The New Quilt 2021: Announcement of Selected Artists

After years of planning, QuiltNSW is excited to relaunch The New Quilt on exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Windsor, NSW from 5 February – 11 April 2021.

The New Quilt is a juried survey exhibition showcasing the art of quilting that reflects the richness and diversity of contemporary expressions of the quilt medium in Australia.

The call for entries encouraged entrants to: submit their best work reflecting their creative practice; “Think big, think bold – be adventurous!”; and to explore different ways of presenting their work. A panel, comprised of artists Judy Hooworth and Anna Brown and Hawkesbury Regional Gallery curator Elissa Blair, selected 40 works from over 100 entries. 

The New Quilt Selection Panel: Judy Hooworth, Anna Brown and Elissa Blair
pictured with Anna Brown's invitational artwork CANOPY 18 Burning

Congratulations to the selected artists:

A comprehensive public program is under development with both in-person and virtual events. Mark your calendars. Plan an art excursion!

2020 Suitcase Challenge

 Don't forget our 2020 Suitcase Challenge closes on 30 November! You can find the entry form here.

The New Quilt: One Month Reminder

Calling all Australian textile artists! Entries for The New Quilt closes at 5pm Friday 2 October 2020. That gives you 33 clear days to complete your artwork! Enter online at: www.thenewquilt.com

The New Quilt, a juried survey exhibition showcasing the art of quilting, will be on exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery in Windsor, NSW from 5 February - 11 April 2021. Large and dimensional works welcome. Think big, think bold - be adventurous! QuiltNSW encourages you to explore new ways of presenting your work.

Open to all artists resident in Australia. Lower entry fee for QuiltNSW members. Join QuiltNSW now at reduced rates.

Sydney Quilt Show 2020 Cancelled

The QuiltNSW Committee has carefully considered the Sydney Quilt Show 2020 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and has decided not to go ahead with it. This does not mean that the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair is also cancelled.  At this stage, Expertise Events is still planning to hold the Fair from 29 October – 1 November 2020.

There are many reasons for our decision.

Firstly, BERNINA Australia, the principal sponsor of the Best of Australia Award has recently announced there will be no Best of Australia award for 2020.  The quilts judged as Best of Show in each state and territory during 2019 will be held over until 2021.  There will be no BERNINA Best of Show winners during 2020.  This is a significant change to the nature of the competition we offered member entrants back in March.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many other changes and considerable uncertainty still remains. The Committee did not want to commit member funds and considerable time by members to planning and preparing for the 2020 Show that could not be guaranteed to go ahead. We considered it prudent to cancel now before further funds and volunteer resources were committed.

Most importantly, the Committee is concerned for the health and wellbeing of members during the preparation, installation, and management of our Show.  We considered how we could undertake this safely, and we came to the conclusion that it would not be reasonable nor responsible to ask our members to volunteer their time.

The ramifications of this decision are as follows:

• The raffle will not go ahead this year but instead be held at the Sydney Quilt Show 2021 and all subsequent raffle quilts will be held a year later than planned.
• We will contact Sydney Quilt Show 2020 entrants soon regarding the return of their entry fees.

Whilst you, like the Committee, are no doubt disappointed that the Sydney Quilt Show will not take place in 2020, we hope you understand the difficult decision we have had to make.

We know that there will be a time when we can return safely to the events and activities that we love as quilters. We are already making plans for what we hope will be an exciting 2021!

The New Quilt Entry Form is Now Open!

QuiltNSW recognises the quilt medium as an art form and is committed to providing opportunities for textile artists to share their artwork in a gallery setting. The New Quilt online entry form is now open and closes at 5pm on Friday 2 October 2020.

The New Quilt, a juried survey exhibition showcasing the art of quilting, will be on exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery in Windsor, NSW from 5 February - 11 April 2021. That's more than two months to share your artwork in a fantastic, gallery space. Large and dimensional works welcome. Think big, think bold - be adventurous! QuiltNSW encourages you to explore new ways of presenting your work.

The New Quilt is open to all artists resident in Australia whether or not they are QuiltNSW members. However, a lower entry fee applies to QuiltNSW members and QuiltNSW is currently offering membership at reduced rates: see QuiltNSW membership form

Download Conditions of Entry & Entry Form Checklist or see www.quiltnsw.com for more information about The New Quilt.

Please share this announcement with others.

Inquiries to: thenewquilt@quiltnsw.com

Join or renew online today at discounted rates!

Membership of QuiltNSW is due for renewal by 30 June.

The Committee has decided to reduce the annual fee by 25% for those who renew or join by 30 September, 2020. After that date, the fees will revert to the previous fee structure. If you renew or join after 30 September, there will be an additional $15 joining/late fee.

The following fees apply up until 30 September, 2020:

Individual membership $45
Junior/Full time university student $18
Family membership $63
Junior group $37
Group membership $75
Overseas individual $45

For full details and online membership form, visit QuiltNSW webpage.

Sydney Quilt Show new dates

Breaking News! The Sydney Quilt Show, in conjunction with the Craft & Quilt Fair, has been rescheduled to Thursday 29 October - Sunday 1 November 2020. Save the new dates!

All Quilt Study Group events postponed until further notice

All 2020 Quilt Study Group events that were to be held at the Powerhouse Museum and Museums Discovery Centre are postponed for at least 6 months. 

The events affected are the two talks to be given by Catherine Butterworth and Catherine Porter, and the Behind the Scenes visit to the quilt collection at the Powerhouse Discovery Centre.

This is in line with decisions made by the National Cabinet as communicated by the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, to temporarily close these venues to the public until further notice to help protect the health of all visitors and staff and minimise the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in the State.

The New Quilt: Call for Entries Reminder

At a time when so many exhibitions are being cancelled or postponed, it is exciting to look ahead to The New Quilt where Hawkesbury Regional Gallery has extended the exhibition period by a further week. The exhibition is now scheduled for 5 February to 11 April 2021. The online entry form opens on 1 July and closes on 2 October 2020.

The New Quilt juried survey exhibition, showcasing the art of quilting in a gallery setting, is open to any textile artist resident in Australia whether or not they are QuiltNSW members. Perhaps this time of self-isolation and social distancing will provide an opportunity for you to work on YOUR entry. Hawkesbury Regional Gallery is a generous space and we encourage makers to explore different ways of presenting their original designs. Large and dimensional works are welcome.

When preparing your entry, please keep in mind:

• There is no prescribed theme – explore subjects and ideas that are meaningful to you and put forward your best work.
• A quilt means stitched and layered materials using any technique - stitching and layering is vital.
• The quilt must be the entrant’s original non-traditional design, not a copy or a variation on the original design of another artist working in any medium. For example, copying someone else's photo is not eligible even if you have the photographer's consent.
• 2-D, 3-D, free-standing work, installation work, ceiling hung work, work on stretcher bars, and framed work is eligible subject to these size restrictions:
• Minimum perimeter (2D works, work on stretcher bars and framed works): 300 cm excluding any frame
• Maximum height: 2.75 metres
• Maximum width: 3 metres
• Depth up to 2 metres
• Suspended work must be able to hang from the ceiling. Maximum weight: 15 kg
• For unusually sized or shaped quilts, or works requiring difficult or unusual installation, please contact QuiltNSW early in the process, and certainly before submitting your entry, to verify the ability of Hawkesbury Regional Gallery to display your entry should it be selected.
• True joint/collaborative entries are permitted where both/all parties are named as the artist entrants. (Contract quilting and labour-hire arrangements are not eligible.)
• Good photography matters – a lot. Present your work clearly, and without distractions, to the jurors. The images you provide will also be used in the catalogue so high-resolution, print quality images are vital. Allow time for this step in preparing your entry.

Download Conditions of Entry or see www.quiltnsw.com for more information.

Inquiries to: thenewquilt@quiltnsw.com


Here are some installation images from Legacy: Reflections on Mabo to acquaint you with the exhibition space at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery.

Rescheduled: Sydney Quilt Show 8-12 July 2020

Expertise Events has announced that the Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair has been postponed to 8-12 July 2020 at the ICC Sydney, Darling Harbour following the extension of the NSW mass gatherings ban to 17 June.

Our Exhibition Committee will be working towards this date for the Sydney Quilt Show unless there is a change. Please bear with us at this time, we just have to roll with the changes for now, and will keep you up to date with information as it comes to hand.

A message from your President

Scott Morrison's call that it is un-Australian to hoard does not include FABRIC! 😀

I have seen several of our shops bending over backwards to stay open - you can purchase in store (if you are well), online or via phone sales. 

Also if you have a fellow quilter who you know is on their own, maybe give them a call and see how they are going and if they need any vital sewing supplies, or groceries of course!

Set up virtual sewing circles and share your stories and "social distancing" projects with our members.

So stay calm and sew on.  

Mandie Tyler
President
QuiltNSW

Bowerbird Quilt Show Cancelled

The Bowerbird Quilters have announced that they have cancelled their quilt show, planned for 17 and 18 April at Boambee East Community Centre.

Jenny Haynes workshops and trunk show cancelled

Trunk Show and Workshops with Jenny Haynes 

It is with regret that we have had to cancel our Trunk Show and Workshops with Jenny Haynes at The Powerhouse Museum next week due to the current issue that is COVID-19. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Those who had paid for workshops will receive an email regarding a full refund.


QuiltNSW office closed

QuiltNSW will continue to be closed until the end of April, we will review this at our April Committee Meeting and will be at Government directives as to how we proceed.


Sydney Quilt Show

You may all be wondering about the Sydney Quilt Show for 2020, it has been announced today that gatherings of 500+ people are banned until June 14th 2020. This date is prior to our show opening and we are carrying on with the assumption that the SQS2020 will go ahead as planned and our Exhibition Committee are working hard towards this event. If however anything changes we will let you know as soon as we do.


The Template

On a brighter note we will still have the Template on its way to you in May, full of great content. For instance we have had a wonderful response to the call for quilts for Bowral CWA and once again I am humbled by the Community spirit I see from our members and member groups.

What a good time though to knock over a couple of WIP's or UFO's, or start something new and shop online, lets take care of our shops and help keep our businesses up and running.

Take care of you and yours.

Mandie Tyler
President

Special Update March 2020

Welcome to this special update.  It is only days since we promoted so many exciting events for March and in that time, so much has changed due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This is to give you details of how QuiltNSW is responding in the short term and to advise of cancellations or postponements to previously advertised events. At this time, the Committee has put in place arrangements to the end of April and for our General Meeting in May. We will monitor the situation as it unfolds and continue to change our plans in response. The Committee has considered very carefully the health and wellbeing of volunteers and members in making decisions about what should continue at this time.  We have agreed that everyone's health and wellbeing should be our primary focus.  For that reason, the Committee has determined that the office will be closed to members and office volunteers until the end of April.  We understand that this will cause service disruption to members and for this we apologise. However, we ask for your understanding in the circumstances. The Committee has also decided that it is not prudent to host gatherings of members in the short-term, particularly large gatherings.  Some events will be cancelled while others, wherever possible, will be rescheduled to later in the year.  The first to be postponed is the 'away meeting' that was to be hosted next weekend by the Novocastrian Quilters - a new date will be planned. For March and April, we won't be hosting Friday Showcase, Community Quilts, Appraisals or Pop Up Sewing Days. In these uncertain times, there are likely to be further event postponements and cancellations.  We will communicate with members regularly and as accurately as we can.  Special email updates will be sent to members when we have news to share, so I encourage you to read and share this news with members who might not have access to email.  We will also use Instagram and Facebook and endeavour to keep the calendar and QuiltNSW website up to date. Your may be wondering whether the 2020 Sydney Quilt Show will go ahead?  The Committee is in close contact with Expertise Events, organiser of the overall event, and as soon as there is information to share, we will let you know. Member groups who wish to use these special updates to communicate changes to their forthcoming exhibitions or events, should please send details to Andrea Beattie. You can also get in contact with Mandie Tyler. Take care, Mandie Tyler, President Read on for details Member events and meetings - changes to dates   Novocastrian Quilters were to host the the Away meeting on Saturday 21 March. This meeting will be rescheduled to later in the year.  The new date will be advised when it is confirmed. QuiltNSW Office - closed until end of April. The QuiltNSW office in Pitt Street Sydney, normally staffed Monday - Friday, will not re-open until the end of April. We understand that this will cause some disruption to services, however the decision has been taken in the interests of the health and wellbeing of our volunteers.  If you need to contact the office, you can email office@quiltnsw.com or you can call on 02 92833733  and leave a message.  Emails and telephone messages will be checked regularly and responded to. The library will not be able to be used during this time. If you have books on loan, please hold on to them until the office re-opens or someone contacts you to return them. Quilt appraisals will also not take place. The next scheduled appraisal day was 10 April. This has been cancelled. General meeting, Saturday 16 May - cancelled. Our next general meeting was to be held in mid-May. We know that some members travel to attend and make arrangements in advance. It is a large gathering in normal circumstances, and therefore unlikely to be able to go ahead in the current environment, hence this early cancellation notice. Community Quilts - Saturday 28 March - cancelled. Jenny Haynes Trunk Show - Friday 27 March, Powerhouse Museum and workshops with Jenny Haynes - Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 March, Powerhouse Museum. At this time we are not able to provide information about these events. Further information will be available soon. Quilt and textile exhibitions - changes to dates Australasian Quilt Convention - Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne - postponed to 20-23 August. 'My World of Colour in Pathwork & Quilting' Exhibition - Moran Gallery, Sylvania - closed.Life Member, Lynn Hewitt has advised that her solo exhibition at Moran Gallery, with dates from 12 February to 5 April is closed until further notice due to the health risk to residents of the nursing home adjacent to the gallery. Sydney Royal Easter Show - cancelled. The organisers of the Sydney Royal Easter Show have cancelled this year's event. Any members who were participating as exhibitors will be contacted directly by Show organisers.

Away meeting postponed

So much has changed due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The Committee has considered very carefully the health and wellbeing of volunteers and members in making decisions about what should continue at this time. We have agreed that everyone's health and wellbeing should be our primary focus.

For this reason, the Away Meeting, to be hosted by Novocastrian Quilters on Saturday 21 March has been postponed. This meeting will be rescheduled to later in the year. The new date will be advised when it is confirmed. We ask for your understanding in the circumstances.

Take care everyone.
Mandie Tyler, President.

Sydney Quilt Show Call for Entries: Closing Today!

Today is the last day for entering the Sydney Quilt Show 2020. Entries close at midnight on Monday 9 March. Enter online on your computer or mobile device - if you have difficulties labelling your photos, we will look after it at our end.

In 2020, if we receive valid entries for more than 400 quilts, a ballot will be conducted of second choice entries to reduce the number of accepted entries to a number that we consider manageable. We will NOT be asking for voluntary withdrawals.

  

7th March Quilt Study Group talk by Catherine Butterworth postponed

The Quilt Study Group talk by Catherine Butterworth on how she designs her quilts has been postponed.

 The talk was scheduled for Saturday the 7th of March at the Powerhouse Museum.

Catherine will give the talk later this year.

Call for Entries: Sydney Quilt Show 2020

Entries for the Sydney Quilt Show 2020 are now open! Jump online to view/download these key documents:

• Entry Form – online entry preferred! Pay by credit card through our secure ANZ portal and you’ll receive immediate email confirmation of your entry on payment.
• Conditions of Entry
• Worksheet – plan your entry. Please only submit the worksheet as a paper entry form if you do not have access to the online entry and payment process.

The closing date for entries is 11.59pm Monday 9 March 2020.

Timeline: Key Dates

• Monday 3 February 2020: Entries open
• Monday  9 March 2020 (11.59pm):  Closing date for entries                    
• Friday 1 May 2020:  Acceptance letters dispatched
• Friday, 5 June 2020:  Deadline for quilts to be delivered to Drop Off Volunteers
• 9am-4.30pm, 17-21 June 2020:  Sydney Quilt Show, International Exhibition Centre Sydney, Darling Harbour
• Sunday 28 June 2020:  Deadline for quilts to be collected from Drop Off Volunteers

Further Questions?

See the Online Handbook and FAQs.

• Technical queries: forms@quiltnsw.com
• Exhibition queries: quiltshow@quiltnsw.com or the QuiltNSW office (02) 9283 3737

Prepare and submit your entry early so that you know that it will be received by the closing date Monday 9 March 2020

Call for Entries: The New Quilt - closing 2 October

Happy New Year! This is a reminder that entries for The New Quilt 2021 close on 2 October 2020 and selected works will be on display at the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery from 5 February – 4 April 2021.

2021 marks the 30th anniversary of The New Quilt and we hope you will put forward your best work to help us celebrate the art of quilting in Australia.

Think big. Think bold. be adventurous! Open to all textile artists resident in Australia - you don't have to be a QuiltNSW member. Note:

• there is no prescribed theme;
• a quilt means stitched and layered materials using any technique;
• the quilt must be the entrant’s original non-traditional design, not a copy or a variation on the original design of another artist working in any medium;
• 2-D, 3-D, installation work, ceiling hung work, work on stretcher bars, and framed work will be eligible subject to these size restrictions:
• Minimum perimeter (2D works, work on stretcher bars and framed works): 300 cm excluding any frame
• Maximum height: 2.75 metres
• Maximum width: 3 metres
• Depth up to 2 metres
• Suspended work must be able to hang from the ceiling. Maximum weight: 15 kg

Dimensional and large works are welcome. For unusually sized or shaped quilts, or works requiring difficult or unusual installation, please contact QuiltNSW early in the process, and certainly before submitting your entry, to verify the ability of Hawkesbury Regional Gallery to display your entry should it be selected.

Download the Conditions of Entry (PDF) or see www.quiltnsw.com for more information.

Inquiries to: thenewquilt@quiltnsw.com

Bushfire & Drought Relief: Message from the President

Calling all QuiltNSW members: We have had numerous enquiries about how we, as a community, can help the bushfire victims, especially those who have lost everything. Whilst there may be occasion to donate quilts at a later date, we believe donations of money is the immediate need, which is indeed currently suggested by the RFS. So here’s how we can help:

• Raffle a quilt on behalf of your group
• Donate the money directly to the charity
• Email me the details of your group and of your donation and we will keep a running total.

On the flip side of this, we should not forget the victims of drought, so maybe raffle one quilt for the bushfire victims and one quilt for those affected by drought.For donations to bushfire victims, the RFS website suggests the following for donations:

• Australian Red Cross Disaster Recovery and Relief
• St Vincent De Paul Society Bushfire Appeal (NSW)
• Salvation Army Disaster Appeal

For donations to drought victims please see CWA of NSW Drought Aid.
We will, as a committee, reach out to several organisations, advising that we can help with quilts when they are required. If you know of any local need or QuiltNSW members that need help please let me know.

Stay Safe.

Mandie Tyler
QuiltNSW President
president@quiltnsw.com