Through November 19th, Ninth Wave Studio in Kalamazoo is showcasing the artwork of the Quilting Arts Kalamazoo group. Many of the pieces in this exhibition were inspired by well-known artists and paintings. Each artist used the work as an inspiration for a unique quilt. Carolyn Zinn and Mary Baggerman are two of these quilters.
“I’ve been a social worker in Kalamazoo for many, many decades,” says Baggerman. “But I’ve always had an interest in art and quilting. I started out as a painter, and when my children were young, quilting was much easier than painting. It was something I could pick up and put down. I love working with color. I have learned a great deal about fabric, and just love the history and textile, the texture of fabric.”
Zinn says, “I’ve actually been quilting my whole adult life. My first quilts were inspired by bold Amish graphical quilts. I did make a bed quilt in the 1980s, but most of my quilts ended up on the wall because I thought they were so pretty. I didn’t get into what I think of as art quilting, though, until about 15 years ago when I got involved with the group that is exhibiting this week.”
The Fiber Exhibition of Quilting Arts at Ninth Wave Studio in downtown Kalamazoo is called, “Inspired by …” because the participating quilters created their works in response to a chosen painting with a wide range of interpretations. Other participant quilters include June Belitz, Ann Berger, Jenny Grunberg, Diane Oakes, Linda Perkins, Jacqueline Skarritt, Shae Vaughn, and Vivienne Xu.
“It was very fun, very exciting to see what people came up with,” Baggerman says. “In the exhibit, we also have individual works by people, so as much as we could, we have one room that is full of those inspirations, and then we also have individual works that we have done and wanted to exhibit. And then we also have a nine-piece Kalamazoo County quilt that we each did a section of, and that will be on exhibit at Ninth Wave as well.”
Ninth Wave Studio is located at 213 West Walnut Street in downtown Kalamazoo.
