Modern Quilt Relish: Catherine Reinhart Home[maker]

Marny here…let me share a special exhibit currently being held in the Community Gallery on the ground floor of the Octagon Center for the Arts in downtown Ames.

My artist brother-in-law, Stewart Buck, encouraged me to check out studio artist Catherine Reinhart's solo exhibition Home[maker]. It is fascinating. Catherine has kindly granted me permission to use the photos I took in the gallery for this blog post. I am only sharing a small portion of the show below.

Here is a quote from the gallery signage.
"Catherine's work is a liturgy of gesture where material studies and repetitive action dominate. Her art making is a labor intensive ritual; a working through. By spending her days measuring lengths of thread and arranging delicate lines Catherine creates a quiet space in which to process the dichotomous relationship between the vitality and fragility of living."

The string paintings associated with found quilt squares are indeed a "labor intensive ritual". The arrangements of thread in "delicate lines" are astonishing. As quilters, we often have piles of threads to the side of our machines. But these are "positioned" threads completing a composition. They are hard to describe or photograph. As quilters repeating movements over and over with intention we can relate to Catherine's quiet space suitable for renewing thought.

Added to post 6/25/14: Catherine shared that the quilt blocks in this show came from a gifted quilt top made entirely of leisure suits. She disassembled the top "into pieces which are(were) aesthetically pleasing" to her. The string paintings result from her own process, combining quilting and free motion sewing.

Please visit Catherine Reinhart's website and visit the show if you are in town. I couldn't do justice to her larger pieces so they are not included, but you need to see them!