Sewjourners: TREES features 45 new quilts inspired by the outdoors at the Wildling Museum

Exhibition: Sewjourners: TREES

On view: Through January 16, 2022 

Meet the Artists: Sunday, October 17, 2021, 3 – 5 p.m.

Location: Wildling Museum, 1511-B Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93463 

Isabel Downs, Oh, Most Ancient One II, Quilt, Courtesy the Artist. Courtesy image.

SOLVANG — The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to announce Sewjourners: TREES, now on view in the Museum’s third floor Barbara Goodall Education Center through January 16, 2022. The exhibition features 45 new quilts created by textile artists Isabel Downs, Linda Estrada, Carol Fay, Ranell Hansen, Pamela Holst, Patti Hunter, Susan Bullington Katz, Mary Maxwell, and Patty Six.

The exhibiting nine artists are part of the Sewjourners, a satellite group of the Coastal Quilters Guild of Santa Barbara and Goleta. This community exhibition marks the Museum’s first textile-focused exhibition and is inspired by the artists’ various interpretations of trees, translating a range of species, textures, and seasonal transitions through the quilt medium. 

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer our first fiber arts exhibition,” says Wildling Museum Executive Director Stacey Otte-Demangate, “The diversity of how the quilters interpreted the theme of trees is truly stunning.”

Works featured in the show incorporate a range of quilting techniques, as well as embroidery and even found natural materials. 

The public is invited to meet the artists on Sunday, October 17, 2021 from 3 – 5 p.m. at the Wildling Museum. Many of the 45 quilts on view are also for sale through the Wildling Museum store. 

For more information, visit: www.wildlingmuseum.org/news/sewjourners-trees.

A STATEMENT FROM THE SEWJOURNERS

Linda Estrada, Into the Woods, Quilt, Courtesy the Artist.

The Covid pandemic has challenged artists around the world by cutting us off from our community of inspiration and friendship that usually fills our artistic souls. Most of us have been cut off from travel, family, and global experiences. The Sewjourners, however, like other artists, have chosen to continue in our efforts to create and inspire each other to the best of our abilities. 

We have found community and inspiration from the natural world around us. To be among the trees, we don’t have to mask up or stay separated. We can walk among them and feel community. We get inspiration from the varying shapes, textures, and colors found in trees. We may have even hugged a few of them. More than ever before, we have learned to value the work of generations of people who have preserved the natural landscape and worked to conserve the natural wonders of our world. We celebrate these generations and the work of those who honor that work with artistic creation.

ABOUT THE WILDLING MUSEUM — The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature, where art and nature meet, offers visitors a unique perspective on the importance of preserving our natural heritage. Through the eyes of artists, and education and field experiences, guests can renew their relationship with the wilderness and understand its fragile nature – hopefully leaving more committed toward ensuring those spaces remain for future generations. Current hours are Friday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, and to volunteer or join as a member to support this important local arts and nature institution, please visit www.wildlingmuseum.org. 

Additional digital resources are available at www.wildlingmuseum.org/virtual-visit, including online galleries from all current exhibitions, links to art activities, videos, and more to help online visitors experience the museum from home.