98 Join us at http://www.todaysquilter.comINSPIRATION l back story
A
mericanquiltartistandacademic,
Michael James, will be enriching the
visitor experience at The Festival of
Quilts this year with his gallery of art quilts
and his Quilt Academy lecture, Making
Sense of a Studio Life: 45 Years and
Counting. Michael will also be sharing his
expertise with his keynote speech at The
Quilters’ Guild 40th anniversary dinner,
focusing on the layers of meaning attached
to quilts. It’s a wonderful opportunity to
hear from one of the leaders of the art quilt
movement and to see his new body of work,
inspired by his travels in India.
While his early days as a student in
fine arts were focused on painting and
printmaking, his now preferred medium
is digital textile printing – embracing
technology and celebrating its limitless
possibilities. He works mainly from
photographic sources, but also scans and
manipulates painted imagery to create
ethereal pieces which transcend the
physical constraints of more traditionalquiltingtechniques.“Irelyontheimagery
that’s applied to the fabric to evoke
sensations, to prompt memories or to
suggest a kind of metaphysical dimension”,
he says. Given his interest in what he calls
the “unseen world”, his keynote speech
promises to be an extremely interesting
and thought-provoking starting point for
visitors who are new to The Quilters’ Guild
and their extensive collection.
In addition to his studio practice,
Michael is the Ardis James Professor in
Textiles, Merchandising & Fashion Design
at the College of Education and Human
Sciences at the University of Nebraska-
Lincoln and is also the department’s chair.
He is, however, preparing to retire from the
university and is looking forward to a new
chapter – “There’s certainly more travelling
ahead of me and, with increased time to
read across a wide range of interests, I’m
sure there’ll be new inspirations and new
directions. I like to think that artists get
better with age. And I guess I’ll find out”.Do you have a quilt with a tale to tell? Let us know, and you could be featured on the Back Story page!
Email [email protected] or write to To d a y ’s Q u i l t e r, Tower House, Fairfax St, Bristol, BS1 3BNCONSTRUCTED TEXTILES
NEW AND RECENT
Discover the work of quilt artist, Michael James, at The Festival of Quilts 2019Find out more
You can see Michael
James’ exhibition –
Constructed Textiles New
and Recent - at The Festival
of Quilts, NEC Birmingham,
from 1-4 August. To book a
place at his Quilt Academy
lecture or to join the 40th
Anniversary Dinner for
The Quilters’ Guild, visit
thefestivalofquilts.co.ukTo see more of Michael
James’ work, visit
michaeljamesstudioquilts.comPattern and colour come together in Michael's work to embody
different aspects of the world around us, as seen in his works in
progress in the studio and above in two pieces from his
Photographs: Portrait by Greg Nathan, right top and below by Larry Gawel collection, 'India Through Beginner's Eyes'
Haveli 1 (Juna Mahal)Niche (Sarai Mohana)