Throughout history, women have had to balance responsibilities to community, home and family while pursuing other interests, jobs, or careers. From those who helped farm the land or worked in factories during wartime, to those who stand shoulder to shoulder with men pursuing careers, or serve as caregivers; women have always had to juggle the various aspects of their lives. 

Silver is indispensable. From industrial use to decoration, technology, photography and medicine, its unique properties of strength, malleability, reflectivity and conductivity make it an irreplaceable force in the global market. In addition to its physical properties silver is recognized as a symbol of love, insurance and commitment for twenty-five years.

Cultures around the world universally associate colors with emotions. Anthropologists and businesses study the role colors play. "Color Wheel of Emotions" is filled with art that uses color to evoke a mood, a feeling or a sense of emotion.

Concrete & Grassland explores the juxtaposition of the natural landscape and the human constructed cityscape. This call for entry asked artists to submit works that explore either the soft lines of nature or the hard lines of urban structures—or a combination of both. This exhibit focuses on the contrasts of both color and line, and the ways in which the natural world has been altered. Concrete & Grassland is a joint collaboration between SAQA and the Grants Pass Museum of Art.

Deux is a visual conversation that expresses the questions and ideas important to each artist.  Two works show side by side, inviting the viewer to find the connections between them, and see how the artists handle the challenges of composition and technique.

Earth Stories celebrates the stories of people or projects that enhance the planet, make a significant difference in restoring and/or protecting the environment, increase sustainability and otherwise improve the earth we all occupy.

Food For Thought examines the many aspects that food plays in our daily lives — from a single piece of fruit to a still life, from the family table to the significance of food in culture and the celebration of family milestones.

Water - it’s everywhere!  The majority of the earth’s surface is covered by water, and more than half of the human body consists of water. But water also plays an essential role in our survival. This exhibition encouraged the artist to interpret one of the most vital, desired, powerful, sacred, and enjoyed resources on earth in their own unique, individual style, whether abstract, graphic, or representational.

Layers are everywhere. They become apparent when we plumb the earth’s surface, make archeological digs to discover the history of civilizations, explore human anatomy, dress for the weather, dig in freshly fallen snow, and count rings in the stump of a tree. Layers are abstract, too. We find them in language when we ponder the hidden meanings in novels, poems, conversations, and puns.

An invitational exhibit of one work each by 37 of the 41 artists featured in the new book Masters: Art Quilts, Volume 2 by Martha Sielman. This exhibit toured throughout 2014 on The American Quilter's Society (AQS) circuit.

Aging affects everyone in many different ways. Through the use of a wide variety of visual metaphors, these 35 works show the impact of aging on our lives: three generations sharing a cup of tea, a decaying leaf, an empty chair. These poignant images draw you in and challenge assumptions about aging.

SAQA Presents: Modern Inspirations - Art quilts from 1970s through today documents the rich history of the art quilt movement as it relates to the development of this new quilt aesthetic. This exhibition of 30 iconic historic and contemporary quilts by master artists from around the world is a feast for the eyes, filled with gorgeous art.

My Corner of the World invited the artist to examine a world, real or imagined, that represented what is important in life.  It might be where the artist resides, works, or grew up. It might be a favorite place from any point in life or a special internal place. My Corner of the World looks at the big picture including, but not limited to a homeland, ancestry or culture.

This exhibition celebrates the expressiveness of the human face. The diverse designs focus on a variety of both emotional states and the ways in which people interact: contemplation, joy, community, work and play.  Based on the companion book, Art Quilt Portfolio: People and Portraits, the exhibition shows two works by each of the book's 20 Featured Artists.

Our physical world is created out of the chemical elements, from hydrogen to platinum to arsenic. For this exhibition, each of the selected artists created a new work that is influenced by an element from the periodic table. Inspirations came from anything relating to that element, whether a play on the name, its color or the products made from it.

"Redirecting the Ordinary" is about turning things around, upside down, inside out, backwards, or how even just a minuscule course correction can charge up the humdrum, turn the common into the uncommon, and make the expected unexpected.

SAQA’s third Trunk Show was designed to showcase SAQA’s diversity of talent and its mission to “promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development, documentation, and publications.” Learn more about these quilts and how to bring a trunk show to your area.

Thirty-seven artists were selected to create art quilts celebrating the seasons. The resulting pieces, all sized at 78” tall and 32” wide, create a unique exhibit that moves us through the seasons using texture, light, color and masterful design.

Located in Washington DC, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum hosted a juried exhibition in collaboration with SAQA. All works reflected upon the theme of “Diaspora.” Diaspora is the dispersion of a people from an established ancestral homeland. These communities remain simultaneously active in social, economic, cultural, or political processes in their country of origin and with compatriots worldwide. 

Text messages have fast become one of the most popular methods of communication.  For this exhibition, artists had free rein to explore the many facets of what ‘text messages’ means -- from the obvious connection to modern technology to works comprised solely of actual or implied writing.

Tranquility is defined as a quality or state of being, possessing the concepts of quiet, peacefulness, calmness or serenity. Tranquility, as a mental and physical concept, is the primary focus of certain religious sects, whereby tranquility of the body, thoughts and consciousness are believed to lead to the path of personal enlightenment.

Turmoil is defined as a state of great disturbance, confusion, or uncertainty.  It can be personal and internal, societal or natural. This exhibition features work that depicts chaos, discord, imbalance,  and tumult. Artists were requested to explore the meaning of turmoil in their own lives. The works selected represent turmoil through color, line, and composition. 

Two works each by twenty artists equals forty art quilts to explore and a multitude of potential pairings to consider. The pieces as a whole demonstrate the wide range of approaches in the quilt art genre. From bold and graphic to subtle explorations of texture and nuance, there is plenty to explore in this collection.

Wild Fabrications celebrates a world of animals both real and fantastical.  Selected artists let their imagination run wild and created interesting and unusual interpretations of animals using unexpected or unconventional materials and adornment, and/or unusual techniques.

Includes: Art Meets Science, Sense of Adventure, Creative Force, Layers of Memory

Includes: Sightlines, This is a Quilt!, Beyond Comfort, A Sense of Scale, I am Not Crazy, SAQA Showcase