AAQI

I received the following information from AAQI recently, and wanted to share it with you. It is my hope that some of you may be inspired to either create priority quilts or purchase one (or more).

 

The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (www.alzquilts.org)  is a national, grassroots organization whose mission is to raise awareness and fund research through art. It auctions and sells donated quilts through the Priority: Alzheimer's Quilt project and sponsors a touring exhibit of quilts about Alzheimer's called "Alzheimer's Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope." The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative has raised more than $735,000 since January 2006. Ami Simms of Flint, Michigan is the founder and executive director of the AAQI, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation operated entirely by volunteers. She is a quilter. Her mother had Alzheimer's.

And that number in there? That $735,000? That's always going up. For the very latest cumulative tally of how much the AAQI has raised for research, see Show Me The Money at http://www.alzquilts.org/show.html

 

The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative hopes to bring 2,000 quilts to sell in its booth at IQF Houston. (Exhibit area, number and row as yet unknown.) They've already started moving quilts from the Quilts For Sale page (http://www.alzquilts.org/quiltsforsale.html) over to the Hoarding For Houston page (http://www.alzquilts.org/houston2012.html) They will continue to move quilts, starting with the lower numbers first. So if you're not going to Houston, it's time to shop now!

 

And, if you've got a quilt in the works: GER 'ER DONE!

 

 We are working really hard to shorten the time it takes to get your quilt from registration to sale.

"Alzheimer's Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope" continues its five-year journey across the United States with a stop at the American Quilters Society Quilt Show & Contest in Grand Rapids, Michigan, August 22-25, 2012.

The exhibit will hang at the DeVos Place Convention Center, 303 Monroe Avenue NW in Grand Rapids.

 

Ami Simms, AAQI founder and executive director, will be in attendance Saturday afternoon.

"Alzheimer's Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope" is an exhibit of quilts about Alzheimer's sponsored by the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI). Fifty-four small format art quilts (9" x 12") illustrate the disease from a variety of perspectives.

These small quilts hang among 182 "Name Quilts," each 6 inches wide and 7 feet tall, which carry the names of more than 10,000 individuals who have/had Alzheimer's or a related dementia. The names of loved ones, written on fabric patches by family members and friends, honor the 5.4 million Americans in the United States struggling with Alzheimer's disease.

Simplicity

As many of you know, I am a Secular Franciscan. One of the hallmarks of the Franciscan lifestyle is simple living. This does not mean that as a lay Franciscan I cannot own things. It means that I strive to live my life in relationship and detach from possession. What does that mean, exactly? It means that I can enjoy things I do not own for their beauty without feeling I have to have them. I can use things and not own them, like reading books from the library. I can give away things that I own when someone else can make better use of them. I can live with less, focusing more on relationships.

My mother was a wonderful example of living this type of life, though she was not a Franciscan. Towards the end of her life, she "broke up house," as they used to say, and moved to an assisted living facility. She was still healthy enough to enjoy a variety of things, and with her large family, rarely had a chance to encounter boredom. The thing that amazed and enlightened me, however, was the fact that she gave up a four bedroom home, with a full basement, and all of the accompanying stuff to move to one room that served as her bedroom, living space, included a bath, and held all her storage in built-in cabinets. This was not the first time she gave up things without any fuss, but it was the eye-opener for me.


One of the things that Mom taught me was that it is possible to have things, even very nice things, without having a need to possess them. At the same time, she taught me that one should always consider whether someone else needs what we have more than we do. Finally, she taught me that it is possible to have enough, even if one doesn't have everything the advertisers say we "need" or the "Joneses" have more than you do, and have a good life.

What I am still trying to discern is what this lifestyle means in terms of my art. It comes back to a question of what is necessary. One could certainly argue that making and viewing art is necessary, since humans have been doing so since living in caves. There is something about artwork that stirs our souls. My particular role in the making and distribution of art is what I question. There are so many wonderful artists in our world. Do I have anything to offer that cannot be provided by someone else? If I do, what form should it take? Would it be better for me to create beauty in practical things and give them away? Should I create artwork to sell and offer to a wider audience?

I know that I am blessed in the fact that I can ask these questions. I am not confined by a need to create for income (at this point) nor do I have to take a day job just to pay the bills. That, too, is part of my quandry. Yet, I have a need to create things of beauty, and so my dilemma.

I'm off to ponder my issues. Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.

Direction

I receive an e-newsletter from SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) on a regular basis. (I think it may be weekly.) It always has a calendar of events involving SAQA members. The latest one includes information about an exhibit of illustrations from Salley Mavor's Pocketful of Posies. Her work is so unusual and lovely that I had to check out her website: Wee Folk Studio.

In going through some of the entries, I realized I had seen information on her "Rabbitat" before, but watched the documentary, again. It was the right time for me to do so. I was inspired to think about the artistic work that I have done over my lifetime and question what I did that made me feel good while I was working on it. It also helped me to isolate the more general types of artwork I can use in future work. While I still have not determined a specific direction for my work, I do feel it is becoming more clear.

On another note, though I, like many I imagine, have been hiding from the heat this last week, we are supposed to have a break from it starting tonight. We also received good news about one of the family members who was diagnosed with a tumor. The tumor was noncancerous. This person is still fighting a form of leukemia, but at least, will not have to have chemotherapy. I was also glad to see that, not only has progress been made against the fires in Colorado, they had some rain. (No news yet on just how much.)

Finally, my husband and I celebrated 36 years of marriage this week, still feeding each other (though these days not so much cake) and trying to make one another laugh.

Until next time, I wish you laughter, peace and all good.

Decisions & Exploration

It has seriously been a crazy couple of weeks. We've had everything from excessive rain to 100 degree heat; trouble with the sewer line; health scares for several members of our larger family; bug infestations of some trees on our property, and more. Thankfully, things seem to have calmed down for most of those issues, though two members of the family are fighting cancer, and we will have to have some work done on the trees. We are grateful that Tropical Storm Debbie didn't do more damage (several family members live in Florida). We're watching the fires in Colorado (two nephews and their families live near Denver), and praying that they are brought under control soon, along with the wildfires elsewhere.

I've also been doing a lot of reading. Many of the books I've been reading lately were written by Robert S. McElvaine. The ones I have been particularly interested in are his books on the Great Depression, as I have been researching for a novel I want to write about the 20th Century. I find myself truly grateful for the library system we enjoy, and the ability to get books for libraries other than the one in my town.

That reminds me of the library at GSU, for which I helped make the bookshelf quilt. I have been serving on the Friends of the GSU Library board for the last four or five years, and made the decision that I need to step down at the end of my term. Elections will be in August. I hope those of you from the GSU community who follow my blog or Facebook page will consider joining the Friends and helping to further the mission.

The mission of The Friends of the Governors State University Library is to bring together those who share a love of knowledge and desire to promote the role of the library in the University and the surrounding community. Friends provide support for resources and services to benefit learners in the university and the community.

I also made a decision this last couple of weeks about setting up the Etsy shop. I've decided that I need to take some time to work on UFO's and experiment with different techniques and artforms. So, I will be putting the shop off for a while. Making this decision has helped me to realize how much pressure I was putting on myself. What I need more right now is permission from myself to play. To that end, I have just purchased Destination Creativity: The Life-Altering Journey of the Art Retreat by Rice Freeman-Zachery. I also have her book, Creative Time and Space , which I have thoroughly enjoyed and keep as a reference. My plan is to use the workshops in the book, along with those in several other books in my personal library, to explore different media.

My hope for you is that you give yourself permission to play every day, even if it is only for 15 minutes or half an hour. Our busy lives and fast-paced society cause so much stress, we need to remember to act like children every once in a while.

Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.

Making Decisions

I have been doing a lot of research on a variety of things in order to decide how to develop my business and determine next steps. In the process, I have been reading a lot of blogs and books, looking at Etsy shops, reviewing the "Quit Your Day Job" blog on Etsy, and more. In the course of some of that research yesterday, I came across a workshop in the Etsy Success Symposium from February 8, 2011. This link should take you to it: Reaching Your Creative Dreams One Goal At a Time The workshop was given by April Bowles. Her website is a treasure trove of information.

The upshot of listening to the workshop is that I now have a plan. I have been able to work out a more detailed schedule that should enable me to put in the time I need to in the studio, as well as take care of the basics that are part of any business. I was also able, in the research, to decide more clearly on my focus, which should help me to make better use of the time in the studio, since I won't be as likely to scatter my energies on things that won't ultimately advance my work.

One of the other consequences of the research I have been doing is getting my studios more organized. I moved a couple of pieces of furniture around some months ago in the sewing studio,

and discussed organizational ideas with my daughter, who is also an artist. That resulted in some changes in the wet studio.

It is my hope that the reorganization will help me to have the physical and visual space I need to do more of my best work.

Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.

Repurposing

I have been thinking a lot about sustainability and the ideas of reducing, reusing, and recycling, lately. Recently, I came across this website: Greennovate. While it focuses on China, it has a number of interesting an informative videos. Watching "The Secret Lives of Our Clothes" made quite an impression on me. I knew that there were environmental and health concerns surrounding clothing manufacture, but the video made at least some of those concerns more vivid.

One of the things that I have been struggling with as I move along this journey to creating my art is how to use materials in a sustainably responsible way. I was reminded of the path that artist Maya Donenfeld has taken by a reference to her work that led me to her blog http://mayamade.blogspot.com/. She uses repurposed materials in her pieces. I first encountered a reference to Maya in Where Women Create's Summer 2010 issue. Seeing her work and reading her blog seems to have come at a good time.

I recently began sorting through denim scraps cut from old jeans. Since I have three grown children and an active husband, I have lots of them collected over about twenty years. While my original intent in collecting them was to make comforters for my boys' beds, I have been considering other options to use them since the boys have grown up. Since watching the video on Greenovate, I have also been contemplating alternatives to jeans and/or ways to find sustainable choices.

As Maya points out on her blog, it is possible to repurpose a lot of different materials. Do you have a favorite material to repurpose or reuse? How do you decide on the best use for something? What types of techniques do you use?

Purpose

I finally caved in and bought a floor frame for hand quilting larger quilts. What sold me on this one is that it is, apparently, the type that Helen Kelley used. Since I have admired her and her work for many years, it was the push I needed.

I had tried, several times, to get used frames that were more traditional. Each of them presented their own problems, usually that some of the pieces were missing. At any rate, it is my hope that my handwork on the larger pieces will be done more easily.

In preparing to write this entry today, I was looking at Mary Fisher's website. She has been devoted to making a difference in the treatment of people who are HIV-positive. What struck me was a reiteration of something I believe in my core: each of us has a purpose in life. Our task is to live our life the best way we can, accepting each challenge as the possible reason for our being. If, along the way, we discover a mission we can embrace and foster that may give us a sense of our purpose. However, not knowing that purpose does not mean it is not there or that it won't be accomplished within our lifetime.

Years ago, my mother had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. Since she had told some of my siblings she wanted no extraordinary measures taken to keep her alive, she complained to me about "someone" having called the paramedics. I had to break the news to her that she had called for help herself. She, then, wondered aloud why she hadn't simply died from the attack. I suggested to her that she still had work to do and a purpose to fulfill. She lived for about two more years. In that time, she did several things that she had never before attempted, and met a lot of people she had not known. I may never know, in this lifetime, exactly what it was that she still had to accomplish, but I firmly believe that she did have something to do.

All of this, of course, is my way of saying that I believe I have something I am supposed to accomplish in my lifetime. I am still exploring a variety of possibilities and trying to enjoy the experiences that come my way. I hope that, wherever you are in your life journey, you are doing the same.

Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.