First Friday – Transitions Modern Improv Quilting with Emily Johnson
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When:
August 4, 2023 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
2023-08-04T17:00:00-04:00
2023-08-04T19:00:00-04:00
Where:
Friendly City Food Co-op Café
150 E Wolfe St
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
USA
150 E Wolfe St
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
USA
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Join us on Friday August 4th to see the opening Transitions by artist and quilter Emily Johnson. We will be displaying three of Emily’s quilts for this show, you can find information about them below. She will also be showing some of her works at Restless Moons Brewing up the road, and we encourage you to go see those as well! Come out and meet the artist and enjoy light refreshments. Blue Mountain Brewery will be in-store sampling and we will also have watermelons samples set up around the store for our watermelon celebration.
Artist statement:
With over 13 years of experience, Emily Johnson is a quilter who bridges tradition with modernity by combining time-honored quilting methods with present day improvisation.
The quilts are vibrant celebrations of color, by using harmonious and bold hues she infuses her pieces with movement and energy. Emily embraces the beauty of imperfections; therefore, every cut, seam and pattern holds a genuine uniqueness.
As Emily’s quilting journey started, so did her husband’s career, which was marked by numerous relocations across the country. “Transitions” is a show about the emotional complexities of leaving familiar landscapes behind while embracing new horizons. The major themes of change and growth are mimicked in the interplay of traditional and modern quilting. The “Transitions” of Emily’s personal and artistic journey are conveyed in this show by the improvisational works that break free from convention in order to celebrate spontaneity.
Perpetual exploration and evolution are the basis of Emily’s art. Within the stitches of each quilt, she uncovers new themes of self-expression, authenticity, and the interweaving of tradition and modern expression.
Work One:
AWAY
Started: 2017
Completed: 2022
States worked on: AL,SC,AK
In 2017 Emily took a workshop in the foothills of Alabama with Mary Ann Pettway and China Pettway, two quilters from Gees Bend, Al. This experience did more to change her quilting trajectory than anything had before. Every time she sits in front of her sewing machine she thinks of the advice of Ms. China “you need to let go a little more” and it pushes her to think outside of any self imposed limitations. to learn more about the Gees Bend quilters please check out – https://www.soulsgrowndeep.
Machine pieced and quilted.
NFS
Work TWO:
Womens Work
Started: 2019
Completed: last week!
States worked on: GA, AL, SC, AK, VA
These yellow star blocks were in rough shape when Emily found them stuffed into a plastic bag back in the corner of a thrift store in rural Georgia. Over the years she has become more intrigued by the devaluation of what we as a society consider to be “women’s work”. Tasks of a domestic nature, such as sewing, have so little meaning that they can easily be disregarded and ultimately discarded. By salvaging these blocks she’s recognizing all the unpaid and under-appreciated work hours given by generations of women before her.
Machine pieced. Hand and machine quilted.
$2000
Work Three:
The Road
Stared: 2021
Completed: 2023
States worked on: SC, VA
Emily and her husband met when they were both seasonal Park Rangers at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. As his career has progressed they have lived in a total of 8 states. Quilting has been a constant for Emily through all the moving, settling in, and the ultimate packing of everything up again. Half square triangles are a building block of traditional quilting, and represent for her an inherent desire for home and stability. The individual mini circle quilts tacked on portray what over the years has become an ever prevalent desire for adventure and wanderlust.
Machine Pieced and Quilted. Hand tacked.
$1200
Artist Venmo: @quiltid
Artist Instagram: @quiltid
Artist Email: quiltid@outlook.com
