Best of Show - All Alaska Juried Exhibition

Juror Michael Darling from the Seattle Art Museum chose a piece by Maria Shell as Best of Show in the upcoming All Alaska Juried Exhibition XXXIII to be held at the Anchorage Museum. The exhibition will be on view from May 22 through October 3 in Anchorage then travel to various venues throughout the state.

Quilt Visions 2010 Artists Announced

Quilt Visions 2010 "No Boundaries" artists were recently announced, including Nelda Warkentin and Linda Beach. The exhibition will be open October 24 through March 13, 2011 at the Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA. Pictured are details from Nelda's work "Before Sunset" and Linda's "Tenacity". More information can be found at http://www.quiltvisions.org/ .

Heartstrings Award

ArtQuilt Elements 2010 opened with a reception April 17 during which it was announced that Linda Beach's work "Dawn" had received the Heartstrings Award for excellence. The exhibition will be on display through May 19 at the Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA. More information can be seen at http://www.artquiltelements.com/ .

Transformed Treasures

The Salvation Army is sponsering their 3rd Annual Transformed Treasures Auction Luncheon on May 1 at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel. More than 100 one-of-a-kind treasures will be auctioned to the highest bidder including work by Judy Wedemeyer. Pictured are placemats made by Judy from ties purchased from the Salvation Army thrift store and created specifically for the auction. This event and photo were also featured in the Anchorage Daily News Sunday Life & Arts section on April 18. More information on Judys' work for the auction can be found on her blog (see the link featured on the lower right under Member Blogs).

Alaska Contemporary Art Bank

The Alaska State Council on the Arts is purchasing "In the Spotlight" by Linda Beach for the Alaska Contemporary Art Bank collection. For the first time since 2001, a panel of jurors selected 17 works from artists around the state to be added to the collection.

An exhibition of the new pieces purchased for the collection is tentatively scheduled in June at the grand opening of new office space by the Alaska State Council on the Arts.

Quilt National 2011

"Quilt National 2011" has announced that they are accepting entries for this upcoming 17th biennial juried exhibition of contemporary art quilts. Nelda Warkentin is one of three jurors for this prestigious exhibition that will debut at the Dairy Barn Arts Center, Athens, Ohio on May 28, 2011. Entry forms and information can be found at the Dairy Barn website www.dairybarn.org .

Anchorage Museum Gala

"Salsa", a 52" x 42" quilt by Nelda Warkentin, along with work by six other artists, has been selected for the live auction at the Anchorage Museum Gala. The event will be held on Saturday, April 10, Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center, Anchorage. Tickets can be purchased by calling Arby Williams, 929-9226.

The Next Generation of Fiber Artists......

Diane Melms recently completed a Fiber Art/Surface Design class with students in her after school Studio Art classes. Her students range from the 3rd grade through the 12th grade. In this seven week session they started with ten pieces of white fabric and were guided through the processes of low emersion dying, fabric painting, glue resist design, printing with stamps, monoprinting, fabric piecing, fused applique, machine stitching, hand stitching, soft sculpture and embellishment. Their completed artworks will be on display at Great Harvest Bread Co. in Anchorage through April 4. Additional images are also posted on Diane's art class website at http://web.mac.com/dianemelms/Site/Fiber_Art_Surface_Design.html .

Confluence/Influence

"Confluence/Influence" is an invitational exhibit with new work and collaborations by Talkeetna artists including Julia March Crocetto at the MTS Gallery, 3142 Mountain View Drive, Anchorage. There will be an opening reception on Friday, March 19 from 5:30-7:30pm and a second First Friday reception on April 2 from 8:00-10:00pm. The exhibit will continue until April 10.