News From West TN

I think it will be fun and help us get to know each other a little in our wide spaced region if we can share some of what we are doing. I hope to get lots more information from you all soon so we can share our stories here on our blog spot. I am excited to share with you Paula Kovarik's beautiful quilt images from the SAQA "Earth Stories" show. She is a JAM of SAQA and lives in Memphis. These are her quilts "Stream of Consequences" both of which were created for this show.

Here is the summary from the SAQA site:

 Juror: Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, Managing curator: Leni Levenson Wiener

 There are many stories of hope across the globe. Both individuals and small groups are working on projects that, when added together, make a positive impact on increasing the quality of life on this planet. Earth Stories celebrates the stories of people or projects that enhance the planet, make a significant difference in restoring and/or protecting the environment, increase sustainability and otherwise improve the earth we all occupy. Twenty-four artists from around the world were chosen to interpret a "story" of their choice, in two quilts each (72x72 and 12x14 inches).

Here is Paula's artist statement: It comes from the country, courses through the suburbs, and wraps around the city of Memphis. The Wolf River, a small spring fed river of 90 miles, is one of the great arterial systems of the Mississippi River and all the life that it nurtures. As it flows, it filters, it floods, it captures and distributes. It is a filament that takes everything that flows downhill and sends it forward. It is the meandering collector of last resort for runoff, sprawl, industry and agriculture. Efforts to control it, channel it, or deny its value nearly led to its ruin—until it gained an advocate. Since 1985, The Wolf River Conservancy has protected and defended the river in the face of development and abuse. The group has cast the Wolf as a community treasure that physically weaves the region together. They know full well its vital function and spectacular potential. They understand it is a pattern that connects.