AUBURN - Janet Root has been creating quilts for 18 years, but she said she's “been sewing forever.”
Root, of Kendall, a village near Rochester, has been handy with a needle and thread since she was a preteen. But in 1989, after taking a beginner's class in quilting methods, she fell in love with the art, now she teaches quilting classes herself.
Two decades and more than 100 quilts later, Root was on hand at the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center Sunday afternoon to present a trunk show, the third of five in a series that coincides with Schweinfurth's ongoing “Quilts = Art = Quilts” exhibit.
The program, sponsored by the New York State Council on the Arts, featured Root's presentation of dozens of quilts she has created through the years, shown to dozens of attending guests.
“My grandmother and my great aunt both quilted, so I always knew I wanted to,” she explained prior to the program.
After a friend told her about the class, she figured it was time to learn.
“And I've been doing it ever since. ... Now I even have sponsors,” she added with a laugh.
In addition to teaching quilting classes at shops in the Rochester area, Root says that she has learned a lot from her attendance at “Quilting by the Lake,” an annual “quilting camp” in Morrisville presented each summer by the Schweinfurth.
“It's just a wonderful place to go,” she said. “There are nationally known teachers who come (to the camp) every year, so I've taken classes from some of the best.”
Root's expertise was evident with Sunday's show, held on the center's second floor. Starting with the first quilt she ever made, one that was relatively simple compared with her later designs, Root displayed the quilts in chronological order.
The designs ranged from traditional to contemporary to abstract, but several quilts stood out from the bunch.
Root demonstrated several creations that she called her “kaleidoscope series,” and each featured an intricate, multi-colored design reminiscent of the view through a kaleidoscope.
“These took quite a long time to make ... I lost count of the number of pieces of fabric I used,” she told the group.
Asked about the trend of quilts being viewed as art, as is the case with the exhibit downstairs, Root said, “I don't know if I'd say there's a real ‘trend' of making more artistic quilts. ... I just think art quilts are being more accepted in the mainstream art world.”
If You Go
What: Quilts = Art = Quilts
Where: Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, 205 Genesee St., Auburn
When: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., through Jan. 6
Cost: $5
For more information, call 255-1553, or visit
www.schweinfurthartcenter.org
Two decades and more than 100 quilts later, Root was on hand at the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center Sunday afternoon to present a trunk show, the third of five in a series that coincides with Schweinfurth's ongoing “Quilts = Art = Quilts” exhibit.
The program, sponsored by the New York State Council on the Arts, featured Root's presentation of dozens of quilts she has created through the years, shown to dozens of attending guests.
“My grandmother and my great aunt both quilted, so I always knew I wanted to,” she explained prior to the program.
After a friend told her about the class, she figured it was time to learn.
“And I've been doing it ever since. ... Now I even have sponsors,” she added with a laugh.
In addition to teaching quilting classes at shops in the Rochester area, Root says that she has learned a lot from her attendance at “Quilting by the Lake,” an annual “quilting camp” in Morrisville presented each summer by the Schweinfurth.
“It's just a wonderful place to go,” she said. “There are nationally known teachers who come (to the camp) every year, so I've taken classes from some of the best.”
Root's expertise was evident with Sunday's show, held on the center's second floor. Starting with the first quilt she ever made, one that was relatively simple compared with her later designs, Root displayed the quilts in chronological order.
The designs ranged from traditional to contemporary to abstract, but several quilts stood out from the bunch.
Root demonstrated several creations that she called her “kaleidoscope series,” and each featured an intricate, multi-colored design reminiscent of the view through a kaleidoscope.
“These took quite a long time to make ... I lost count of the number of pieces of fabric I used,” she told the group.
Asked about the trend of quilts being viewed as art, as is the case with the exhibit downstairs, Root said, “I don't know if I'd say there's a real ‘trend' of making more artistic quilts. ... I just think art quilts are being more accepted in the mainstream art world.”
If You Go
What: Quilts = Art = Quilts
Where: Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, 205 Genesee St., Auburn
When: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., through Jan. 6
Cost: $5
For more information, call 255-1553, or visit
www.schweinfurthartcenter.org
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