Australia Wide Seven is a touring exhibition showcasing the work of Ozquilt Network members. The exhibition will premiere at the Belconnen Arts Centre from 30 October until 18 December 2020 and continue on tour until 2022. My artwork Acuity #6: In a Twinkle of an Eye comments on how the world changed so quickly with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems like we are constantly recalibrating for the “new normal” to view life afresh.
Check out the daily previews of other Australia Wide Seven artworks at:
- the Ozquilt Network blog;
- Facebook; and
- Instagram #aw7preview.
The official opening is at the Belconnen Arts Centre, Belconnen, ACT at 6pm, Friday 30 . This is a free, ticketed event. Bookings essential.
Lifting the Quilt Ceiling Presentation
Another thought-provoking event in conjunction with the exhibition opening is a presentation by Dr Sam Bowker at 3pm Friday 30 October at Belconnen Arts Centre. In Lifting the Quilt Ceiling:
Contemporary quiltmaking is a dynamic and versatile field that engages the colonial past and global present, respects the agency of Indigenous Australian cultures, and sustains sophisticated and inclusive debate. Quilting generates a thriving ecosystem of critical and inclusive practice that is simultaneously competitive and empowering, yet it has been curiously overlooked by Australian art journals and galleries.
This presentation argues for the inclusion of quiltmaking across all forms of contemporary creative practice and presents the case for how this sector would benefit from engaging critically and actively with the cutting edge of Australian quiltmaking. It will challenge the values of contemporary art infrastructure and highlight what contemporary art galleries and funding agencies overlook when they regard quilts as ‘unworthy’ of inclusion in major exhibitions. The presentation will consider how this might be challenged, changed, and re-arranged, to show what artists, institutions, and art educators might yet learn from the best of Australian quiltmaking.
In addition to the live, in-person presentation at the gallery, Lifting the Quilt Ceiling will be available as a digital presentation for Ozquilt Network members only: Register Your Interest!
Not an Ozquilt Network member? Join online today and your membership will run until 31 December 2021. Membership benefits include: a comprehensive monthly newsletter; eligible to showcase your artwork on the OZQN website; and discounted entry fee for Art Quilt Australia 2021.
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