Strips torn, zigzag stitched, pieces from scratch and scraps.

Wall Street: 240 Million African Slaves Ago

2013 Cincinnati, Ohio - after the opening and panel discussion.

Then it went to the history museum in Florida its 2014 exhibit. 

Exhibit at the Bullock Museum in Austin, Texas closed on August 30, 2015.

The quilt will be heading off to its new location...

Below is an in progress shot of the quilted faces a few moments after I visualized individuals and knew I could add the details of hair and profiles, which you see on the upper right to left at the top of the wall.

And Still We Rise Exhibit opened on October 12, 2013 in Cincinnati's National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

240 Million Slaves Ago...encompasses not only the African experience in the Caribbean and the Americas but all forms of slavery all over the planet Earth from the first bound living creature in my way of thinking.

The initial project started out with me thinking I would depict the map of New Amsterdam in 1653 and the lives of the slaves who were there.  Then I began to research New Amsterdam and New York during that century.  Whew! It was hard to do and I was driven to and from the research by the information I was reading and the pictures I saw.  Other forms of slavery and being bound by another living creatures were exposed to me in a way I had not thought of recently.

Upset I began tearing fabric strips and pulling scrap strips from my stash then sewing batches of same color fabrics together.  The end result was that by the time I had built enough fabric to make the quilt I had calmed my spirit and the anger at the historic documentation I found was dissipating.  It took working on the entire quilt from start to finish, small one inch or less strips sewn together, cut, reshaped, cut, sewn, arranged and rearranged to end the anger and to find a sort of peace with my fellow man.

What started out as a wall became the bodies of the slaves, then I needed faces and bodies, the bloody feet, the Dutch slave ship, the town of Amsterdam, the British who were about to invade, the pier Eleven that still stands today that the slaves came to what later became New York. The quilt was made using strips of fabric for all parts, and they were less than one inch wide, even the faces were cut from strips of different black prints.

If you can go to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center before it comes down in March. The artistry displayed in that exhibit is breathtaking.

Below is a shot taken after the seven artist panel as we were leaving the auditorium by one of the other artist's husband.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Evidence of the Diaspora

And Still We Rise...

Link to the Poster for the Exhibit, opening October 11, 2013 in Cincinnati, Ohio

In every keystroke that sails across the internet

I see My People spread out and connecting before me as never before

I wondered where my village was, I thought myself alone in the ethos

I am found and am being reinforced by each unseen stitch, each seen keystroke

We do exist outside my prayers

We are talented, strong, amazing, and spirit filled

What a blessing to stroke the keys among you

We are empowered and refreshed for the days to come

Dare I say the battle yet fought

We represent a singular achievement of our ancestors

Griots, look we, we stand taller today
We appreciate from whece we all hail once again criss crossing the globe

We remember and sew their stories, their songs, and our DNA into our works

Many of us have walked not only in their footsteps but humbly, along side them

For sure we carry the burden and the glory of teaching and leaving those lessons for future generations

The soldiers in the Diaspora walk many singular pathways towards rejuvenation

We salute you Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi for this stage where in unity we are threading our needles and 

Stitching our stories, our truths so proudly

And Still We Rise…Opening in Cincinnati, Ohio, this October 11, 2013 at 6:30 pm. Go to the website of the museum to see further details, or click on the link at the top of this message.

Congrats to all who helped to make this possible, museum affiliates, artists, family members, mentors, supporters, friends and thank you so much for giving us this opportunity.

Warmest regards,

Ms. V

Lectures & Workshops by Ms. V - Empowerment - Promote Your Work

This Lecture & Workshop series was created to empower artists to manage the expected and unexpected ups and downs of being in business with and for themselves from a position of strength.  Oh yes, we are generally the business manager, along with the artist, the clean up crew, the shopper, no wait, we like that role, LOL, you get the point.  (Fees Listed At Bottom...just in case...LOL

Bless You - detail, 2007

We live, work, and create in two different worlds. We generally create alone. It is an interaction between us, our materials, our tools, and our evolving workspaces. After a period of time say a few weeks or a few years we share our work with the general public.  Well some of us Do share, some of us Think about Sharing, and some of us put our Work carefully away for long periods of time, some even forever.  Why? Often because we can not figure out where to begin.  We sometimes need to learn how to reallocate learned life skills into our art tool contaniers. And other times we need the company of other like minded people to realize our own worth and value as artists.  

Beyond Comfort, detail 2011

As I have grown/sewn in this field I discovered moving from a private life into a public and on-line life was more than a notion.  I realized I could offer a few How To's...for those of us who get stuck, feel intimidated when viewing other 's work, feel lost or just not up to doing the tasks necessary to reach or set our goals.  So I looked back at my diaries and selected some of the roadblocks I have hit and decided to write down how I met the challenge or overcame the situations. Thus two series: Empower Your Creative Self and Promote Your Work, were developed.

Each lecture was designed to appeal to a general audience of both artists and non artists.  Each: 

• Has a PowerPoint presentation available enhanced by relevant artwork.
• Has a varied format of mini-workshops (2 hours), a 2-5 day workshops, handouts, workbooks.  
• Full day lecture has a hands-on art related component, we create!
• Lectures can be restructured to target specific audiences, new lectures and workshops can be created to address specific topics, at various levels; beginners, intermediate, advance/seasoned artists all designed upon request.
• Lectures and workshops are designed with the needs of artists at their core.

Lectures & Workshops and studio arts classes available in 2012

Promote Your Work, Without Apologizing

Changing Directions, Getting through the Change, Status Quo

Finding My Voice, My mark, My Signature, creating a body of work
Marketing Yourself - But I don't like that Part!  
Moving from the diningroom table to a studio or not
Building Self Esteem & Self Confidence - Tools of the Trade
Healing Arts - I Sew and So I Am

Studio Arts Classes available: Surface Design - silk screening; batik; fabric painting; fabric dyeing;
Design - 12",  18", 44" designing my own quilt from scratch; learn to follow a quilt pattern, small project start to finish with surface design elements.


Fees:

My Basic rates:  which include lectures, teaching fiber art classes, quilting techniques, and surface design workshops

• $700 Per day class teaching stipend (up to 20 students, after that an additional $35 per person)
• $400 One hour lecture with trunk show, and all expenses.
• $850 Combination of presentation and workshop held during the same event/day plus expenses with permission to vendor before or after workshop or lecture. 
• Custom Rates are available for special programs.

Expenses include travel: mileage for airport trips, airline tickets, shipping any supplies back and forth, taxi if needed, as well as all motel and meal expenses for the 'days of the presentations'. If DH has to drive me our mileage fee is $.50/mile, and his motel provisions and meals should be included for the working days, when in attendance he is a part of my package, other DH's are encouraged to attend those lectures as we often speak as a team. I generally arrive the day before teaching starts, and leave the day after teaching ends. I am deathly allergic of cats and some dogs so my preference is to stay at a hotel.

Bottom Line:  I am open to negotiating rates, but fees and expenses can not leave me in the red. 

Promote your Work without Apologizing!

I will be teaching this workshop "Promote your Work without Apologizing!" at SAQA's Denver Visioning Conference this May 2011.

This interactive empowerment workshop will look at:
• Our perceptions of ourselves as artists and or quilters
• How we talk about our artwork casually, at gallery openings, and lectures.

This mini workshop will offer tools to help participants strengthen self-talk and business-talk

• How do you answer these questions when introduced?
o Who are you?
o What do you do?
o What medium do you use?
o Where can I see your work?

I am asking workshop attendees to bring the answer on a sheet of paper the size of a postcard.

They will also be asked to bring their authentic selves to the workshop..." and the one you want to be, the person you want to introduce to the movers and shakers, the person you have been striving towards, the one you want to introduce to the next curator or gallery owner who has asked around about you and your work, the one who is wondering if you would fit… their next promotion, their next event, their next exhibition to a tee!..."

That is the person I want to meet and really need to interact with. Why? So that you come away from the workshop empowered and imbued with the tools you need to achieve your goals.

Best Regards,
Valarie Poitier
Life Coach, Job Readiness Instructor
Curator, Co-Chair SAQA-NEQM-2009-2011 Project "No Holds Barred"
SAQA Rep MA/RI

No Holds Barred – at the New England Quilt Museum Grand Opening Event was held today.

No Holds Barred – at the New England Quilt Museum Grand Opening Event was held today.                      

Well the time came and went for the opening celebration.  What an amazing experience! There was the sun shining and a clear highway to drive on on the way to Lowell, MA.  We had standing room only at the Exhibition.  Twelve of the artists were present hailing from Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Five of the current SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) Representatives from the New England States and one former Rep were also in attendance.  


The support of the Reps, exhibiting artists, artists who answered the Call for Entry, museum staff and volunteers, the team that worked on the proposals, jurors, and the SAQA staff and volunteers all working together in various capacities over the past three years has resulted in a wonderful collection of Contemporary Quilts.

When you look at the exhibit you see the latest techniques being used today across the country, in fact, by art quilters not only in SAQA here in the states but around the world.  There was hand quilting, machine quilting, dyed fabrics, stenciled and silk screened marks on fabric, commercial and whole cloth works, paint acrylics and oil stick, yarn, metallic and cotton threads, shibori and other techniques used.  Whatever is considered leading edge was found in the exhibit today.  There are also two quilts that are part of the permanent collection by artists who were juried into the exhibit on display.

In two other galleries you will see two different displays of antique quilts.  There is so much to see…both antique and contemporary quilts.  


I hope you will take an opportunity to go to the museum to see the show and on Feb. 5^th (***storm warning***date moved to February 19th!...to see the lecture: My Journey by Celeste Janey; Feb 12^th to see the lecture “Art Quilts by SAQA’s Exec. Director, Martha Sielman; and on March 5^th to a workshop followed by a trunk show by Wen Redmond.  On March 19^th there will be an all regions all call SAQA meeting that will be open to the public.  The artists have all been invited and they will be there to share one on one about their work and their SAQA experiences.

Thank you all for your contributions to this local exhibition!

Fondest regards,

Ms. V

Valarie Poitier
Curator, Co-Chair SAQA-NEQM-2011 Project "No Holds Barred"

Guest Speaker Grand Opening January 29^th @ 1:00pm – Smashing!
SAQA Rep MA/RI

 http://www.saqa.com  - Studio Art Quilt Associates

http://saqane2011news.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html - No Holds Barred News

http://msvpoitier.blogspot.com/

Member: Quinobequin, Quilters Connection, Sisters in Fiber, Boston Weaver's Guild
Life Coach, Life Skills Trainer

New Exhibit - New England Quilt Museum - African American Curator

There are only two weeks left to wait for the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) and the NEQM (New England Quilt Museum's) Grand Opening of the Exhibition 'No Holds Barred'.  The show has been hung and looks amazing.  There were so many steps along the way on the tickler to check off that it is hard to reason we are almost at the grand opening.  

I must get my nails done  before then!



The dates of the exhibit are January 20, 2011 - April 9, 2011.  Artists from six New England states were invited to enter the call for art works that would be debuting at this event.  We had 52 artists send in their entry forms, pictures, and artist statements.  There is a blog that tells about the process. http://saqane2011news.blogspot.com/ 

The panel of three NEQM jurors and two guest jurors Juanita Yeager, SAQA member, and Noelle Frye of the Fuller Craft Museum and  I viewed all the works and a collection of mostly non-representations works came together. 

There is is a wonderful line up including a lecture by SAQA's Executive Director, Martha Sielman, workshop by a Regional Representative Wen Redmond, and a trunk show by two different SAQA /NEQM members, Wen Redmond and Celeste Janey that will occur on Saturdays during February and March. 

On March 19th there will be an all call meeting for SAQA members who live, are visiting, or plan to drive up to see the show and we will be talking about SAQA membership, the how to's and best way to support and be supported by the organization, and we will walk the exhibit with the exhibiting artists who are in attendance.  That day will be hosted by Valarie Poitier, SAQA PAM member, SAQA Regional Rep for MA/RI and guest curator, along with Jeanne Marklin PAM member and Regional Rep for MA/RI.

We hope you will join us for one or more of the events.  Check out the link to the New England Quilt Museum for more details! http://www.nequiltmuseum.org/events/special-events.html

Ms. V

Quilts and Guest Speaking in January 2011

Update on what I am doing creatively over the next few months:

My work along with Celeste Janey and Brenda Jones will be on display at the Haley House in Roxbury January-March 2010, the artist’s reception is January 15th.  

I will also be guest speaker at the New England Quilt Museum at the Grand Opening of the "No Holds Barred" exhibition that I am the guest curator for.  I also have a quilt in the exhibit called Beyond the Obvious.

NO HOLDS BARRED: Schedule of Events

Saturday, January 29, 1 pm

Painted background appliquéd bird

Opening reception for New England SAQA, with Guest Curator Valarie Poitier

Saturday, February 5, 1 pm

Lecture: "My Journey", by Celeste P. Janey

Saturday, February 12, 1 pm

Lecture: "Art Quilts", by Martha Sielman

Saturday, March 5,
10 am, Workshop and 1 pm, Trunk Show with Wen Redmond

Saturday March 19, 10:00, SAQA NE Meeting and Gallery Walk

(Open to the public) Hosted by SAQA Reps, Valarie Poitier and Jeanne Marklin

I hope you will be able to attend one or both of the events listed at the top of this message.  If not check out one of the events happening during the exhibit on a Saturday !

In May 2011 at the SAQA Conference: Visioning
I will teach "Promote your Work without Apologizing

This interactive empowerment workshop will look at our perceptions of ourselves as artists. Valarie Poitier will offer tools to help participants strengthen their sense of positive self and their ability to talk about their art at gallery openings and lectures."

V

Best Regards,

Valarie Poitier

After GYN Appt.

Curator, Co-Chair SAQA-NEQM-2011 Project "No Holds Barred" Grand Opening January 29th @ 1:00pm SAQA Rep MA/RI Ms. V's Studio #508-314-6597 Studio Art Quilt Associates  http://www.saqa.com

http://saqane2011news.blogspot.com/

Affiliations and Memberships

Boston Museum of Fine Arts

Boston Weavers Guild

Brush Gallery

Danforth Museum

New England Quilt Museum

Quilters Connection

Quilters Quad

Quinobequin Quilters Guild

Saxonville Workshop Instructor

Sisters in Fiber

Studio Art Quilt Associates

Surface Design Association