It’s time to get back to writing and picture taking and sharing what I love best about textiles and fiber art in the American Midwest. I’ve heard so many stories from you; how much you like opening the Almanac to read about people who love what they make; collecting all of the art calendars and inspiring you to stretch beyond what you think you can do. It’s about dreaming of that time when you are in the moment, all other thoughts banished behind the movement of your hands. Making.

This new concept of the Fiber Art Almanac is timely but doesn’t keep track of time. Unlike its predecessor which was a weekly print calendar, this presentation is both virtual and real.

Every six months, new works will be exhibited online with a corresponding collectible print book which includes essays about the artist and their work, documentation of the pieces in the exhibit and artist biographies. The online exhibit is a gallery; giving viewers a vivid, colorful view of Midwestern textiles and fiber. Semi-annual presentation dates are August and April of a given year with the first in the series beginning August, 2016. A new online exhibition will be presented to Fiber Art Almanac and Midwest Fiber Arts Trails newsletter subscribers along with a collectible print book and ePublication that are available for purchase.

Call for Entry Details

Essays from the American Midwest: The Quilt Maker’s Story

The August, 2016 Fiber Art Almanac is a curated online exhibition of quilts from our great grandmother’s heritage quilts forward to contemporary quilt makers whose focus is on self expression with textiles. This exhibition features fiber art and artist stories that portray the rich textile heritage and contemporary fiber art in the Midwestern states. Whether the quilt’s aesthetic is traditional, contemporary, modern, embellished, machine or hand stitched, whole cloth or pieced; there is a story. The quilt maker’s story.

Selected entries will be exhibited online for one year and showcased in the collectible print and epub exhibit catalog and will have a bio with full contact information on the Midwest Fiber Arts Trails website. Their events (if desired) will be posted to the Midwest Happenings! events listings and entrants are eligible for newsletter and social media marketing of their work and events.

Call for entries opens December 1, 2015 with deadline for submissions March 15, 2016.

Submissions:

You may submit two entries. The non-refundable jury fee is $20 for both entries. All entries must include 3-5 high resolution, high quality large-sized JPG formatted images, application form, artist statement, quilt maker story with detailed information about each piece and jury fee. (See below for image and video details.)

Quilt Maker Story:

Quilt maker stories are written from both first person experiences and third person narratives. Quilt maker stories should be long enough to share the meaning behind the quilt but not exceed 1500 words maximum. The story must accompany application for submission. This may include your artist statement in relation the pieces you are submitting that are your own work. Wildwood Press will conduct follow up interviews with selected applicants and is happy to assist with historic accounts, but will not write the story for you. Stories will be edited for spelling and punctuation.

Materials and technique:

Entries can include quilts that are created using any of the following techniques: fiber sculpture, sewing, quilting, knitting, crochet, weaving, spinning, dyeing, finished hand-dyed fibers and fabrics, needlework, beading, multi-media, surface design on fabric and art cloth. As long as it has a top, middle and back. Quilts can be old or new. If you have a question, please contact me.

Entry images and Shipping work for photography:

Each entry includes 3-5 high resolution images. Images must be in focus, clean and clear. Digital file specifications are .JPG files. File naming should be “lastname_firstname_1.jpg” Detail photos should be labeled as such: “lastname_firstname_1detail.jpg” Please email images to jennifer@fiberartalmanac.com. If you are submitting video please edit the video to less than five minutes in length.  A link to a video is acceptable prior to acceptance. Once accepted, the video file needs to be submitted. If work is shipped to Wildwood Press for photography, all reasonable care will be taken for its safety, but insurance is the responsibility of the owner of the work. Return shipping is the responsibility of the owner of the work and must be provided by the owner in the form of prepaid shipping label. If work needs to be photographed, Wildwood Press will be happy to photograph it for the purposes of the exhibit and marketing. After the exhibit is concluded and the owner may purchase the image(s) for $35 each. The owner may use the image(s) when the online exhibit is taken down off the website.

Entry Notification:

Quilt makers granted acceptance will be notified by email by April 25, 2016. The Fiber Art Almanac online exhibition is on-going series of work, so if the work isn’t accepted into one online exhibit, it may be accepted into future exhibits.

Agreement:

Submission of a work of art to this online exhibition shall be understood to constitute an agreement on the part of the artist to all the conditions set forth. This also grants Wildwood Press the rights to reproduce and distribute images through print and electronic media for promotion of the exhibition and entrants. Artists will retain all copyrights to their work.

Jurors:

Susan Stein, B.A. English, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN, Fiber artist, quilt maker, author, teacher, mentor, former shop owner and studio coach. Susan has won numerous awards including the prestigious Spun Gold Award from the Textile Center honoring her body of work.

Since the beginning of my quilting career in 1977, I have explored the many facets of quilting–for the wall, body, bed, office, and church.  Writing and designing have been an important part of my work, with seven books, many articles, and numerous contributions to major publications.  Teaching is a passion, especially when it involves turning people on to new techniques and talents.  My goal is to inform all people who view quilts of the myriad styles and functions of quilts and to empower students to express their own creative ideas through cloth, paint, and fiber. My work utilizes saturated color, texture, and designs that transition from the traditional into the contemporary.  Hand-dyed fabrics from many artists inspire my work and provide a surface for further embellishment.  Recently, surface design implemented with paint, discharge agents, photo transfer, layering, and manipulation have been the main focus of my pieces.  Recurring themes are trees and leaves, which appeal to viewers of all ages and experience, and emphasis on beauty expressed with rich materials and simple motifs.

Barbara Riegel Bend, M.A. Masters of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction for the Culturally Diverse in Elementary Education, UW-Madison Fiber Artist and sculptor. Barb has won numerous awards, her work has been on the covers of local and regional magazines and catalogs and she exhibits regionally. Her studio is in Roberts, Wisconsin.