We have great news!  ARTAA members are excited to be new participants in the Mancuso Quilt Shows with a debut later this month, March 26-29, 2015 at "Destination Savannah"  Yes, that's Georgia and then on to Denver, etc.  Imagine that.

For our 2015 "Introductory Tour" exhibit, we have selected a colorful assortment of recent pieces that reflect our personal styles.  We present them here:

Life is a Delicate Balance II: But I Have a Teenager! - by Lisa Filion

Dreaming - by Kris Gregson Moss

Contemplation - by Sherrie Turkheimer

Dunes - by Joanna Monroe

For Sale - by Eileen Donovan

Feathered Tulip - by Gail Frenz

The Devil Made Me Do It - by Nancy DiDonato

In Anticipation - by Lucille Makrin

STOP and Smell the Roses - by Patricia Spillane

Torn Apart and Going in Circles - by Karen Sturtevant

We hope if you get to visit one of the shows where our quilts are displayed that you will leave a message below to let us know how you liked it.  Meanwhile, we're preparing now for next year.

Giving Back

Each holiday season, ARTAA members create a small quilt for the residents of the assisted living facility where we meet [as a gesture of our appreciation for their year-long hospitality].  This year's assortment of traditional quilts was recently passed on to management.  While we don't get to meet the lucky recipients, we are always pleased to know that these small tokens warm the hearts and laps of others.  And as always, we never fail to display our individuality!!

A beautiful design puzzle full of fun....

Bright and sassy kitty cats....

Sweetheart lovely for someone special..... 

A lively collection of crayon colors.....

Can you say "let's play ball??"

Its a super guy thing....

Something soothing in brown and blues...

ARTAA exhibits at VIEW

"Still Life with Pomegranates" - Sherrie Turkheimer

Several ARTAA members have been excited to participate this fall in the "Quilts Unlimited" juried exhibit at VIEW, Old Forge, New York.  This beautiful collection of 69 traditional and art quilts from around the region is displayed in the airy gallery of the VIEW Arts building, tucked in the gorgeous Adirondack mountains.  A destination treat running from October 11 - December 7, 2014..

"C-Thru" - Joanna Monroe

In addition, ARTAA was honored to give a presentation of it's past themed works from 2005 to the present during the opening day luncheon October 11th.  Attendees from all over were treated to a hands-on examination of the over 75 quilts as members discussed their origins and walked them around the room.

"In Anticipation" - Lucille Makrin

On the second floor of the arts building, ARTAA also exhibits it's own show, "On and Off the Wall" with another 37 art quilts on display in classrooms and hallways.  The variety of works and the excellent placement makes it an eye-candy experience.  That show continues through January 4, 2015.

"So Blue" - felted wool - Linda VanAlstyne

As you can see, we've been quite busy much of this year organizing our exhibit, refining our presentation, and finding time to create something spectacular for juried work in the main gallery.

We'd like to thank the staff of VIEW for their hospitality and artful skills.  We hope you have a chance to visit.

We're Celebrating Georgia O'Keeffe these days....

"Georgia in Fiber", part of an area-wide celebration in conjunction with the Hyde Collection, is preparing to open at Moss and Friends, the Shirt Factory, Glens Falls starting July 5th and continuing through September 30th.  The exhibit will feature the works of ARTAA members as they interpreted and were influenced by Georgia O'Keeffe, once a resident of the Adirondacks.

Kris Gregson Moss has mounted an outstanding variety of pieces in her working studio, which is open Thursdays through Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM.  Some pieces will be available for sale.

Here's a sneak peek - but please do come and see these wonderful works up close!

And there is more..............  See you there!!!!!!

Moss and Friends

Suite 112

The Shirt Factory

21 Cooper Street

Glens Falls, NY

July 5 - Sept 30, 2013

Thu-Sat, 10-5 PM

ARTAA's Lucille Makrin Opens an Exhibit

The Salem Courthouse Community Center is featuring the amazing quilts of Lucille Makrin in the Great Hall from March 6th until April 13, 2011.

Below is Lucille's "Hooked!", using the reverse applique technique.  As you can see, she enjoys thinking outside of the box.

Lucille resides in Cambridge, NY and has loved fabrics since childhood, dabbling in all aspects of fabric creations and mixed media.  She is an active member of 7 regional quilt guilds, including ARTAA.  Lucille is also instrumental in founding the Courthouse Quilters that meet on a regular basis at the Courthouse.

Her show is a collection of quilts created over thirty years, many of them receiving special honors that included: blue ribbons from the Washington County Fair, Hildene Needlework Show awards and special recognition in Quilter's Newsletter magazine.

The public is invited to an opening reception on Sunday, March 6 at 1PM

ARTAA member exhibits her work

Fiber artist and ARTAA member, Sandra Archbold, is shown Friday night, February 4th, at the opening reception of the Pember Library Museum, Granville, NY, where she exhibited her collection of original designed kimono's.

Despite wintery conditions in the region in recent days, attendance was high at the First Friday event that featured three local artists of the sleepy, rural Adirondack town in upstate New York.  The exhibit will remain on display for the month of February, 2nd floor.

Sandra has been teaching and lecturing about her work for the past 30 years.  She is a lover and collector  of fine fabrics and has been a member of the ARTAA group since it's inception.  Her
designs and original creations are interpreted into wearable and wall art.  In addition to her work with all kinds of fabrics, Sandra also maintains an enormous perennial flower garden during the summer months - an inspiration for any artist.

Congratulations, Sandra!

ARTAAfacts:  A second artist's reception (due to inclement weather) was held on February 3rd, at the Family and Children's Service of the Capital Region for the textile wall art of Diane Evans and Pat Spillane.  The exhibit, "The Threads That Connect Us" will run through February 18, 2011 at the FCSCR Social Art Gallery, 650 Warren Street, Albany.

ARTAAfacts:  Coming up in March, a trunk show by ARTAA member Lucille Makrin at the Salem Courthouse, Great Hall, Salem, NY.  As many as 50 pieces will be shown by the artist, with an opening reception on March 6th, between 1-4 PM.  The exhibit will remain until April 13th.

ARTAAfacts:  Teaching a class on "Quilted Art" in April, 2011, ARTAA member Kris Gregson Moss will join others artisans in presenting Fiber Art Workhops at the Town of Johnsburg
Library.  For enrollment or further information, please call (518) 251-4343.

ARTAAfacts:  ARTAA member Francelise Dawkins will be an exhibitor at "Color Moves", presented at the Shelnutt Gallery of RPI (Room 3606, Rensselaer Union) in honor of Black History Month.  Francelise will show her "Migrative Spirit" and "Sanctuary of the Still Waters".  A reception will be held on Friday, February 11, 2011 between 6-8 PM with live musical entertainment.

ARTAAfacts:  ARTAA will be on display this year at the Widlund Gallery, Tannery Pond, North Creek, NY during May ---------  the Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, NY in September ----- and at the Arts Center at Old Forge, NY this fall.  Watch our blog for details.

Excitement Stirring on Ebay

Pardon us while we share our pride!

Our own Nancy DiDonato, Diamond Point, NY, was asked by DMC Threads to create this "Stitch Pink" quilt to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  Nancy took all the individual blocks (of varying sizes) sent to her by DMC and put them together into an exquisite arrangement, and then designed a border to pull it all together.  You can follow the exciting story of this gorgeous benefit quilt on eBay or read more about it's origins on DMC's Website.  Maybe you'd like to bid on it.

ART=ARTAA=LOVE

Sometimes ARTAA means getting together.  We actually miss each other when meeting dates dwindle during the busy holiday times, or when members move away.

Here we are celebrating the visit of member Linda Shea (wearing blue) who recently moved to the west coast.

Linda has an incredible repetroire of talents, but you can find her embroidery designs [Linda Rae Designs], such as the one above, on-line at Oregon Patchworks.  It was a wonderful gathering, as you can see!


ARTAAfacts: Members Kris Gregson Moss, Barbara Vanselow, and Joanna Monroe currently have art pieces in the "Gifted" exhibit at Buttondown Gallery, The Shirt Factory, Glens Falls now through January 8.   Hurry to see it before it's gone!


ARTAAfacts:  Works of members Diane Evans and Pat Spillane will be shown at "The Threads That Connect Us", a two woman show sponsored by Art'nSoul, Inc. at the Social Art Gallery of Family and Children's Service of the Capital Region, January 7 - February 18, 2011.

Well, that was fun!!

We did the bazaar.

Pat Spillane, Karen Sturtevant, and Barbara Vanselow spent a fun weekend in Sherborn, MA recently with a bevy of bazaar treasures created by their fellow ARTAA members. Sponsored by the Friends of Sherborn Council on Aging, the traditional gourmet cookie sale in Sherborn was expanded for the first time to include arts and crafts for the holidays. The venue was wonderful, with vendors comfortably displaying their wares in a lovely New England, historical building and an army of kindly volunteers to help us all move in.

The day was bright and sunny, bringing in lots of shoppers and plenty of curious browsers. As a first time adventure for Friends (and ARTAA), it was certainly a successful event for this depressed economy. ARTAA members realized a nice return for their efforts and most of all enjoyed the fruits of working together on a huge, long range, long distance project.

ARTAAfacts: Kris Gregson Moss recently gave a gallery talk for the Fiber Revolution show in Hunter, NY at the Kaaterskill Fine Arts Gallery.

ARTAAfacts: Joanna Monroe and Pat Spillane are participants in the "Fiber Celebration" exhibit at the Chappaqua Library, Chappaqua, NY sponsored by SAQA-NY.

ARTAAfacts: Diane Evans and Pat Spillane will be featured in a two-woman show, "The Threads That Connect Us" at the Social Gallery, Family and Children's Service of the Capital Region, 650 Warren Street, Albany, NY. The exhibit runs January 7 - February 18, 2011.

ARTAAfacts: Donnalynn Milford, Joanna Monroe, Kris Gregson Moss, Karen Sturtevant and Patti Turi of ARTAA were hosts at The Shirt Factory Open House (December 11 and 12) in Glens Falls, NY. Holiday shoppers browsed the many shops and studios for those special, one-of-a-kind, gifts.

It's been a busy few weeks!!!!!

ARTAA Plans for the Holidays

[Lace Pendant and Snowflake: Barbara Vanselow]

* * * * *

ARTAA members are busy these days preparing items for a Holiday Bazaar and Gourmet Cookie Sale sponsored by the Friends of Sherborn Council on the Aging, Sherborn, MA. The event will be held December 4, 2010 between 10 AM and 4 PM at the town's Community Center and feature over 34 fine artisans. ARTAA is pleased to be counted in their midst.

[Embroidered wool pillow: Lucille Makrin]

Whenever ARTAA participates in an activity, one of its members takes a coordinating role in planning and executing the event. This time, three members will head east to Sherborn to greet the public: Pat Spillane, Karen Sturtevant, and Barbara Vanselow.

If you should travel near Sherborn, MA on December 4th - do stop by between 10 AM and 4 PM for some exquisite holiday shopping, a tin of gourmet cookies and look for us in the crowd - wearing our ARTAA aprons.

Awards Addendum

You know the feeling. You no sooner tell a story when you learn more detail that you wish you had included at the onset. So, with that in mind, your humble correspondent would like to share some additional information from my last post:

Nancy DiDonato is shown here at the 24th Annual Northeast Quilts Unlimited Show, standing alongside her Best of Show quilt, "Square Dance in the Log Cabin". The color white you see in this quilt is the wall, for Nancy has created a circle in a square in a square. She is an engineering wizard, and yet, this was a traditional, log-cabin pattern.

Nancy also won a First place ribbon for "The Devil Made Me Do It', her stained glass quilt depicting the Garden of Eden.

Diane Evans won a Second place ribbon for "Pieces of Dreams" at the 24th Northeast Quilts Unlimited show, and it had also taken a 2nd place ribbon, Wall Quilts, Innovative at the 2009 AQS Expo in Des Moines, Iowa. Diane's quilt has also represented AQS on much of this year's 2010 promotional materials, including magazine ads and decks of playing cards available at the AQS shows.

And since our last post, judging at LARAC (Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council) for the Black and White Juried Exhibition is complete with Joanna Monroe receiving an honorable mention for her quilt, "End of the Road". This piece has also been a winner previously.

Stay tuned for more news of ARTAA members and be sure to leave us comments.

It's FALL in the Adirondacks

Dateline: October 9, 2010

Today marks the opening of the 24th annual Northeast Quilts Unlimited show at Old Forge, New York. ARTAA members are proud to be this year's invitational exhibitors and have offered a "Best of ARTAA" display for visitors, with many prior ribbon-winners in the mix. The show runs from October 9, 2010 through November 11, 2010 and would make a wonderful foliage trip.

ARTAA is also proud to celebrate the talents of two of its members: Nancy DiDonato and Diane Evans. Nancy is this year's "Best of Show" winner at Northeast Quilts Unlimited. Nancy's entry, "Square Dance in the Cabin" was created in 2009 for the Polly Briwa Challenge at the Wings Falls Quilt Festival, Glens Falls, NY. It was a winner at that time, as well, and represents a non-traditional approach to a traditional Log Cabin design.

Diane took 2nd place at the show with "Pieces of Dreams", a colorful quilt that has graced many of the AQS promotional materials of 2010 and has been a ribbon winner in other venues throughout the country.

ARTAAfacts Nancy DiDonato, Joanna Monroe, Kris Gregson Moss and Pat Spillane have several pieces currently displayed at the Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, NY for the 2nd Annual Great Adirondack Quilt Show. This exhibit is scattered throughout the museum and will be shown through October 17th.

ARTAAfacts Joanna Monroe has been notified that her SAQA Auction Quilt, "Cathedral in the Pines" was sold at the $350 level. A wonderful benefit for the organization and a lucky new art collector. You can see the quilt on Joanna's blog.

ARTAAfacts Joanna Monroe is exhibiting with LARAC Lapham Gallery, Glens Falls, NY at the "Black and White Fine Art Exhibit" now through October 30th.

Plenty of reason to take that FALL FOLIAGE trip to the Adirondacks.

The NEXT OF Several Shows

Members of ARTAA are busy these days planning several upcoming events.

First on their agenda is a day-long display at the Adirondack Fabric & Fiber Arts Festival held annually at the Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, NY. This event coincides each year with the fall foliage tourism season and has seen increasing attendance as it's popularity spreads. During the show, ARTAA members demonstrate a variety of techniques and talk with visitors about their wall art and how it is done. This year's ARTAA theme of "flight" will be featured along with a variety of other pieces by the artists.

Here is a sneak peak at what you'll find:

September 25, 2010

Adirondack Fabric & Fiber Arts Festival

Adirondack Museum

Rt. 28N/30

Blue Mountain Lake, NY

10 - 5

(518) 352-7311

FENEEX Art Boutique Opens in Saratoga

One of our ARTAA members, Francelise Dawkins, has announced the opening of her new gallery and art boutique, named "FENEEX", located in the arts district of Saratoga Springs, NY. Filled with lovely pieces from the art community, FENEEX offers the sophisticated and fine arts collector an extraordinary opportunity for leisurely, discriminating shopping.

Francelise is a collage artist. With roots in France, she has taught or exhibited her work in countless venues around the United States (e.g., see below). FENEEX incorporates collages and wall art, clothing, handbags, jewelry and finely crafted cards in a constantly evolving display, much of it created by the artist/owner herself. The shop is intimate and airy with an eye appeal worthy of the most particular art connoisseur. Francelise hopes to develop collage classes and inspire community in her gallery/workplace setting.

Please make a point to visit FENEEX at 30 Beekman Street, Saratoga Springs, NY.

ARTAAfacts notes that ARTAA member Pat Spillane just returned from the AQS Quilt Show, Paducah, KY where she enjoyed personally meeting Ricky Tims, Laura Wasilowski, and saw many noted quilt artists in the crowd. A wonderful display of the works of Hollis Chatelain was on display at the National Quilt Museum, where Francelise Dawkins also has a piece she calls "Discovery" in the permanent collection there.

ARTAAfacts also reports that while at the show, Pat was thrilled to find memorabilia based on quilts by ARTAA member Diane Evans featured on luggage tags and decks of playing cards being sold at all of the AQS booths. There were piles of these 2010 keepsakes based on Diane's beautiful pieces, "Color My World" and "Pieces of Dreams". Pat couldn't help but tell perfect strangers that the artist was her friend!

ARTAAfacts is proud of ARTAA member Donnalynn Milford, also owner of the Northeast's most well known tea shop, "Sensibiliteas", for her part in earning a ribbon at the MQS Show in Providence, R.I. this month. The group quilt made by Donnalynn and several friends was called, "Girlfriends and Sunshine". Congratulations all.

Expressing our successes through ARTAAfacts

ARTAA members meet twice a month to share their latest projects, discuss the next group effort, relate a personal success and to recharge their batteries together. One of the best motivators for any group of artists is the success of one of its own and how expressing that joy is often contagious. Therefore, "ARTAAfacts" will be a frequent feature of our postings, permitting us a bit of group pride in the artistic accomplishments of our members.

Above, as Karen describes her quilt and process for the Road Kill project, others got a laugh at her found objects and title.

ARTAAfacts this month recognizes Nancy DiDonato for her article in the February/March 2010 issue of Quilters Newsletter magazine. "Pin Woven Fabric" was the easy lesson for that issue. Three of Nancy's quilts are shown in the magazine: "Lake View", "Fish in Space", and "Click II".

ARTAAfacts also recognizes Diane Evans for her 2nd place win - Wall Quilts, Innovative category - at the 2009 AQS Des Moines show. Diane's quilt, "Pieces of Dreams" is shown with other winners, including gracing the table of contents page, in the March 2010 issue of AQS American Quilter.