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Artist Statement—Like everyone else, I was immobilized by the Covid Crisis. I spent the first few months collecting data, trying to get my head around what was happening, and why. It all seemed so senseless and out of control. I live in Alaska, so everything always seems far away—and it is! It felt surreal to watch my tv and see entire communities locked down, confined to their housing space with no recourse. It made me very grateful for the wide open spaces of our community. Thank goodness for green belts, parks, and trails!
I entered five quilts into QuiltCon. Three were accepted and two were rejected. Shelter in Place was one of the rejected quilts.
CONGRATULATIONS to the makers of the 470 quilts that were juried into QuiltCon 2024! One of the best feelings in the world is to walk through a show and see your work hanging in front of everyone.
For those of you who did not get a quilt into the show. IT IS OKAY! There were 2,342 quilts submitted. Can you imagine what it would take to select 470 quilts from this deluge of patchwork? Let’s break this situation down into bite size chunks.
What if your quilt met all of the general stipulations but is still rejected? These general stipulations—great photography, selecting the proper category for your quilt, and submitting well crafted and designed work— are non-negotiable and are usually within your control.
So, if you succeeded in producing a quilt that meets the above criteria, you probably made it to the second round of consideration—YES! There are multiple rounds to this decision making process.
Now for the variables that we cannot control. Here are a few.
—Judge’s Preferences. I am a piecer. I am a maximalist, and I adore traditional quilt blocks. If I were part of the team selecting this year’s quilts, those would be my biases. We all have them. This is not to say that I am incapable of loving an applique quilt. It is to say that my general love and KNOWLEDGE of piece work, may affect my decisions.
—How crowded is the field? If you enter the Improv category, your work will be up against many amazing quilts. Each category needs to have roughly the same number of entries exhibited. Some categories are more competitive than others for this reason.
—Is your work OUT THERE beyond the realm of what is considered Modern? Sometimes, we are ahead or behind our time. Let’s call this the Independent Drummer Syndrome.You may be creating great work, but if it is not in sync with whatever is considered fresh and currently topical, your quilt is not going to get in the show. If this is you, my advice is to keep banging your drum. The only reason not to do this is when your rejections are about craft—always strive to create beautifully executed quilts.
—Who else entered? Did your quilt end up in a category filled with All Stars? We don’t know, but the quality of your competition can affect your chances of getting in.
—It is a Crapshoot. Entering a quilt show is very much like playing a game of chance. Those who like to gamble enter their best work and understand that the rejection is not about them or even really about the quilt as a stand alone entity. It is about all the variables. To prove this point, I invite you to visit the hashtag #quiltconreject. At this moment there are 2,777 quilts shared from past and present QuiltCon applications. That is almost the same number of quilts reviewed to create the 2024 QuiltCon show! |
