Chicago Foreclosure Quilt

I finished the Chicago Foreclosure Quilt last month and have finally been able to find the time to update this long neglected blog! More on that in the next post. The quilt is currently hanging at Gallery Nord in San Antonio. I wanted to make a quilt of Chicago at some point but I was having a hard time pinpointing a particular neighborhood as foreclosures were widespread across the city. One afternoon, while listening to This American Life on NPR, I heard a two part story on Harper High School in Chicago which is located in the Englewood neighborhood. 

Chicago Foreclosure Quilt, 2013

It was a gripping story. There had been 29 shootings at the school in 2012. The students talk about how unsafe the neighborhood feels, with abandoned buildings and empty lots. They have to navigate the neighborhood in unusual ways in order to feel safe. Gangs were in charge of the neighborhood, using it's vulnerability to their advantage.

Chicago Foreclosure Quilt detail, 2013

RIght in the center of the quilt, shown in light blue above, is the block of the high school.

Chicago Foreclosure Quilt detail, 2013

I'm not sure how I want this quilt presented but I know if the quilt sells, I'd like to give the money back to the community somehow. In the meantime, you can listen to the entire podcast here.

Upcoming Show : Gallery Nord in San Antonio - June 8th through July 6th.

I'm off to San Antonio tomorrow to attend the biannual Surface Design Association's conference. Interface runs from June 6 through June 9th. I'm leaving early to install many of my foreclosure quilts at Gallery Nord in San Antonio. This will be the first chance to see two of my most recent quilts, Chicago and Miami. Here is the Chicago quilt. There's a great story behind that I'll explain in more detail later.

Chicago Foreclosure Quilt, 2013. 31" x 42"

The exhibition is sponsored by Surface Design in conjunction with the conference and runs from June 8th to July 6th. I'm thrilled to hang my work with Natalie Miebach, Maria Shell and Eun-Kyung Suh. Natalie's work is a featured exhibit and she will speak about her work at the conference. All of the artists' work is incredible and I look forward to meeting them as well as other fiber artists at the conference. I'll be with my people!

If you're attending, I'll be in the gallery all day on Thursday to greet visitors on the exhibition day tours. Be sure to say hi, I'd love to meet you! There will be an opening reception on Saturday, June 8th from 5 to 7. Visit Gallery Nord here and learn more about the exhibit and the artists here.

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