XO
A show about freedom expressed through quilts
October 11 - November 8, 2023 | Co-Curated by Jordan Geiger and Adrienne Outlaw
XO refers to Tic-tac-toe, which with its grid similarly divides and defines the space of a traditional quilt. XO is also a hug and a kiss, a way of expressing love and connection. How better to honor a loved one, memorialize a memory, or communicate an idea than a warm blanket, traditionally made of scraps, connecting the mundane to the divine, the everyday to the special, where these divisions do not exist. The message embedded in a quilt is You are important to me. The works in XO span many styles and approaches, yet barely reach below the surface of the multi-layered possibilities of the quilt. Here, quilts are used to tell stories in portraits, historical narratives, colorways, and meditations. The stories of the maker are revealed in what story they choose to tell in their work and how, where the focus lies. Levels of time and care are embedded in both the physical form and the image produced. The quilt, humble as it may be, becomes a vehicle for inspiration, reflection, inspiration, and activism. In each of the works, freedom is expressed through the medium of textiles, and freedom of the maker, hard-won freedoms that are still being fought for.
A quilt, even an abstract wall piece, is made to exist in relation to a human, scaled to the body, inviting the viewer to take part in its image. We find humans in the pieces on display. Mac Barnes' exuberant and emotionally sensitive portraits suggest personal narrative and transcendence, while Aaron McMullin’s portraits reference aspirational figures from the past, examples into which the makers and viewers may project their own intentions to make positive change in the world. Linda Wandling’s Lost Socks suggests the remnants of unseen people and reflect the material artifacts in our everyday lives. People from the past exist in conversation with the present in Sheila Merrell’s Civil War sampler, which offers a catalog view of the tradition of quilting and the patterns that arose from countless anonymous makers during a difficult time in our nation’s history. Similarly, Linda Wandling’s circular Log Cabin riffs on a foundational quilt pattern from the 1800’s. Angee Turner’s pieces offer portraits of the maker in vibrant colors and reference the relation with inspiration in Mondrian My Way, which also reaches into the past to speak with the present. Jordan Geiger’s stitched pieces offer a view into the maker’s state while making, where sewing becomes a meditation, a chance to reflect on one’s state by giving it form in art.
(curatorial statement by Jordan Geiger)
