The time leading up to my trip to India was especially busy. In between mounting two exhibitions here in Western Australia (more on those on a later occasion), I participated in the selection of works for an exhibition initiated by Ozquilt Network, Australia's national organisation for art quilters. Australia Wide was designed to showcase the talents of Ozquilt Network's members and to demonstrate the scope of art quiltmaking in Australia.
As a juror, I was also invited to exhibit. My quilt Jetty Suite 4 , like all works in the exhibition, is 40 cm square. Made from recycled blankets, it was inspired by the weathered wood and rusty painted surfaces of the Busselton jetty.
a detail of Jetty Suite 4
I always feel honoured to be invited to jury a show, a process which brings equal measure of pleasure and weighty responsibility. In this instance, the selection process was a long distance affair, with the three jurors scattered from coast to coast, across 3,000 kilometres and three different time zones. The cost of bringing us together would have been prohibitive, but with the wonders of modern technology we were able to view the images via a CD slideshow on our computer screens and communicate with each other via email.
This was an interesting means of jurying, much more protracted than my previous jurying experiences. A process which is necessarily confined to several intense hours when the jurors are brought together within the confines of one room was extended to days, as we each in our own time viewed the works and reported our initial response, then discussed, reviewed and negotiated until we reached a final consensus via numerous email communications. I appreciated having the luxury of viewing the works repeatedly over a number of days, so that decisions made were more fully considered than is usually possible.
As well as touring to venues around Australia, Australia Wide can be viewed on Ozquilt Network's website, www.ozquiltnetwork.org.au I urge you to take a look, there is a wonderful variety of work to be seen.
