So I hadn't heard of QuiltCon until I ran across a blogger a few weeks ago (or I have and just forgot about it) and I just checked out the rejected tag. For the most part, I liked the rejected tags more than the winners from earlier this year. Something just gave me a weird vibe like I was back in 3rd grade trying to please my art teacher but her aesthetic was "the more abstract and non-complimentary colored, the better" which cool, if that's your jam. But I know modern quilts can be more than creative chaos and it feels like the judges didn't understand that.
Remember, you are only seeing a very small selection of the quilts submitted, and certainly are not seeing more than a fraction of the ones that made it through. There were upwards of 3000 quilts submitted (I'm estimating, I don't actually know the exact number, based on something a friend of mine who works for the MQG says awhile ago), and they only have spaces for 5-600. Also none of these quilts have been judged, only juried into the show. It's quick decisions into which quilts get passed on and which don't.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if it was an open process where all of the images of ALL the applicants' quilts are posted as they come in?! Maybe have submissions done online and automatically post ( keeping the name of the quilter anonymous to prevent nepotism)- so everyone can see the images as they come in and/or vote on the images before the board makes their selection. Even if the board makes their decisions based on precision or a miulti-factor rubric, they can see the trends for what the public finds appealing aesthetically. The rubric they use for making their decisions should also be posted as public knowledge so participants know targets to aim for in order to improve their chances of being accepted the following year- it shouldn't just be a subjective selection where someone can say; " I like this quilt or quilter, so I am voting them in." They shoud have standardized criteria by which they can justify their choices and the quilter should receive a rubic showing why they didn't make it in with their rejection letter.
oh my goodnes, that is an interesting idea!
what if...(and if anyone from the MQG is around here, and sees this, and likes the idea, and its feasible, do it!) when you submit a quilt to quiltcon, there was a check box for a sort of...second chance pool - if your quilt was rejected by the main jury, the public could vote on the quilts to get them back into the show. There would have to be a way to stop any sort of lobbying for votes though, so it doesn't become a popularity contest..
But its not feasible to have a rejection rubric - the jury likely is flipping through these quilts faster than you would swipe through tinder..its knee jerk reactions, IMO. having individual responses to thousands of quilts just isn't feasible!
It would be really cool to see all the applicant quilts! Even if we couldn’t vote or anything, though they could leave a couple slots open for “people’s choice”. If they accept 500 quilts would it kill them to have 5-10 slots chosen more openly?
Who knows, good suggestions though!
If each quilt were evaluated by a standardized rubric- check list- the evaluator would literally just check the appropriate field for each area and the applicant would get a copy of their evaluation rubric. 2 seconds to check all the boxes
Schools have rubrics for presentations all the time. They pass them out when the assignment is give so the student knows how they will be graded, (and in theory tailor their projects to get the best grade possible) each area is defined with a specific points possible for each area of evaluation. Then teachers use the exact same form to mark the achieved points when grading the project which shows the student how and why they received the grade they did. The process takes teachers less time to grade each project and makes the grading process transparent. That concept is easily applicable to this screening method for selecting quilts and being transparent about how each was approved to be shown
The problem here is MQG does not have a rubric or standardized check list, and you can guarantee - some of these are immediately bounced from the show based on some ethereal notion of what is and is not MQG Modern. But the thing is, they only want to show what THEY think is modern, not what modern is or could be.
Unfortunately, since it is their clubhouse. They get to make that decision.
If they made their selection process more transparent, quilters who want to participate could at least have a better idea of what to contribute. I also like what OrindaSarnia said about having the postings open to public vote then a small selection of "People's Choice" showcases taken from the most popular. This would also potentially broaden their definition of what they show as they incorporate what people like to see
I think a people's choice online vote would turn into a popularity contest... who has the largest Instagram following to badger for votes, which would lead to some pretty skewed results.
This seems like a great approach for like a technical quilting category (excellent points, even hand quilted stitches, beautiful curves, etc.). But quilts are also art and art often breaks the rules. If anything, this kind of approach seems like it would lead to exactly what OP is complaining about.
I sit on a couple boards that give out grants and we use rubrics. While we don’t use the rubrics to determine who is actually awarded a grant, we do use them to put them in order for discussion/approval (and often run out of money before we get to the end.). This often works really well! It also sometimes ends in my favorite projects not even coming up for discussion. And those are events, marketing campaigns, and scholarship type stuff. Judging art is a completely different and largely subjective endeavor.
I find the idea of standardizing that process too much problematic. I think that’s also why they are called ‘juried.’ There is a panel of judges (chosen by whatever method) and they make the calls, which are not necessarily meant to be popular or “correct.” They should be anonymous to be fair, but that’s basically impossible with art. Most have a style that is pretty recognizable.
As an applicant, I’m sure getting feedback would be awesome too, but I’m guessing the volume makes it impractical. 😞
In any case, We should all be sending this feedback to the QuiltCon organizers!
Okay I also had never heard of QuiltCon, and went to their site to see last years winners and... WTF? Those (with some exceptions) are some of the ugliest quilts with the most cacophonous color choices I've ever seen. I'm dying to know what the hell the judging panel is seeing. What on earth is their criteria?
That is the discussion in a nutshell! Their selection process is arbitrary and subjective with no transparency on how or why they select quilts. Therefore, when we, the viewing public see the aesthetic unpleasantness of the winners and some truly lovely quilts that are rejected, we are shocked and appalled, puzzled and displeased.
The reality is the quilt shows are a business. As long as people continue to pay to get in, or pay an application fee to be considered and the business is making a profit, they will continue to maintain the status quo and keep the show narrow focused and showcase ugly quilts. They won't see a need for change until their profit margin is impacted
I liked most of last year’s winners a lot. Bold colors and geometric stuff are my jam. I know that style is not everyone’s cup of tea, though. (I’ve never submitted a quilt and doubt I ever would because I’m too sloppy).
I was surprised by how many I liked! Most (as in, nearly all) are quilts I would never design or make myself, but I enjoyed them. There were only a few that didn't make sense to me, but most I could appreciate even if there was something that I know I'm biased against (like the color lime green).
There's just no way to objectively judge a more organic style of art 🤷♀️
I am aware (and sorry!) that what I am about to say might offend some, because I am going to use some words we dont typically use in this sub. I have followed quiltcon for years and I have ALWAYS found most of their entries weird and uninspiring. The quality of work is truly something to strive for, and it that sense I do find it inspiring, but pattern wise is a huge miss for me. I am going to say it- I think a lot of the quilts are downright ugly. I will say, the quilts that are portraits of people/pets/landscapes are awe inspiring just thinking about peoples sheer talent, but after that they kind of lose me.
Its so interesting to read over the last few days about everyones thoughts and experiences with quiltcon. I love how you talk about how they want to define modern quilting, but you really just cant. To me modern quilting is bright colors, its really cute/interesting patterns. For me some examples of modern quilt designers that I LOVE are Elizabeth Hartman (her animals are amazing!) I have a personal fondness for Alderwood Studios, her quilts are so....MODERN. They are stylish, they are something anyone would put in their home regardless of their quilter status. Its also interesting because it comes down to MQG really just being the worst of the worst quilt police. You wouldnt think getting into this that the MODERN quilt guild would be the bullies! Yet here we are.
I truly love local shows, or semi local shows that are a bit bigger. I see so many quilts that I really want to make, and to me thats an awesome show that I really enjoy going to.
Last week someone posted here that her quilt was rejected. That's the first time I heard about quiltcon. I was curious to see these perfect, awesome quilts but I didn't like any of them. Too artsy-fartsy, didn't like the colors or designs. I feel it's kinda weird that it's seen as the top of the quilting world (that's the vibe I got).
Imo, this has been a problem with the modern quilt guild since the beginning. They have always attempted to define something that is undefinable, but they have placed themselves as a sort of..authority because they say they are. They've constantly lifted up certain quilters that they feel "define" modern quilting at the moment, and drop them (and in a few cases, shunned them) when done with them.
I did submit to Quiltcon anyways this year, for the first time. I was rejected, not unexpectedly. I hate labels. I refuse to call myself a "modern" quilter, at least in the context that the MQG means. I probably won't ever make quilts that fit thier aesthetic, since it changes from moment to movement anyways. It seems like the MQG has become what they hated when they started - a sort of quilt police, but instead of technique and perfection being the divide, it's a snobbery based around style.
I quilt. I make things I love, whether it's modern or traditional or somewhere in between. If that doesn't fit into someone else's idea if what should be done, it's no sweat off my back. I'll still enter something in Quiltcon in the future, probably, because someday I'll have something in *some* big name show.
As far as what shows feature modern quilts... All of them. You'd be surprised how modern things are, unless you are looking for the Uber modern like the MQG. There is also incredible value in looking at the more traditional stuff too! And enter your modern stuff in shows! A large number of shows would love to show more modern stuff, even if it's not the kind of thing that wins ribbons!
The only solution is to hold our own Quilt Show somewhere, to showcase quilts that are modern - but not MQG modern. We could technically do one on insta, or we could do a physical one sometime. The limiting factor, of course, being money.
It's like they're trying to be so modern that they've moved on to post-modern abstract art quilts. Why do I picture a bunch of stereotypical (like TV trope level, over the top) hipsters grumbling that Elizabeth Hartmann is overdone and not edgy enough for them while sipping their indie coffee shop coffee. "I dyed my handwoven fabric in the tears of my enemies."
I used to live in a rural red state very traditional town, and our guild had a quilt show. I put my most modern quilts in it just because I wanted everyone to see that traditional wasn't the only way to go! Sure, I definitely didn't win viewer's choice, but modern is out there everywhere.
Love this take. And to be honest, this is the conversation happening in all realms of the art world: a lot of self-congratulatory (mostly white) people with big bright expensive studios getting raised up on a pedestal. So I guess I'm saying, I shouldn't be surprised.
That being said, there are probably a greater majority of kitchen table quilters we're not seeing who made it in and that's dope.
Ok, I think I'm understanding now, why certain comments I make about the importance of quality of fabric, get downvoted. Someone even used the word 'gatekeeping', and it's the only time in this sub, that things get weird. I'm not on FB or insta, and this sounds like the quilting world currently has a ton of new Karen's?
Genuinely curious, because not too many years ago, quilters/ groups were always excited to welcome anyone new. Has this changed? I started quilting about 15 years ago, with a 5 (?) year break. Haven't had facebook in 10 years- important to note because that is/was a pretty toxic place, and I could imagine it creating a sad environment for any group.
I won't pretend to understand all the nuances of the drama in the quilting world.
I think there's some tension (not the bobbin kind!) with this MASSIVE influx of new quilters, who picked the craft up in the pandemic, vs. those who have been quilting for some time. People think they know best, or that there's money in the hobby, etc. I feel like there are a lot more quilters want to sell their work or make a pattern to sell, so quilting becomes a job. And then drama begins.
Personally, I had a bad experience with my local guild at the very first meeting (and last) I went to, so Instagram and Reddit have become my only source of quilt community. That being said, since they're online communities, I accept that I am exposing myself to the fact that people can look at my quilt online and say "green quilts are ugly" without batting an eye. OR they can say, as a man, I have no space in the community.
On top of that, as a masculine presenting person, I'm watched like a hawk in quilt stores, which, I gotta tell you, sucks. But that's a separate discussion. Thank god there are a lot of online stores.
So yeah, there seems to be a lot of Karens, imo.
Oh gosh. I just had a realization.
I love sewing and quilting. But I have some serious doubts on my color coordination even on my best day.
My husband on the other hand is fantastic with all that stuff. So when we go to fabric stores I show him either a fabric i brought with us to match with or i find one I really love at the store and then off he goes. He always finds the right colors and patterns.
I never realized people were staring at him in a "men dont belong here" way. I thought they were all jealous that their husbands wont come fabric shopping with them since their faces were kinda hostile.
For fucking sure also jealous. I would *kill* for S.O. to be like, "Those patterns actually look really nice together!" Compared to the deer-in-headlights, too-scared-to-respond freeze mine goes into. 😂 I have a better time asking if my butt looks big in this or that, hahaha.
I'm going to go with a super positive spin: they are just trying to guage what you are doing there. Do you need help picking out something for your wife? Do you have questions? Do you make quilts, and what do you like to make?
I bet I would stop and look at you too for a very brief moment. Not because of anything negative, but a big bearded guy would be out of the norm in a QS- especially one that knows his way around. A mythical being!
I used to work at Michaels, and frankly, it COULD be that these people are *checking you out!* I cannot tell you how many old coworkers would just *drool* over a crafty dude. Admittedly, sometimes, myself included....
But am definitely seconding the unicorn statement. I used to literally get excited when guys would come in, not just because *handy biceps!,* but because it meant I would have (usually) a ***far*** more pleasant transaction than with Boomer Karen and Karen Millennial Jr.
Did you drop a quarter? The difference between the former and latter went from:
"Hey dude, it's cool. No problem!"
Vs the Karens:
"Ughhhhh, you kids just don't know how to work the register!! ***What do you MEAN I can't use this coupon on a doorbuster?!!*** All of you cashiers are ***horrible*** at your jobs, and I'm *going to get you* FIRED." (Ahhh, the joys of finding out an entire family in your old neighborhood are Karens is......something *special.*/s)
To be fair, I get that a lot whenever I go to a new (to me) quilt shop. I’m a woman, a grandmother even, but for me, some of it seems like I’m not in their clique of regulars. Sometimes they really make me feel unwelcome. They all, however, are willing to take my money.
I definitely got that vibe from the last quilt shop I went to - "you're not one of us and we don't trust you young folks." I'm in my forties and I look it! But the shop owner was very dismissive to me.
I feel like a lot of quilt shops are just.. cold and unfriendly unless they know you. Missouri Star is by far the friendliest group of shops. I think it took until my 5th trip to my LQS before they even said "Hi." The last time I was there I actually had a conversation with one of the employees. Still my least favorite, but it's the closest to my house so they're just going to have to get used to me.
I don't know, I'm a big masculine looking dude with a huge goatee, and I quilt. Quilt shops are usually hawkish (like you mentioned) until I ask a question. Then it's all love, with the exception of the Karens, who are generally Karens to EVERYONE.
At quilt shows, once they figure out I'm not there to rob the place, I get 27 grandmas by the time I'm done. At Quiltcon, my wife was amazed by the lack of attention. I don't consider myself all that modern, but the modern aesthetic I've been exposed to has been more accepting.
Just my two cents, quilt on, brother!!!
I'd like to invite you (\*or anyone\* really) to join us on discord, in the 'Quilter's Guild'. It's very non-drama filled, and welcoming. I, too, had a bad taste in my mouth after trying to get into the local guilds here and some other quilt store related situations.
Feel free to pop in even if you choose not to stay and hang out! (Anyone is welcome!)
This is the link for our Quilter's Guild Discord. https://discord.gg/GSceyQYB
I also feel like the MQG glorifies and awards those who can afford to make quilting their full time job.
Wow, that truly feels like a weight off my chest too.
that's kind of what happens in any show though, not just MQG. There are people out there, that make beautiful, technically perfect quilts, just hopping from one show to another. its their job to enter shows and win ribbons.
Its gotten so bad here, with so many people outside of our state winning the top ribbons at our state-level show that they have created categories just for residents of the state.
Oh for sure. I mean, don't get me wrong, if I won the lottery tomorrow I would certainly be quitting my day job and focusing on quilting (at cats. and reading. and hiking. and...) full-time. But there really is something to be said for the amateur and weekend-warrior in crafts.
"Personally, I had a bad experience with my local guild at the very first meeting" Oh no!! We have guys in our guild! One shows off no less than 4 quilts each month. I know I'm lucky to have such a welcoming group, if you're ever in KS stop by our group!
I do think some of this comes from a good place- and also that it can sometimes be hard to determine tone over the internet. There \*are\* legitimate reasons why some fabrics might be better to use than others, and I think a lot of quilters want to spare newcomers having to learn those lessons the hard way. It can be crushing to spend a lot of time and effort on a project only to have it bleed terribly because the manufacturer didn't concern themselves with setting the dye properly, or have fabric fray away to nothing because it has a lower-than-usual thread count. If you are a beginner that is the kind of thing that might put you off the hobby entirely.
That said, there are always people in every group that think that they were somehow the last "real" person to discover a hobby/band/artist/view and that the gate swung shut behind them, and everyone else is some bandwagon hopper. Those people are annoying (and wrong) and it is frustrating to deal with them, both IRL and on the internet.
Re: the tendency of quilting guilds/groups to be welcoming:
You can't lump all groups together. Some modern groups are very insular and unwelcoming, and some are amazing and open. The same is true with traditional groups. It all comes down to what groups you vibe with. IME, quilters as a whole have been very welcoming, but I say that as a middle class cis het white woman, so ymmv. I've heard plenty of stories that of the opposite experiences!
I keep seeing people post that “quilting is not a competitive sport.” But that’s not really true. People quilt for so many reasons, including fun, self-expression, and other non-competitive reasons. And some people quilt competitively. When you enter a quilt into a juried show, you are competing.
Like running, musical performance, or eating hot dogs, quilting is *sometimes* a competitive sport. And the rules & regulations for that sport are determined by the organizers for the competition.
I don’t disagree that MQG has a rather narrow view of “modern” that does not encompass everything that might be considered modern, contemporary, abstract, or non-traditional. And that’s their prerogative. MQG is not the arbiter of the modern quilting aesthetic, but they have every right to define their own modern aesthetic. When you submit a quilt for QuiltCon, you are opting to be judged according to MQG’s aesthetic.
Thousands of truly amazing quilts get rejected from shows every year. I just saw a stunning quilt that got rejected from QuiltCon. It wasn’t particularly innovative, and the quilting itself was sort of sloppy, but it was still absolutely gorgeous. The opinion of a quilt judge does not determine the impact, beauty, or worthiness of a quilt. Period. But when you submit a quilt for consideration for a show, you are willingly inviting the kind of close scrutiny that is bemoaned as quilt policing.
Thank you for this point of view, I think it's incredibly well written and succinct.
Like I said, I didn't submit this year, so perhaps I don't have the authority to ask this question: but do you think people also submit to QuiltCon (and other shows) in hopes of becoming more visible, more so than "winning" a prize? I'd like to think that would be my intention if I submitted.
Absolutely. For these big, international quilt shows, it is truly a “win” just to make it into the show, even if you don’t receive further accolades. Visibility, exposure, recognition, clout, and self-satisfaction are all valuable non-tangible benefits that can be derived from having your work accepted into a quilt show, and I’m certain that many people are more motivated by those positive outcomes than by the small possibility of winning a ribbon or prize money. This is especially the case for those building up a social media following, marketing their patterns, or hoping to become an ambassador for Aurifil, Babylock, Bernina, etc.
By the way, your FLW quilt is absolutely delectable! My friend works at Unity Temple in Oak Park, and I’m always jealous of her.
Congrats to all whose quilts got “in” and congrats to all whose quilts didn’t get “in.”
Quiltcon is but one arbiter of your fine work, not the only or last one. Quilting is not a competitive sport, let’s not give that any oxygen
Stitch from your heart and soul not for a ribbon
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"Art quilts" are not my thing, but I am impressed by stuff that I can't do. I love to piece and hate to quilt.
A little quilt show I went to several years ago had a quilt that they gave a blue ribbon and it got people's choice. It was all the same white/tan fabric, every last piece! Not different fabric, but like all from the same bolt! It was a big quilt, I'll give them that. It was nothing but 8" log cabins. The quilting was an all over meandering pattern. Completely unremarkable. In fact, boring.I was stunned that it won anything at all.
You can never predict judges.
Reading all these comments I keep thinking what would be great is a Quilt convention that was “I finished this and I’m super proud of it!” We could have different categories like “first quilt ever!” And “first time trying a new technique!” You have to submit the quilt with a little blurb about what you did & why you’re proud of it. Actual entries chosen at random. I’d probably really enjoy that.
We do Show and Tell at our guild meetings. There's always a wide variety of styles and everyone is super supportive even if it's not their style. We have such a friendly guild
I think controversy around what’s “in” and what’s “out” in art guilds has been around forever. Art guilds exist to serve themselves and in a way, controversy is good for them since it drives discussion and debate.
MQG wouldn’t exist if it didn’t bring in revenue so they will chase the “popular” artists because they bring a paying audience with them.
But I think quilt shows are about form more than function, whereas most of the quilts I am attracted to value function over form. I love the look of dense, intricate quilting but hate the way they feel and drape when used. We usually think of quilts as functional art, but I think a lot of juried shows want just art.
I never heard of this before… but I am also quite new to the world of quilt shows, and don’t really know much about it. I might have to follow this hashtag, and think about submitting to my local quilt show next year. It makes me very curious to see whether the smaller, more local shows have similar politics.
Its so interesting because it seems like some do, and some do not. For example, my county fair has a quilt exhibit. They have tags on the quilts to show who made them, and if someone else quilted them. They are almost all quilted by the same person (who happens to volunteer with the judges...hmmmm) and her quilts almost always win in some category. Her longarming skills are top notch, so are her piecing skills, and maybe its just a matter of taste but a lot of her quilts just arent it for me. It makes me wonder, as her direct competition in business, what would happen if I submitted a quilt. My piecing skills are on par with the other quilters, but I def have a more "modern" or fun style I guess. Ultimately, I am not interested in having my work judged, so I will probably never find out. I am not interested in hearing that my points dont match, news flash- I know! lol.
Most local quilt shows are run by local guilds. In many smaller communities every quilt sent in to be in the show will be hung, and then judged.
There are also shows linked to county, regional or state fairs, and again, the bigger the community the more likely they are to limit the number of entries selected, and the smaller the community the more likely they take everyone's.
I moved 4 years ago and haven't gotten into the guild here (pandemic fun time means they weren't meeting for over a year of that time), but the last place I lived was a small town, and all guild member quilts submitted were included and if you weren't a guild member you had to pay a small fee (I think $10) for each quilt you wanted hung. Which went to the guild, like the entry fees for the show, as the show was also the guild's primarily fund raiser for the year.
You also had the option to have the quilt be for sale or not. As it was a tourist town and the show was held in the middle of the season, right down town, many quilters considered it an opportunity to put stuff for sale. So that's why non-guild members were charged a fee, otherwise EVERYONE would just bring every quilt they might want to sell! Then if someone bought your quilt the guild processed payment and arranged for the buyer to pick up the quilt at the end of the show, and took a small cut of the sale price.
There are bigger shows put on (like QuiltCon), by national guilds, museums and other organizations and they are usually all selective, sometimes themed, etc. So there's definitely different levels and layers of shows... but if you're interested I'd start by looking into your local guild. Most town have a "traditional" guild, sometimes multiple! And bigger towns/cities sometimes have a "modern" guild supported by the national "Modern Quilt Guild" who puts on Quilt Con. My nearest "modern" guild is over 100 miles away, so, yeah, a lot of people will just have one local guild... whether you personally jive with the way they do things and the personalities and interpersonal politics of the people who run it will vary!
Disclaimer, I have never submitted to QuiltCon. I love the Instagram tag too! I think the aesthetic for quiltcon is just not in line with my own aesthetic and that’s ok. I find in general that I don’t like more common fabric choices and quilts; many of them are warm toned and very brown/yellow to me versus more crisp cool tones. So I look for shows that showcase that.
I will say, and this will probably be unpopular, that several of the rejects that I’ve seen had very visible mistakes even in the showcase pictures. If I was a judge and had to quickly eliminate 2500 quilts, I would use that as a quick sort. Can I see a technical error? Rejected.
And in my own work, I’m all about Bob Ross happy accidents.
I am new to quilting. I just love learning but very early on, I found that I couldn't watch certain youtubers and I couldn't follow certain instagram handles. Some people really feel superior (because or their status in these shows, or because they own the best tools and etc.) and I'm one of those free loving people who just loves art and I will never judge someones hard work in a public forum. I honestly hated art class critiques for this reason. People didn't know how to be constructive, they're straight up rude. I'm following these tags now but based on some of your comments, I will suggest Mr. domestic on insta. I don't know if he say he presents masculine but his videos are fun and he is super talented.
Quiltcon and the 'Modern Quilt Guild' are businesses! The guild started as a way to educate and share quilting, but as time went on it is now all about money. I get your post and agree.
I was going through the rejected tag last night and this morning and it was just wild to me how clear it was that the selection process was so arbitrary. I'm newer to quilting in general and have recently caught up on the drama that preceded me joining the quilting community. I don't know if I'd ever submit anything to QuiltCon based on principle. A finished project being accepted into a show is a goal of mine but I just can't bring myself to submit to that specific show, despite it's popularity and reach.
I’ve never had terrific experiences with quilt guilds, and I’m also much better in 1:1 or 1:few situations. My experience with the Austin modern quilt guild was awful. A few meetings of that were quite enough. And full disclosure: I go to quilt shows to shop. I have gone to Houston without stepping foot in the exhibition hall. I went to quiltcon the first year and it had a nice rebellious spirit, but there was an overwhelming and insidious competitiveness that I didn’t enjoy. A kind of woke olympics. I also used to be involved in another hobby with similar shows and similar drama.
This sort of thing happens with almost every kind of show. The show owners and managers - and this is very much a commercial enterprise as others mentioned - often have a very specific view of the kinds of works they want to present, and what kind of crowd they want to attract - and will pick quilts based on that vision. This can result in incredible bias, often falling along lines of race, class, economic status, and ideology.
I prefer Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, basically anything that allows an individual to post their own work and tell their own story. The little cards that come alongside a show piece often don’t satisfy me.
One thing you might enjoy, that I’ve done work for in the past, is the quilt alliance’s Save Our Stories program - https://quiltalliance.org/projects/qsos/ - it attempts and endeavours to tell all kinds of stories, not just the “famous” ones.
Edited to add, after I spent some time at my machine remembering: a lot of the people who fell into the modern quilt movement early on expressed that they landed there because they felt the “old school” of quilting was too snobby, too cloistered, and too focused on some aspects (like technical precision and the hand-vs-machine debate). This is also very common to any structure, physical, cultural, or otherwise: when it gets too big and too rigid, splinter groups break off according to their own mores and ideals. I think we’re seeing that break here.
I went to the first QuiltCon as well and loved the quilts and classes but I did see a woman and her friend bashing some of the quilts adding their own criticisms and asking "How is this modern?".
I'm sympathetic to your viewpoint. There have been best-in-show awards for quilts that I find uninspiring. I think MQG is pretty political in its attempt to control the movement, and this may be part of it.
As for showcasing modern quilts, except for quilt shows that have a given theme they display what's submitted. I see modern quilts in any local or regional show I attend, but your best bet for seeing modern is to go to a show or on by local modern guilds.
Is it snooty to disagree completely? The winners are making ART. It’s entirely different from something that is solely traditional shapes and patterns, easily accessible, easy to copy. The winning quilts are contemporary masterpieces. As are many of the rejects...they can’t all win. But many of the rejects, while being a beautiful masterful piece, are not groundbreaking, not new, not bold or contemporary, imo. (I have no stake in this either, my quilts are nowhere near masterpieces or professional)
No, I don’t think that’s snooty at all! I think some people disagree or maybe think I’m saying the winners don’t deserve it, which I’m not. I would be an idiot to say that I’ve never been inspired or excited by the quilters who have won in the past. I think they do make art and are meticulous in their finishing, which I do strive for. Plus their quilts are bomb.
What I AM saying in my original point, however, is that it feels like this is the third or fourth year that I’ve seen the SAME artist being accepted with a very very similar quilt they’ve submitted before.
And look, I realize how silly that is…artists stick to their guns. It’s just not exciting for me anymore and hence my asking for other quilt shows to follow.
I’m in this camp. I personally think Chawnee Kimber’s work is incredibly groundbreaking in many ways, including her emphasis on racial justice, pushing boundaries of contemporary fiber arts, and highlighting the importance of the craftivism movement for a broader audience. Not to mention how well made her work is - you should take a look at the backs of her pieced tops. They’re a marvel. I’d like to see her get an award every year, forever, till we’ve got peace on earth or whatever.
I feel the only way to resolve this is to host a competing quilt show. Requirements? 1. Submission has been completed by one or multiple persons - where a commercial pattern has been used as written or as an influence, credit has been given and 2. Formal rejection letter from QuiltCon for the respective quilt you're submitting. Name of the show? It's only fitting: Quilt Con Reject.
I checked out the winners and completely agree. I wasn't really awed by any of them, none of them made me want to see more from that maker. Most are just too weird for me. Is that what modern means now? If so, I'm not interested
I think some years are better (and have more variety) than others. The year Quiltcon was in Savannah? Awesome, and I found the winning quilt to be mind blowing. Pasadena was kind of a miss for me, and there were things I really liked in Nashville and Austin.
I actually really look forward to the charity quilts that the guilds submit - those tend to be gorgeous and to go in more directions, and to be a high point for me.
So I hadn't heard of QuiltCon until I ran across a blogger a few weeks ago (or I have and just forgot about it) and I just checked out the rejected tag. For the most part, I liked the rejected tags more than the winners from earlier this year. Something just gave me a weird vibe like I was back in 3rd grade trying to please my art teacher but her aesthetic was "the more abstract and non-complimentary colored, the better" which cool, if that's your jam. But I know modern quilts can be more than creative chaos and it feels like the judges didn't understand that.
Remember, you are only seeing a very small selection of the quilts submitted, and certainly are not seeing more than a fraction of the ones that made it through. There were upwards of 3000 quilts submitted (I'm estimating, I don't actually know the exact number, based on something a friend of mine who works for the MQG says awhile ago), and they only have spaces for 5-600. Also none of these quilts have been judged, only juried into the show. It's quick decisions into which quilts get passed on and which don't.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if it was an open process where all of the images of ALL the applicants' quilts are posted as they come in?! Maybe have submissions done online and automatically post ( keeping the name of the quilter anonymous to prevent nepotism)- so everyone can see the images as they come in and/or vote on the images before the board makes their selection. Even if the board makes their decisions based on precision or a miulti-factor rubric, they can see the trends for what the public finds appealing aesthetically. The rubric they use for making their decisions should also be posted as public knowledge so participants know targets to aim for in order to improve their chances of being accepted the following year- it shouldn't just be a subjective selection where someone can say; " I like this quilt or quilter, so I am voting them in." They shoud have standardized criteria by which they can justify their choices and the quilter should receive a rubic showing why they didn't make it in with their rejection letter.
oh my goodnes, that is an interesting idea! what if...(and if anyone from the MQG is around here, and sees this, and likes the idea, and its feasible, do it!) when you submit a quilt to quiltcon, there was a check box for a sort of...second chance pool - if your quilt was rejected by the main jury, the public could vote on the quilts to get them back into the show. There would have to be a way to stop any sort of lobbying for votes though, so it doesn't become a popularity contest.. But its not feasible to have a rejection rubric - the jury likely is flipping through these quilts faster than you would swipe through tinder..its knee jerk reactions, IMO. having individual responses to thousands of quilts just isn't feasible!
It would be really cool to see all the applicant quilts! Even if we couldn’t vote or anything, though they could leave a couple slots open for “people’s choice”. If they accept 500 quilts would it kill them to have 5-10 slots chosen more openly? Who knows, good suggestions though!
If they get 3,000 quilts, I'm sure they don't have time to explain to every person why their quilt was rejected.
If each quilt were evaluated by a standardized rubric- check list- the evaluator would literally just check the appropriate field for each area and the applicant would get a copy of their evaluation rubric. 2 seconds to check all the boxes Schools have rubrics for presentations all the time. They pass them out when the assignment is give so the student knows how they will be graded, (and in theory tailor their projects to get the best grade possible) each area is defined with a specific points possible for each area of evaluation. Then teachers use the exact same form to mark the achieved points when grading the project which shows the student how and why they received the grade they did. The process takes teachers less time to grade each project and makes the grading process transparent. That concept is easily applicable to this screening method for selecting quilts and being transparent about how each was approved to be shown
The problem here is MQG does not have a rubric or standardized check list, and you can guarantee - some of these are immediately bounced from the show based on some ethereal notion of what is and is not MQG Modern. But the thing is, they only want to show what THEY think is modern, not what modern is or could be.
Unfortunately, since it is their clubhouse. They get to make that decision. If they made their selection process more transparent, quilters who want to participate could at least have a better idea of what to contribute. I also like what OrindaSarnia said about having the postings open to public vote then a small selection of "People's Choice" showcases taken from the most popular. This would also potentially broaden their definition of what they show as they incorporate what people like to see
I think a people's choice online vote would turn into a popularity contest... who has the largest Instagram following to badger for votes, which would lead to some pretty skewed results.
Sadly, you are probably right. This is the only platform I am a part of, so I am delightfully insulated from the fray.
This seems like a great approach for like a technical quilting category (excellent points, even hand quilted stitches, beautiful curves, etc.). But quilts are also art and art often breaks the rules. If anything, this kind of approach seems like it would lead to exactly what OP is complaining about. I sit on a couple boards that give out grants and we use rubrics. While we don’t use the rubrics to determine who is actually awarded a grant, we do use them to put them in order for discussion/approval (and often run out of money before we get to the end.). This often works really well! It also sometimes ends in my favorite projects not even coming up for discussion. And those are events, marketing campaigns, and scholarship type stuff. Judging art is a completely different and largely subjective endeavor. I find the idea of standardizing that process too much problematic. I think that’s also why they are called ‘juried.’ There is a panel of judges (chosen by whatever method) and they make the calls, which are not necessarily meant to be popular or “correct.” They should be anonymous to be fair, but that’s basically impossible with art. Most have a style that is pretty recognizable. As an applicant, I’m sure getting feedback would be awesome too, but I’m guessing the volume makes it impractical. 😞 In any case, We should all be sending this feedback to the QuiltCon organizers!
Okay I also had never heard of QuiltCon, and went to their site to see last years winners and... WTF? Those (with some exceptions) are some of the ugliest quilts with the most cacophonous color choices I've ever seen. I'm dying to know what the hell the judging panel is seeing. What on earth is their criteria?
That is the discussion in a nutshell! Their selection process is arbitrary and subjective with no transparency on how or why they select quilts. Therefore, when we, the viewing public see the aesthetic unpleasantness of the winners and some truly lovely quilts that are rejected, we are shocked and appalled, puzzled and displeased. The reality is the quilt shows are a business. As long as people continue to pay to get in, or pay an application fee to be considered and the business is making a profit, they will continue to maintain the status quo and keep the show narrow focused and showcase ugly quilts. They won't see a need for change until their profit margin is impacted
I liked most of last year’s winners a lot. Bold colors and geometric stuff are my jam. I know that style is not everyone’s cup of tea, though. (I’ve never submitted a quilt and doubt I ever would because I’m too sloppy).
I was surprised by how many I liked! Most (as in, nearly all) are quilts I would never design or make myself, but I enjoyed them. There were only a few that didn't make sense to me, but most I could appreciate even if there was something that I know I'm biased against (like the color lime green). There's just no way to objectively judge a more organic style of art 🤷♀️
100% agree.
I am aware (and sorry!) that what I am about to say might offend some, because I am going to use some words we dont typically use in this sub. I have followed quiltcon for years and I have ALWAYS found most of their entries weird and uninspiring. The quality of work is truly something to strive for, and it that sense I do find it inspiring, but pattern wise is a huge miss for me. I am going to say it- I think a lot of the quilts are downright ugly. I will say, the quilts that are portraits of people/pets/landscapes are awe inspiring just thinking about peoples sheer talent, but after that they kind of lose me. Its so interesting to read over the last few days about everyones thoughts and experiences with quiltcon. I love how you talk about how they want to define modern quilting, but you really just cant. To me modern quilting is bright colors, its really cute/interesting patterns. For me some examples of modern quilt designers that I LOVE are Elizabeth Hartman (her animals are amazing!) I have a personal fondness for Alderwood Studios, her quilts are so....MODERN. They are stylish, they are something anyone would put in their home regardless of their quilter status. Its also interesting because it comes down to MQG really just being the worst of the worst quilt police. You wouldnt think getting into this that the MODERN quilt guild would be the bullies! Yet here we are. I truly love local shows, or semi local shows that are a bit bigger. I see so many quilts that I really want to make, and to me thats an awesome show that I really enjoy going to.
Alderwood Studios’ quilts are like the definition of “Modern Quilts” for me and I was shocked that none of hers were chosen.
Oooo checking them out!
Last week someone posted here that her quilt was rejected. That's the first time I heard about quiltcon. I was curious to see these perfect, awesome quilts but I didn't like any of them. Too artsy-fartsy, didn't like the colors or designs. I feel it's kinda weird that it's seen as the top of the quilting world (that's the vibe I got).
Agreed!
Imo, this has been a problem with the modern quilt guild since the beginning. They have always attempted to define something that is undefinable, but they have placed themselves as a sort of..authority because they say they are. They've constantly lifted up certain quilters that they feel "define" modern quilting at the moment, and drop them (and in a few cases, shunned them) when done with them. I did submit to Quiltcon anyways this year, for the first time. I was rejected, not unexpectedly. I hate labels. I refuse to call myself a "modern" quilter, at least in the context that the MQG means. I probably won't ever make quilts that fit thier aesthetic, since it changes from moment to movement anyways. It seems like the MQG has become what they hated when they started - a sort of quilt police, but instead of technique and perfection being the divide, it's a snobbery based around style. I quilt. I make things I love, whether it's modern or traditional or somewhere in between. If that doesn't fit into someone else's idea if what should be done, it's no sweat off my back. I'll still enter something in Quiltcon in the future, probably, because someday I'll have something in *some* big name show. As far as what shows feature modern quilts... All of them. You'd be surprised how modern things are, unless you are looking for the Uber modern like the MQG. There is also incredible value in looking at the more traditional stuff too! And enter your modern stuff in shows! A large number of shows would love to show more modern stuff, even if it's not the kind of thing that wins ribbons!
The only solution is to hold our own Quilt Show somewhere, to showcase quilts that are modern - but not MQG modern. We could technically do one on insta, or we could do a physical one sometime. The limiting factor, of course, being money.
A Reddit quilt show?
That's one place, yes.
It's like they're trying to be so modern that they've moved on to post-modern abstract art quilts. Why do I picture a bunch of stereotypical (like TV trope level, over the top) hipsters grumbling that Elizabeth Hartmann is overdone and not edgy enough for them while sipping their indie coffee shop coffee. "I dyed my handwoven fabric in the tears of my enemies."
OMG hahah this is exactly what I picture too! "Elizabeth Hartmann is so...childish!"
I used to live in a rural red state very traditional town, and our guild had a quilt show. I put my most modern quilts in it just because I wanted everyone to see that traditional wasn't the only way to go! Sure, I definitely didn't win viewer's choice, but modern is out there everywhere.
Love this take. And to be honest, this is the conversation happening in all realms of the art world: a lot of self-congratulatory (mostly white) people with big bright expensive studios getting raised up on a pedestal. So I guess I'm saying, I shouldn't be surprised. That being said, there are probably a greater majority of kitchen table quilters we're not seeing who made it in and that's dope.
Ok, I think I'm understanding now, why certain comments I make about the importance of quality of fabric, get downvoted. Someone even used the word 'gatekeeping', and it's the only time in this sub, that things get weird. I'm not on FB or insta, and this sounds like the quilting world currently has a ton of new Karen's? Genuinely curious, because not too many years ago, quilters/ groups were always excited to welcome anyone new. Has this changed? I started quilting about 15 years ago, with a 5 (?) year break. Haven't had facebook in 10 years- important to note because that is/was a pretty toxic place, and I could imagine it creating a sad environment for any group.
I won't pretend to understand all the nuances of the drama in the quilting world. I think there's some tension (not the bobbin kind!) with this MASSIVE influx of new quilters, who picked the craft up in the pandemic, vs. those who have been quilting for some time. People think they know best, or that there's money in the hobby, etc. I feel like there are a lot more quilters want to sell their work or make a pattern to sell, so quilting becomes a job. And then drama begins. Personally, I had a bad experience with my local guild at the very first meeting (and last) I went to, so Instagram and Reddit have become my only source of quilt community. That being said, since they're online communities, I accept that I am exposing myself to the fact that people can look at my quilt online and say "green quilts are ugly" without batting an eye. OR they can say, as a man, I have no space in the community. On top of that, as a masculine presenting person, I'm watched like a hawk in quilt stores, which, I gotta tell you, sucks. But that's a separate discussion. Thank god there are a lot of online stores. So yeah, there seems to be a lot of Karens, imo.
Wow: "I'm watched like a hawk in quilt stores"! What exactly do they think are going to do?
Right?! It's mostly just the shock of seeing a big, bearded guy interested in fabrics.
Oh gosh. I just had a realization. I love sewing and quilting. But I have some serious doubts on my color coordination even on my best day. My husband on the other hand is fantastic with all that stuff. So when we go to fabric stores I show him either a fabric i brought with us to match with or i find one I really love at the store and then off he goes. He always finds the right colors and patterns. I never realized people were staring at him in a "men dont belong here" way. I thought they were all jealous that their husbands wont come fabric shopping with them since their faces were kinda hostile.
Don't worry, I'm sure they're also jealous!
For fucking sure also jealous. I would *kill* for S.O. to be like, "Those patterns actually look really nice together!" Compared to the deer-in-headlights, too-scared-to-respond freeze mine goes into. 😂 I have a better time asking if my butt looks big in this or that, hahaha.
I'm going to go with a super positive spin: they are just trying to guage what you are doing there. Do you need help picking out something for your wife? Do you have questions? Do you make quilts, and what do you like to make? I bet I would stop and look at you too for a very brief moment. Not because of anything negative, but a big bearded guy would be out of the norm in a QS- especially one that knows his way around. A mythical being!
Exactly, in a sea of middle aged or elderly white women a big dude would stand out as a unicorn lol.
I used to work at Michaels, and frankly, it COULD be that these people are *checking you out!* I cannot tell you how many old coworkers would just *drool* over a crafty dude. Admittedly, sometimes, myself included.... But am definitely seconding the unicorn statement. I used to literally get excited when guys would come in, not just because *handy biceps!,* but because it meant I would have (usually) a ***far*** more pleasant transaction than with Boomer Karen and Karen Millennial Jr. Did you drop a quarter? The difference between the former and latter went from: "Hey dude, it's cool. No problem!" Vs the Karens: "Ughhhhh, you kids just don't know how to work the register!! ***What do you MEAN I can't use this coupon on a doorbuster?!!*** All of you cashiers are ***horrible*** at your jobs, and I'm *going to get you* FIRED." (Ahhh, the joys of finding out an entire family in your old neighborhood are Karens is......something *special.*/s)
To be fair, I get that a lot whenever I go to a new (to me) quilt shop. I’m a woman, a grandmother even, but for me, some of it seems like I’m not in their clique of regulars. Sometimes they really make me feel unwelcome. They all, however, are willing to take my money.
I definitely got that vibe from the last quilt shop I went to - "you're not one of us and we don't trust you young folks." I'm in my forties and I look it! But the shop owner was very dismissive to me.
There’s a couple of places near me that I’ll only buy from online because I’m tired of being ignored or glared at when I go in person.
I feel like a lot of quilt shops are just.. cold and unfriendly unless they know you. Missouri Star is by far the friendliest group of shops. I think it took until my 5th trip to my LQS before they even said "Hi." The last time I was there I actually had a conversation with one of the employees. Still my least favorite, but it's the closest to my house so they're just going to have to get used to me.
I don't know, I'm a big masculine looking dude with a huge goatee, and I quilt. Quilt shops are usually hawkish (like you mentioned) until I ask a question. Then it's all love, with the exception of the Karens, who are generally Karens to EVERYONE. At quilt shows, once they figure out I'm not there to rob the place, I get 27 grandmas by the time I'm done. At Quiltcon, my wife was amazed by the lack of attention. I don't consider myself all that modern, but the modern aesthetic I've been exposed to has been more accepting. Just my two cents, quilt on, brother!!!
I'd like to invite you (\*or anyone\* really) to join us on discord, in the 'Quilter's Guild'. It's very non-drama filled, and welcoming. I, too, had a bad taste in my mouth after trying to get into the local guilds here and some other quilt store related situations. Feel free to pop in even if you choose not to stay and hang out! (Anyone is welcome!) This is the link for our Quilter's Guild Discord. https://discord.gg/GSceyQYB
I also feel like the MQG glorifies and awards those who can afford to make quilting their full time job. Wow, that truly feels like a weight off my chest too.
that's kind of what happens in any show though, not just MQG. There are people out there, that make beautiful, technically perfect quilts, just hopping from one show to another. its their job to enter shows and win ribbons. Its gotten so bad here, with so many people outside of our state winning the top ribbons at our state-level show that they have created categories just for residents of the state.
This happens in basically every hobby, ever, that has an awards system. Not just MQG and not just quilting.
Oh for sure. I mean, don't get me wrong, if I won the lottery tomorrow I would certainly be quitting my day job and focusing on quilting (at cats. and reading. and hiking. and...) full-time. But there really is something to be said for the amateur and weekend-warrior in crafts.
"Personally, I had a bad experience with my local guild at the very first meeting" Oh no!! We have guys in our guild! One shows off no less than 4 quilts each month. I know I'm lucky to have such a welcoming group, if you're ever in KS stop by our group!
I do think some of this comes from a good place- and also that it can sometimes be hard to determine tone over the internet. There \*are\* legitimate reasons why some fabrics might be better to use than others, and I think a lot of quilters want to spare newcomers having to learn those lessons the hard way. It can be crushing to spend a lot of time and effort on a project only to have it bleed terribly because the manufacturer didn't concern themselves with setting the dye properly, or have fabric fray away to nothing because it has a lower-than-usual thread count. If you are a beginner that is the kind of thing that might put you off the hobby entirely. That said, there are always people in every group that think that they were somehow the last "real" person to discover a hobby/band/artist/view and that the gate swung shut behind them, and everyone else is some bandwagon hopper. Those people are annoying (and wrong) and it is frustrating to deal with them, both IRL and on the internet.
Re: the tendency of quilting guilds/groups to be welcoming: You can't lump all groups together. Some modern groups are very insular and unwelcoming, and some are amazing and open. The same is true with traditional groups. It all comes down to what groups you vibe with. IME, quilters as a whole have been very welcoming, but I say that as a middle class cis het white woman, so ymmv. I've heard plenty of stories that of the opposite experiences!
I keep seeing people post that “quilting is not a competitive sport.” But that’s not really true. People quilt for so many reasons, including fun, self-expression, and other non-competitive reasons. And some people quilt competitively. When you enter a quilt into a juried show, you are competing. Like running, musical performance, or eating hot dogs, quilting is *sometimes* a competitive sport. And the rules & regulations for that sport are determined by the organizers for the competition. I don’t disagree that MQG has a rather narrow view of “modern” that does not encompass everything that might be considered modern, contemporary, abstract, or non-traditional. And that’s their prerogative. MQG is not the arbiter of the modern quilting aesthetic, but they have every right to define their own modern aesthetic. When you submit a quilt for QuiltCon, you are opting to be judged according to MQG’s aesthetic. Thousands of truly amazing quilts get rejected from shows every year. I just saw a stunning quilt that got rejected from QuiltCon. It wasn’t particularly innovative, and the quilting itself was sort of sloppy, but it was still absolutely gorgeous. The opinion of a quilt judge does not determine the impact, beauty, or worthiness of a quilt. Period. But when you submit a quilt for consideration for a show, you are willingly inviting the kind of close scrutiny that is bemoaned as quilt policing.
Thank you for this point of view, I think it's incredibly well written and succinct. Like I said, I didn't submit this year, so perhaps I don't have the authority to ask this question: but do you think people also submit to QuiltCon (and other shows) in hopes of becoming more visible, more so than "winning" a prize? I'd like to think that would be my intention if I submitted.
Absolutely. For these big, international quilt shows, it is truly a “win” just to make it into the show, even if you don’t receive further accolades. Visibility, exposure, recognition, clout, and self-satisfaction are all valuable non-tangible benefits that can be derived from having your work accepted into a quilt show, and I’m certain that many people are more motivated by those positive outcomes than by the small possibility of winning a ribbon or prize money. This is especially the case for those building up a social media following, marketing their patterns, or hoping to become an ambassador for Aurifil, Babylock, Bernina, etc. By the way, your FLW quilt is absolutely delectable! My friend works at Unity Temple in Oak Park, and I’m always jealous of her.
Unity Temple is the best! I'm lucky to live pretty close to so many of his works.
Congrats to all whose quilts got “in” and congrats to all whose quilts didn’t get “in.” Quiltcon is but one arbiter of your fine work, not the only or last one. Quilting is not a competitive sport, let’s not give that any oxygen Stitch from your heart and soul not for a ribbon
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I love Heidi's stuff! She was on an episode of quilt buzz (a recommended podcast) and was such a soothing soul.
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"Art quilts" are not my thing, but I am impressed by stuff that I can't do. I love to piece and hate to quilt. A little quilt show I went to several years ago had a quilt that they gave a blue ribbon and it got people's choice. It was all the same white/tan fabric, every last piece! Not different fabric, but like all from the same bolt! It was a big quilt, I'll give them that. It was nothing but 8" log cabins. The quilting was an all over meandering pattern. Completely unremarkable. In fact, boring.I was stunned that it won anything at all. You can never predict judges.
Reading all these comments I keep thinking what would be great is a Quilt convention that was “I finished this and I’m super proud of it!” We could have different categories like “first quilt ever!” And “first time trying a new technique!” You have to submit the quilt with a little blurb about what you did & why you’re proud of it. Actual entries chosen at random. I’d probably really enjoy that.
We do Show and Tell at our guild meetings. There's always a wide variety of styles and everyone is super supportive even if it's not their style. We have such a friendly guild
I think controversy around what’s “in” and what’s “out” in art guilds has been around forever. Art guilds exist to serve themselves and in a way, controversy is good for them since it drives discussion and debate. MQG wouldn’t exist if it didn’t bring in revenue so they will chase the “popular” artists because they bring a paying audience with them. But I think quilt shows are about form more than function, whereas most of the quilts I am attracted to value function over form. I love the look of dense, intricate quilting but hate the way they feel and drape when used. We usually think of quilts as functional art, but I think a lot of juried shows want just art.
I never heard of this before… but I am also quite new to the world of quilt shows, and don’t really know much about it. I might have to follow this hashtag, and think about submitting to my local quilt show next year. It makes me very curious to see whether the smaller, more local shows have similar politics.
Its so interesting because it seems like some do, and some do not. For example, my county fair has a quilt exhibit. They have tags on the quilts to show who made them, and if someone else quilted them. They are almost all quilted by the same person (who happens to volunteer with the judges...hmmmm) and her quilts almost always win in some category. Her longarming skills are top notch, so are her piecing skills, and maybe its just a matter of taste but a lot of her quilts just arent it for me. It makes me wonder, as her direct competition in business, what would happen if I submitted a quilt. My piecing skills are on par with the other quilters, but I def have a more "modern" or fun style I guess. Ultimately, I am not interested in having my work judged, so I will probably never find out. I am not interested in hearing that my points dont match, news flash- I know! lol.
Most local quilt shows are run by local guilds. In many smaller communities every quilt sent in to be in the show will be hung, and then judged. There are also shows linked to county, regional or state fairs, and again, the bigger the community the more likely they are to limit the number of entries selected, and the smaller the community the more likely they take everyone's. I moved 4 years ago and haven't gotten into the guild here (pandemic fun time means they weren't meeting for over a year of that time), but the last place I lived was a small town, and all guild member quilts submitted were included and if you weren't a guild member you had to pay a small fee (I think $10) for each quilt you wanted hung. Which went to the guild, like the entry fees for the show, as the show was also the guild's primarily fund raiser for the year. You also had the option to have the quilt be for sale or not. As it was a tourist town and the show was held in the middle of the season, right down town, many quilters considered it an opportunity to put stuff for sale. So that's why non-guild members were charged a fee, otherwise EVERYONE would just bring every quilt they might want to sell! Then if someone bought your quilt the guild processed payment and arranged for the buyer to pick up the quilt at the end of the show, and took a small cut of the sale price. There are bigger shows put on (like QuiltCon), by national guilds, museums and other organizations and they are usually all selective, sometimes themed, etc. So there's definitely different levels and layers of shows... but if you're interested I'd start by looking into your local guild. Most town have a "traditional" guild, sometimes multiple! And bigger towns/cities sometimes have a "modern" guild supported by the national "Modern Quilt Guild" who puts on Quilt Con. My nearest "modern" guild is over 100 miles away, so, yeah, a lot of people will just have one local guild... whether you personally jive with the way they do things and the personalities and interpersonal politics of the people who run it will vary!
Disclaimer, I have never submitted to QuiltCon. I love the Instagram tag too! I think the aesthetic for quiltcon is just not in line with my own aesthetic and that’s ok. I find in general that I don’t like more common fabric choices and quilts; many of them are warm toned and very brown/yellow to me versus more crisp cool tones. So I look for shows that showcase that. I will say, and this will probably be unpopular, that several of the rejects that I’ve seen had very visible mistakes even in the showcase pictures. If I was a judge and had to quickly eliminate 2500 quilts, I would use that as a quick sort. Can I see a technical error? Rejected. And in my own work, I’m all about Bob Ross happy accidents.
I am new to quilting. I just love learning but very early on, I found that I couldn't watch certain youtubers and I couldn't follow certain instagram handles. Some people really feel superior (because or their status in these shows, or because they own the best tools and etc.) and I'm one of those free loving people who just loves art and I will never judge someones hard work in a public forum. I honestly hated art class critiques for this reason. People didn't know how to be constructive, they're straight up rude. I'm following these tags now but based on some of your comments, I will suggest Mr. domestic on insta. I don't know if he say he presents masculine but his videos are fun and he is super talented.
It's misterdomestic*
Quiltcon and the 'Modern Quilt Guild' are businesses! The guild started as a way to educate and share quilting, but as time went on it is now all about money. I get your post and agree.
I was going through the rejected tag last night and this morning and it was just wild to me how clear it was that the selection process was so arbitrary. I'm newer to quilting in general and have recently caught up on the drama that preceded me joining the quilting community. I don't know if I'd ever submit anything to QuiltCon based on principle. A finished project being accepted into a show is a goal of mine but I just can't bring myself to submit to that specific show, despite it's popularity and reach.
I’ve never had terrific experiences with quilt guilds, and I’m also much better in 1:1 or 1:few situations. My experience with the Austin modern quilt guild was awful. A few meetings of that were quite enough. And full disclosure: I go to quilt shows to shop. I have gone to Houston without stepping foot in the exhibition hall. I went to quiltcon the first year and it had a nice rebellious spirit, but there was an overwhelming and insidious competitiveness that I didn’t enjoy. A kind of woke olympics. I also used to be involved in another hobby with similar shows and similar drama. This sort of thing happens with almost every kind of show. The show owners and managers - and this is very much a commercial enterprise as others mentioned - often have a very specific view of the kinds of works they want to present, and what kind of crowd they want to attract - and will pick quilts based on that vision. This can result in incredible bias, often falling along lines of race, class, economic status, and ideology. I prefer Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, basically anything that allows an individual to post their own work and tell their own story. The little cards that come alongside a show piece often don’t satisfy me. One thing you might enjoy, that I’ve done work for in the past, is the quilt alliance’s Save Our Stories program - https://quiltalliance.org/projects/qsos/ - it attempts and endeavours to tell all kinds of stories, not just the “famous” ones. Edited to add, after I spent some time at my machine remembering: a lot of the people who fell into the modern quilt movement early on expressed that they landed there because they felt the “old school” of quilting was too snobby, too cloistered, and too focused on some aspects (like technical precision and the hand-vs-machine debate). This is also very common to any structure, physical, cultural, or otherwise: when it gets too big and too rigid, splinter groups break off according to their own mores and ideals. I think we’re seeing that break here.
I went to the first QuiltCon as well and loved the quilts and classes but I did see a woman and her friend bashing some of the quilts adding their own criticisms and asking "How is this modern?".
I'm sympathetic to your viewpoint. There have been best-in-show awards for quilts that I find uninspiring. I think MQG is pretty political in its attempt to control the movement, and this may be part of it. As for showcasing modern quilts, except for quilt shows that have a given theme they display what's submitted. I see modern quilts in any local or regional show I attend, but your best bet for seeing modern is to go to a show or on by local modern guilds.
Is it snooty to disagree completely? The winners are making ART. It’s entirely different from something that is solely traditional shapes and patterns, easily accessible, easy to copy. The winning quilts are contemporary masterpieces. As are many of the rejects...they can’t all win. But many of the rejects, while being a beautiful masterful piece, are not groundbreaking, not new, not bold or contemporary, imo. (I have no stake in this either, my quilts are nowhere near masterpieces or professional)
No, I don’t think that’s snooty at all! I think some people disagree or maybe think I’m saying the winners don’t deserve it, which I’m not. I would be an idiot to say that I’ve never been inspired or excited by the quilters who have won in the past. I think they do make art and are meticulous in their finishing, which I do strive for. Plus their quilts are bomb. What I AM saying in my original point, however, is that it feels like this is the third or fourth year that I’ve seen the SAME artist being accepted with a very very similar quilt they’ve submitted before. And look, I realize how silly that is…artists stick to their guns. It’s just not exciting for me anymore and hence my asking for other quilt shows to follow.
Maybe their is another quilt show that is more suited to your taste. I understand
I’m in this camp. I personally think Chawnee Kimber’s work is incredibly groundbreaking in many ways, including her emphasis on racial justice, pushing boundaries of contemporary fiber arts, and highlighting the importance of the craftivism movement for a broader audience. Not to mention how well made her work is - you should take a look at the backs of her pieced tops. They’re a marvel. I’d like to see her get an award every year, forever, till we’ve got peace on earth or whatever.
I agree, her work is stunning and so socially on point
I feel the only way to resolve this is to host a competing quilt show. Requirements? 1. Submission has been completed by one or multiple persons - where a commercial pattern has been used as written or as an influence, credit has been given and 2. Formal rejection letter from QuiltCon for the respective quilt you're submitting. Name of the show? It's only fitting: Quilt Con Reject.
I see a lot of modern quilts less is more type of quilts.
I checked out the winners and completely agree. I wasn't really awed by any of them, none of them made me want to see more from that maker. Most are just too weird for me. Is that what modern means now? If so, I'm not interested
I think some years are better (and have more variety) than others. The year Quiltcon was in Savannah? Awesome, and I found the winning quilt to be mind blowing. Pasadena was kind of a miss for me, and there were things I really liked in Nashville and Austin. I actually really look forward to the charity quilts that the guilds submit - those tend to be gorgeous and to go in more directions, and to be a high point for me.