don’t yet have confirmed dates for our spring 2021 show at the Capitol Rotunda in Santa Fe, it’s not too early to start thinking about your entry or entries. The theme will revolve around weather. Wall-hung and 3-D pieces will be accepted. Later in 2021, up to half of the pieces (wall-hung only) will travel to the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. More details to come as available.

Local Connections Albuquerque

Sharon Eastvold has organized a Local Connections group that plans to meet the 4th Thursday of each month from 1:30 to 3 pm, at Quilt Works, 1115 Menaul Blvd. NE, Albuquerque. The next meeting will be February 27. This is an opportunity for SAQA members in the ABQ area to share ideas and techniques and to support each other creatively in a small group setting. Interested? Contact Sharon.

NM Online Critique Group Begins in February

Vicki Conley is setting up a live participation ZOOM webinar at 9 am on the 3^rd Saturday of the months that alternate with the regular SAQA NM meeting (February, April, etc.). The first webinar is scheduled for Saturday, February 15. Vicki has been the moderator for the SAQA Education Committee’s webinar critiques, so she is well-versed in the critique process and in the ZOOM platform. Vicki would like three volunteers for each session with critique discussions lasting for 15 to 20 minutes each. Finished pieces or works in progress are welcome. The webinar will loosely follow Jane Dunnewold’s critique guidelines available at https://janedunnewold.com/tutorials. For more information contact Vicki. 

Albuquerque Fiber Arts Council

As a member organization of the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Council, SAQA will again participate in the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta in 2021. Kay Sutt and Mary Jo Stipe volunteered to represent SAQA on the Fiesta committee. Char Punke and Beverly Tones are the SAQA reps on the Education Committee, which sponsors the Spring Show. SAQA member, Bev Firth, is the chair of the Council’s Quilt Committee and needs a volunteer to represent SAQA on that committee. Please contact Bev if you can take on this role. 

100-Day Challenge

Kay Sutt presented a short program detailing her experience with the 2019 SAQA 100-Day Challenge. Kay showed the 100 5X7-inch art quilts she completed. The pieces prompted some lively discussions after the meeting. The goal of the challenge is to develop a regular art or studio practice, whether it’s creating small art quilts or other art forms such as drawings or an art journal. The 2020 challenge, titled The Next 100 Days, will begin in February. This challenge is part of the private SAQA Facebook group. If you’re not already a member, you can join by searching for SAQA on Facebook. Once you’ve joined the group, search for Announcements to find the 2020 challenge. Whether you create 100 pieces or only a few, it’s a great way to get your creative juices flowing in the new year.

Bits & Pieces

Entry is open for the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Council’s spring show at the Garden Center in ABQ on April 3 and 4, 2020. The theme is Fiber Play. Visit http://www.abqfiberartscouncil.org/ for details.

At the meeting Betty Busby discussed the growing interest in 3-D and mixed media in the world of art quilts. SAQA’s exhibition, 3-D Expressions, is an exciting show that reflects this trend. You can view images at https://photos.app.goo.gl/Uaa3LRxw5X7jWfke8.

There’s a ton of news at http://www.saqa.com/ including new exhibition venues and a  brand new Global SAQA call for entry titled Light the World.

The next NM regional meeting will be held on March 21 at Hip Stitch in Albuquerque.

Mary Jo Stipe
New Mexico Regional Representative
Studio Art Quilt Associates

Life Along the Rio Grande to Hang at the Hubbard Museum, Ruidoso, May - July, 2020

The Hubbard Museum in Ruidoso has booked Life Along the Rio Grande for May through July, 2020.

Each artist is required to complete their consignment agreement. Please complete the documention on your computer and email the files to Jennifer Garcia at the Hubbard. For copies of the forms and additional information, please contact Mary Jo Stipe or Lynn Rogers.

Out of the Blue to Hang in Farmington April-September 2020

The director of the Farmington Museum has chosen the following pieces to be on display from April 6 to September 5, 2020.

We will be collecting them next March for delivery to the museum, congratulations to all!

Many thanks to Vicki Conley for arranging the venue.

Highlights from the July 20, 2019 Meeting

Here are highlights from the July 20, 2019 meeting at HipStitch in Albuquerque.

We had a great turnout for this meeting with several visitors who got excited about SAQA during Fiber Arts Fiesta.  We watched a short video from the SAQA website entitled “Stitching Together a Global Community.”  It is a great overview of SAQA as an organization and details some of the many benefits your membership provides.  You can access it at the website by going to About Us on the Homepage and clicking on Watch video about us.  If you haven’t spent much time browsing the website, see if you can make some time to do so.  LOTS of information!!

Exhibition News

***LARG

LARG is currently hanging at the Mesa Public library in Los Alamos.  Then it will be at the Museum of Art in Farmington, NM from August 31, 2019 to January 1, 2020.  In September 2020, the show will travel to the Pennsylvania National Quilt Festival.  At this writing, not sure if quilts will be kept by Betty in between Farmington and Pennsylvania or distributed and then recollected.  Details will be forth coming.
There won’t be room for all 35 quilts to hang in Farmington.  Below is the list of quilts that will hang in Farmington from August 31, 2019 to January 1, 2020:

Sandbar
Ann Anastasio
Santa Fe, NM

Lily Pond at Shady Lakes
Betty Busby
Albuquerque, NM

Somewhere Along the Rio Grande
Carolyn Castaneda
Santa Fe, NM

Around The Bend
Vicki Conley
Ruidoso Downs, NM

The Young Entrepreneur
Rhonda Denney
Canon City, CO

On the Rio Grande
Nicole Dunn
Los Alamos, NM

The Headwaters Near Creede, Colorado
Theresa Maguire Ely
Gunnison, CO

Meandering River
Cheryl FitzGerald
Albuquerque, NM

Dawn Patrol
April Whiteside Foster
Santa Fe, NM

Our Lady of Guadalupe
Diana Fox
Denver, CO

Presidio Chapel of San Elizario, Texas
Elaine Hengen
El Paso, TX

Turquoise Trail
Michelle Jackson
Sandia Park, NM

Ripples on the Rio Grande
Sue Lewis
Arvada, CO

Life Blood of A Nation
Anita Marsh McSorley
Albuquerque, NM

Oasis
Ginny McVickar
Pleasant Hill, OR

Bosque Pond #2
Anne Moats
Albuquerque, NM

Live Water
Mary Olivea
Santa Fe, NM
 

Cottonwood

Gale Oppenheim-Pietrzak
Santa Fe, NM

Life Blood
Char Punke
Albuquerque, NM

Watermelon Mountain
Lynn Rogers
Rio Rancho, NM

Layered Landscape
Karen Stalgren
Frederick, CO

Living in Lamy
Mary Jo Stipe
Lamy, NM

***OUT OF THE BLUE
 Take down for Blue is Monday, August 12 at 8:30 AM.  You must be at the Roundhouse to pick up your work.  If you cannot be there please make arrangements with someone to pick up your work

 Selected works from the show had been slated to be hung at the Farmington Art Museum next April, 2020.  However, there is a new director at the museum and the decision to hang the show is on hold at this time.  We will let everyone know when the museum makes a decision, and what works they choose.

But there is some great news from our SAQA friends in Oregon.  Twenty pieces from Blue will be chosen by the director of the Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay, Oregon to hang alongside the Oregon exhibit, “Habitat”.  The exhibition dates are February 12 – April 10, 2021.  We will let everyone know when the director chooses the works to be shown.  They will be shipped as a group to Oregon in March, 2021.

AUCTION SQUARES
These are the 12” x 12” squares that are auctioned off on-line.  All the money raised through the sale of these small quilts goes toward funding traveling exhibitions.  Consider watching the SAQA website beginning September 13.  You might want to bid on a small quilt.  Our region has had many wonderful exhibit opportunities and this is a way to help off-set some of the expenses involved.  And if purchasing a small quilt isn’t in your budget this year, think about starting your own 12 x 12 now so it’s ready to donate to the auction next year.

SAQA Conference
MaryJo again encouraged all of us to think about attending next year.  It will be held in Toronto, Canada, March 19 – 22.  The conference and hotel rooms often sell out, so if you think you might want to attend, sign up early.

2019 US Capitol Christmas Tree
The Carson National Forest is providing one large tree for the West Lawn and 70+ smaller companion trees to adorn offices throughout Washington, DC for the 2019 holiday season.  That means a lot of decorations!  They are requesting help to meet the goal of providing 10,000 (!!) handmade ornaments from New Mexico.  We decided that SAQA as an organization was not interested in producing ornaments, however you are welcome to donate as an individual, or encourage other groups you may be a part of to participate.  Here’s the link for more information:  www.uscapitolchristmastree.com/participate/decorate.html

Ornaments are due by October 1, 2019.

Fiber Arts Fiesta
Perhaps the interest for making ornaments came too close on the heels of our doo-dah making.  But you should know that all those donated lovely doo-dahs raised $5000 for Fisher House.  So even just a couple of ornaments for the Christmas Tree could be helpful.  A small effort from lots of people can really add up!

NMBlog
 Our wonderful blog mistress, Schatzi Brimer has moved to California and feels she can no longer be responsible for our blog.  Kelly Butterman has tentatively volunteered to do this, but doesn’t have much experience.  She would love to partner with someone else to take over this responsibility.  Please contact Lynn or MaryJo if you have some interest.

Future workshops

Suzanne Kelly, Hipstitch owner gave us tentative dates of May 22 – 24, 2020 for a Rayna Gilman workshop.  She will be sending out more information as it becomes available.

MaryJo talked about a possible Susie Monday workshop.  More details coming.

As usual we had a wonderful show and tell.  Thanks to everyone for getting to the meeting.  And if you weren’t there, we missed you!

Our next meeting is September 21, 2019 at the Vista Grande Library in Santa Fe.

Lynn Rogers
New Mexico Regional Co-rep
Studio Art Quilt Associates
www.saqa.com

Latest News on Life Along the Rio Grande

Here’s an update from Betty Busby regarding Life Along the Rio Grande.  After a successful run at the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta the show keeps on traveling. It’s pretty impressive and inspiring.  

Life Along the Rio Grande was installed, in its entirety, at the Mesa Public Library in Los Alamos, where it will be on display until the end of July.

 

Selected works from the show will then go to the Farmington Museum of Art beginning August 31, 2019 through January 4, 2020. The list of selected works can be found in the March Meeting recap post below.

 

The entire exhibit has been invited to exhibit at the Pennsylvania National Quilt Festival in Pennsylvania in September 2020.

 

Thanks to all who are in the show, it looks amazing at the library- go see it if you can. Images of the installation are online at this link- https://www.dropbox.com/sh/b7yx85y44hjnli1/AACkRx6QgtS01hYym4iXD12-a?dl=0

 

 Happy 4^th of July everybody – Keep creating!!

show schedule:

Los Alamos July 1- 31, 2019

Farmington August 31- Jan 4, 2020 - selected items (see list in March Meeting recap post below)

Pennsylvania National Quilt Festival September ‘20