York County Culture & Heritage Commission
4621 Mt. Gallant Road, Rock Hill, S.C. 29732
Historic Brattonsville * Museum of York County * McCelvey Center
www.yorkcounty.org

PRESS RELEASE
July 25, 2003
Media Contact: Jeannie M. Marion
(803) 329-2121 Ext. 132

EXHIBIT ON PIECING A QUILT OF LIFE: WORLD CONNECTIONS AT THE MUSEUM OF YORK COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA

Rock Hill, S.C. — Quilts today may contain a variety of fabrics, dyes, paints and objects that have been pieced, layered and stitched together. Like their traditional predecessors, contemporary quilts also tell stories and relay compelling experiences of their makers. Experience the unique and fascinating world of art quilting in the Museum of York County’s (Rock Hill, South Carolina) newest exhibit Piecing a Quilt of Life: World Connections.

On exhibit from September 6, 2003 through April 25, 2004, this international collection features contemporary art quilts made by 23 women with stories to tell. Some of the displayed quilts are from as far away as Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe, while others are from the United States.

Created and co-curated by artist and Rock Hill, South Carolina resident Dottie Moore, the exhibit documents the stories of women quilt artists over the age of fifty. Moore’s seven-year research project, Piecing a Quilt of Life, resulted in connecting with like-minded women throughout the world who have found joy and fulfillment by channeling meaningful life experiences through the layering and manipulation of cloth.

Moore said, "Everywhere I go I find senior women moving into the world in unique ways, waking up to their creativity, and following their passions. The fastest growing segment of our population, [senior women] are using the process of creativity to live more meaningful and imaginative lives."

Through quilting, the artists featured in Piecing a Quilt of Life: World Connections have made connections from their innermost selves to nature, family, community, the world and new ideologies. These connections are sewn into the quilters' art and attempt to connect with the viewer.

The artists represented in the exhibit represent a broad range of perspectives and subjects. Materials and ideas used for the art quilts in this exhibit are truly unique from computer parts representing an example of 21st century adaptive reuse to an "earth quilt" installation of a garden designed to look like a quilt and used to celebrate earth and its people.

Moore said, "This exhibit celebrates that we are all citizens of one world and we have a lot in common. Regardless of our race, age or gender we want freedom to express our uniqueness, to live and age in meaningful ways, and have our personal stories validated."

Piecing a Quilt of Life: World Connections will be on exhibit at the Museum of York County in Rock Hill, South Carolina (just 20 minutes south of Charlotte, North Carolina) from September 6, 2003 through April 25, 2004. Admission to the Museum is $5 adults, $4 seniors, $3 students and free for children under the age of five.

For more information or directions please visit our website at www.yorkcounty.org or call the Museum at (803) 329-2121 or (800) 866-5200.

York County Culture and Heritage Commission and its institutions - Historic Brattonsville, Historical Center of York County, McCelvey Center, and the Museum of York County - receive vital support from the citizens of York County through the auspices of York County Council. Support is also provided by the York County Accommodations Tax Committee, the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and the City of Rock Hill Accommodations Tax Fund.

Quilts Pictured Above:
Love Will Nail You To The Cross, 1999 Judy McDermott, Thornleigh, Australia
Tandem, 1998 Dena Crain, Kenya, Africa
Mandala For Meditation, 1998 Sheila Niles, Alberta, Canada


www.thequiltercommunity.com

Quilt Artists represented in
Piecing a Quilt of Life: World Connections
Museum of York County
September 6, 2003 – April 25, 2004


Core Connections, 2003
Norma Bradley - Asheville, NC

Layered II, 2001
Marlene Cohen - London, UK

Egypt, 1997
Kate Cox - London, UK

Tandem, 1998
Dena Dale Crain - Nakuru, Kenya

Persian Fairytales, 1996
Marge Edie - Seneca, SC

The Last Spring, 2002
Ann Ferkovich - Santa Fe, New Mexico

Les Champs D'Orage Où Chante Une Source, 2001
(The Stormy Fields Where The Fountain Is)
Anne Gailhbaud - Thiviers, France

Blood Mask, 1999
Margaret Gregg - Limestone, TN

Moon of Painted Leaves, 2001
Chloe Trivett LeMay - Rock Hill, SC

Emotions # 4: Document Approved, 2001
Glenys Mann - Tamworth, New South Wales

Love Will Nail You to the Cross, 1997 – 1999
Judy McDermott - Thornleigh, New South Wales

Lighting the Flame, 1998
Ed Johnetta Miller - Hartford, Connecticut

Dancing with the Winds of Change, 2003
Dottie Moore - Rock Hill, SC

Reflecting on B&W, January 2001
Alison Muir - Neutral Bay, New South Wales

Mandala for Meditation, 1998
Sheila Niles - Millarville, Alberta

Chair II / Chair Abstraction, 2002
Jacquelyn Nouveau - Chapel Hill, NC

Fractally African, 2003
Marlene O'Bryant-Seabrook - Charleston, SC

Portal, 2001
Karen Page - Port Townsend, WA

Severence, 1995
Rosemary Penfold - Brisbane, Queensland

Techno Tango Diptych, 2000
Bernie Rowell - Candler, NC

Movement # 4, 1998
Yasuko Saito - Nishitokyo-city, Tokyo

Hawaiian Quilt Kalope Forest, 2002
Corinne Van der Ploeg Nichols - Bayfield, CO

Cygnes, August 2002
(Swans)
Petra Voegtle - Munich, Germany