GREENSBURG – Art on the Square Gallery, 114 E. Washington Street, presents its annual quilt show. Featuring works by Nancy Derheimer, Nancy King, Rita Hellmich, Rosie Collins and other prominent local quilters, the exhibition is on view now through February.
Some local quilters give their nimble fingers a rest during Indiana’s spring and summer months, but many work to hone their craft year-round.
The quilts currently on display at the annual quilt show may be for providing home warmth for winter’s cold bones, but they are also intricately designed showpieces, striking and elegant in their use of color, intricate patterns, and elegant stitching. .
It is worth noting in the exhibition the various pieces of the Colón Janice Rabout Wantz mattress.
Wantz frequently offers her pieces for exhibition in regional galleries and is a master in the use of color and visual harmony.
Of special interest in this year’s exhibit are the “challenge quilts”.
According to Quiltipedia.com, a Challenge Quilt is one made to the specifications of a challenge. They are often done in a group setting, such as guilds, among friends, or initiated by fabric companies or quilt shops that use specific fabric or fabrics.
An ugly fabric challenge involves guild members each trading one yard of ugly fabric from their stash to make a complete quilt.
Fabric companies have challenges where a specific fabric or theme is selected and participants make a quilt or quilted garment to submit for a prize.
Quilt shops often have challenges where contestants buy a bag of patchwork and must make a quilt out of the patchwork along with a minimal amount of other fabric. The challenge will specify all the rules for the particular challenge, such as how much challenge cloth you must use, the theme of the challenge (animals or houses, for example), and other details.
“Rosewood Lane” by Nancy Collins is a half-size quilt dotted with boldly colored late-summer roses in a field of deep purples, rusts, and browns.
Derheimer’s works are also on display year-round in the gallery and a monthly visit is always warranted as it is quite prolific. Derheimer experiments with different mediums to create his quilts, often displaying at least three or four of his batik pieces.
King also has several of his works on display for the current show. King is a seasoned quilt artist, but she is also a professional quilt machine, using the “long arm” quilting machine to sew quilts for other crafts, local and distant from her own studio in her home. .
The gallery is hosting a wine and cheese reception for the annual exhibit from 4-6 pm on February 17.
Visit Art on the Square Gallery on the north side of the Square or online at www.artonthesquaregallery.com/.
Gallery hours are 11 am to 3:30 pm Wednesday through Friday and 11 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. Art on the Square is closed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
To register for classes, inquire about using the gallery for small events or gatherings, or if you have other questions, please call the gallery at 812-663-8600.