Modern (Fabric) Art

Quilts created through contemporary lens

Everything about the quilt show coming up April 19-20 in Rogers is thoroughly modern, from the style of the quilts to holding the silent auction online. Even the path to quilting taken by spokeswoman Elizabeth Ray is very 2024: She learned to quilt via YouTube and found the Northwest Arkansas chapter of the international Modern Quilt Guild on Instagram.

“People in my family did not quilt,” she says simply. “But I developed my skills through the guild. We’re learning and growing all the time.”

The 150 quilts on show next weekend might include your grandmother’s patterns, Ray says, but they are reimagined in bold colors, might be very minimalist or very maximalist, or might feature expansive negative space or alternate grid work. In other words, “it is possible you have not seen quilts like this before.”

“Expect to see a gallery exhibit — an art show with quilts,” she says. “It’s like when you go to Crystal Bridges and you see the traditional paintings, then you move into the contemporary galleries. It’s like a traditional quilt show except the quilts you’re going to see are going to be modern. And we do jury the show to make sure all the quilts have this aesthetic.

“It’s still hand made. We’re just pushing the envelope.”

Should a visitor to the show happen to fall in love with the concept, she need not leave empty handed. There will be five vendors — Cuttin’ Up Quilt Studio and More from Prairie Grove, Gingiber by Stacie Bloomfield from Springdale, Owl and Drum from Tulsa, True Vintage Style from Bella Vista, and Sewing Bird Design Co. from Bentonville. Two of them will be selling finished handmade goods, Ray says, and three will offer tools, fabric and other notions for use at home.

The guild also has a “resale” shop, where donations of members’ “extra stuff” — from fabric to rotary cuts and mats — are sold to benefit the organization.

Then there’s the silent auction of small quilts, which will be shown in person at the event, with bidding online through 6 p.m. April 21.

“We did this in 2022, and it was very successful,” Ray says of the auction. The quilt show, which started in 2018, is intended to happen every two years but was of course canceled in 2020 due to covid-19 concerns.

Also, a memorial display will honor Karen Chotkowski, a member of the club who has passed away; there will be a raffle for queen-sized modern quilt with a triangle motif on the front and vertical stacked rectangles on the reverse side; and a scavenger hunt will keep kids entertained, Ray says.

(Courtesy Photos) The 150 quilts on show next weekend might include your grandmother’s patterns, but they are reimagined in bold colors, might be very minimalist or very maximalist, or might feature expansive negative space or alternate grid work. In other words, says Northwest Arkansas Modern Quilt Guild spokeswoman Elizabeth Ray, “it is possible you have not seen quilts like this before.”