Current Exhibitions

Pieced Together: Patchwork Quilts from Russia and Evolutions Featured Artist: Jill Kerttula

Through October 20th

The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum (RMQM) has an exciting exhibit for its next series, including curated works from the Russian American Foundation that have not been seen outside of New York, as well as works from Charlottesville, VA artist and Evolutions 2017 winner Jill Kerttula. Pieced Together: Patchwork Quilts from Russia and Works from Jill Kerttula will be on display July 23 through October 20.

 

Patchwork sewing, as quilting is known in Russia, is an honored craft that has seen a rise in popularity since the 1990s. With many quilters hand sewing and appliquing delicate and intricate quilts, patchwork sewing is a booming craft in Russia, with large quilt fairs, clubs, and exhibitions. Pieced Together is curated by the Russian American Foundation, a nonpartisan organization founded to encourage interest in and understanding of Russian heritage among communities in the US, as well as American heritage in global Russian-speaking communities. Quilts from private collections showcase the diversity and exuberance of some of the most talented contemporary Russian craftswomen. Quilts depict handwork history in Ivanovo, Russia; traditional women’s dress of Russia; Russian nursery rhymes and folklore; heroic history; and daily life of Russian culture from the past and present. Delicate hand stitching and whimsical applique play with calico prints in bright primary colors to tell a story with each quilt, making this an enjoyable exhibit for all ages. Many works feature contemporary fabrics and machine stitching, showing the evolution of patchwork sewing and art quilting within the country. The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum is the first museum outside of the Russian American Foundation to host this beautiful collection of Russian quilts.

 

Jill Kerttula, a photographer, quilter, graphic designer, and educator, was our winner in the Evolutions 2017 Juried Contest. Evolutions was an open challenge to all quilters and fiber artists to explore evolutions on a personal level, global level, or within the growth of creative expression within a quilt. Jill’s winning work, Just Fly, is an incredible piece of photo realism and texture, as is all of her stunning quilts depicting the natural world from her home in Virginia, her residency in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and her observations of urban life. Jill incorporates her photography into her quilts and often includes natural elements, like sticks and stones, to further meld reality and fiber art. Many of her pieces look as if you can touch the moss on a stump, feel the leathery texture of a mushroom, or run your hands over the steel of a water drain. Jill’s quilts are an escape into the natural and urban worlds, showcasing expressive textures and the diversity of fiber arts.

 

An opening reception for the exhibits is scheduled from 6 to 8 pm on Friday, July 27.   The reception is open to the public. The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum is open every day: 10-4 Monday through Saturday and 11-4 Sunday.

 

For more information on the Russian American Foundation, please visit their website at:
http://russianamericanfoundation.org/

 

Some facts about the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum:

—The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum was incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in 1982; RMQM opened in 1990 in downtown Golden, Colorado, with a gift of 101 quilts from the personal collection of Eugenia Mitchell, the Museum’s founder.
—RMQM was the third quilt museum in the United States in 1990 and is now one of eleven dedicated quilt museums in the country.
—RMQM has a global reach welcoming visitors from 6 continents, multiple countries and each of the United States.
—Two galleries hosts 8 exhibits a year, showcasing over 250 quilts, historical and contemporary art quilts from the museum’s collection, as well as quilts by national and regional quilt artists. Exhibitions range from traditional to contemporary, each with a unique style and theme.