I combine my affections for textiles, found and recycled materials, and my concerns as a woman, parent, immigrant, and American. Every project is an opportunity to impart a message and create original work.
I appreciate the slow stitch of handmade items and the craftsmanship nurtured over many years. And I’m inspired by the American history of quilting. So as not to waste a single fabric scrap, remnant pieces were sewn together in thoughtful designs — utilitarian yet imaginative and deeply personal. I make art quilts for its inherent storytelling quality, tactile appeal, and the extended connections to women’s history, resilience, and community.
The method that best describes my art practice is bricolage — a French term that means making do with what is at hand. In order to use up the odds and ends around me, a diverse range of unconventional materials make their way into my work.
Good News!
6.23.2023 — Let Freedom Ring was accepted to ArtUs Co’s Colors Unraveled exhibit opening this week in Austin; see promotional ad at right for more details. Exhibit runs July 8 to August 5, 2023.
9.11.2022 — Make Do and Mend was accepted to Round Rock Arts My Art, My Cause exhibition, juried by Janna Sammon. Exhibit opens next month (October 10 - December 2) at the Avery Building Gallery, Texas State University, Round Rock. This is a wonderful opportunity to give back to my community; participating artists selected a charity of their choice to receive a percentage of their sold artwork. I chose Austin Creative Reuse because their mission “to foster conservation and reuse through creativity, education, and community building” closely aligns with my art practice. If my work sells during the exhibit, 50% of the sale price will be donated to ACR.
5.02.2022 — I was recently contacted by curator Victoria See with Art in Embassies (AIE) at the U.S. Department of State about my lending Women’s Work Then and Now for an exhibition in the public spaces of the U.S. Ambassador’s residence in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I had not registered with AIE and was surprised (and a bit wary) with initial communication. It turns out Ambassador Laura Dogu, as well as the curator, are from Texas. I am honored to be a part of this vital cultural exchange, delighted that the theme of this exhibition is to celebrate women artists and look forward to the exhibition publication later this summer. The exhibition will run the duration of the Ambassador’s tenure, about 3 years.
1.17.2022 — 1 in 3 in USA was selected for Being-With, Surface Design Association’s (SDA) Winter 2022 online exhibition, by curator Soledad Fatima Munoz. She examined works that reflect “on the role of textile artists and designers within the art world and society at large” and underscore “the idea that ‘I’ does not come before ‘we’ and that there is no existence without co-existence.”
5.28.2021 — At the opening reception of Quilt National ‘21, it was announced I won the purchase award for Most Innovative Use of Material. After this exhibit and a bit of touring T.P. Mania will be placed in the permanent collection of the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. I am overjoyed and look forward to seeing the full exhibit in person when I travel to Athens in September for the closing reception.
10.09.2020 — I am thrilled that T.P. Mania was also accepted into Quilt National ‘21 in Athens, Ohio. Jurors: Nancy Bavor, Brigitte Kopp and Karen Schulz. Exhibition to run May 28 - September 6, 2021.
7.10.2020 — T.P. Mania was accepted for an upcoming book by Sandra Sider, Quarantine Quilts: Creativity in the Midst of Chaos; see book image on right with cover art by Anne Bellas. Book to be released next summer by Schiffer Publishing.
My Art in SAQA Touring Exhibits
I am grateful to be a member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA). There is no other organization that does as much to promote art quilts and support the artists with opportunities to exhibit, develop and network. I especially appreciate SAQA’s global exhibition program. Over the course of 3 years, each juried exhibit tours the country and abroad at multiple museum and show venues. Being accepted into these exhibitions would mean that hundreds, if not thousands, of people would see my work.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
Florida CraftArt Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL: April 25-May, 14, 2022
Alliance for the Arts, Ft. Myers, FL: June 3-27, 2022
Eastern Shore Art Center, Fairhope, AL: September 2-October 29, 2022
Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, LA: November 12-December 31, 2022
Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX: January 15-April 15, 2023
Marco Island Center for the Arts, Marco Island, FL: May 8-June 30, 2023
EXHIBITING 2022-2023
11.29.2021 — Creating Love from Despair was selected for SAQA Regional Exhibition The Artist’s Question…Answered in Fiber by juror Zak Foster. Exhibiting artists represent the gulf state regions Florida, Alabama/Mississippi, Arkansas/Louisiana, and Texas.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
New England Quilt Museum, Lowell, MA: October 5-December 31, 2022
Windgate Museum of Art, Conway, AR: February 3-March 17, 2023
AQS QuiltWeek, Grand Rapids, MI: September 13-16, 2023
AQS QuiltWeek, Des Moines, IA: September 27-30, 2023
San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, San Jose, CA: January-March 2025
EXHIBITING 2022-2025
11.17.2021 — Life Jacket was selected for SAQA Global Exhibition sustainABILITY by juror Tali Weinburg. Premieres next fall at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Life Jacket addresses climate change impact and plastic pollution in oceans caused by the fashion industry as well as our own consumer habits.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX: October 27-31, 2021
International Quilt Festival, Salt Lake City, UT: July 21-23, 2022
International Quilt Festival, Long Beach, CA: August 4-6, 2022
Genesee Valley QuiltFest, Rochester, NY: May 17-19, 2024
EXHIBITING 2021-2024
3.09.2021 — 1 in 3 in USA was selected for SAQA Global Exhibition Connections by juror Ellen M. Blalock. Premieres at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas.
I created this work during the turbulent summer of 2020 in support for Black Lives Matter. I, too, felt sorrow and outrage over George Floyd’s death.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
The Center for Contemporary Arts, Abilene, TX: September 10-November 7, 2020
Cultural Activities Center, Temple, TX: February 19-March 28, 2021
Fine Arts Gallery, Buddy Holly Center, Lubbock, TX: August 6-September 19, 2021
Kemp Art Center, Wichita Falls, TX: October 28, 2021-January 9, 2022
Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, TX: February 26-May 21, 2022
Semmes Gallery, University of Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX: June 10-August 19, 2022
EXHIBITING 202o-2022
6.30.2020 — The Butterfly Effect was selected for SAQA Regional Exhibition A Sense of Place: Texas Landscape Art Quilts by juror Joshua Willis. See the full exhibition schedule in bulleted list.
I’m so pleased with this exhibit theme; I got to share what’s special about my part of Texas.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
National Quilt Museum, Paducah, KY: March 6-July 7, 2020
Larson Gallery, Yakima, WA: April 20-May 22, 2021
Texas Quilt Museum, LaGrange, TX: January 6-April 30, 2022
EXHIBITING 2020-2022
6.24.2019 — Seeing Shapes was selected for SAQA Global Exhibition Musica! by juror Joe Cunningham. Premieres at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky.
This work focuses on the importance of school music programs for our kids.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ: October 5, 2019-January 5, 2020
Quilt Festival, Long Beach, CA: July 9-11, 2020 cancelled
Brigham City Museum of Art & History, Brigham City, UT: June 26-September 18, 2021
Original Quilt and Sewing Expo:
Atlanta - Duluth, Georgia, March 10-12, 2022
Lakeland, Florida, March 17-19, 2022
Cleveland - Akron, Ohio, April 7-9, 2022
Dallas - Irving, Texas, August 18-20, 2022
Fredericksburg, Virginia, September 29-October 1, 2022
Cincinnati - Sharonville, Ohio, October 13-15, 2022
Nashville - Lebanon, Tennessee, October 20-22, 2022
Detroit - Novi, Michigan, November 10-12, 2022
EXHIBITING 2019-2022
3.12.2019 — House Home Hive Habitat was selected for SAQA Global Exhibition Connecting Our Natural Worlds by juror Holly Swangstu. Premieres at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
Conservation is immensely important to me and impacts every one of my projects.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX: November 8-11, 2018
International Quilt Festival, Chicago, IL: March 28-30, 2019
Quilt Canada, Ottawa, Ontario: June 12-15, 2019
AQS QuiltWeek Grand Rapids, MI: August 21-24, 2019
AQS QuiltWeek Fall Paducah, KY: September 11-14, 2019
AQS QuiltWeek Charleston, SC: September 25-27, 2019
Zhejiang Folk Art Quilt Museum, Zhejiang, China: March 28-April 30, 2021 virtual
EXHIBITING 2018-2021
4.02.2018 — I am delighted that my first-time submission to SAQA was accepted. Line Study is included in the Global Exhibition Metamorphosis and debuts at the Houston International Quilt Festival. Juror: David Hornung.
I had just taken my second workshop on basketweaving and was inspired to apply the techniques on an unconventional material.