Quilts are no longer just large geometric blankets knit together from scrap pieces of fabric. Today, quilts are a medium through which many artists choose to communicate their opinions, ideas and messages.

Started by the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio, Quilt National has grown from an exhibition of Athens quilt artists to a juried event with nearly 100 quilts featured in galleries across the country.

When three nontraditional quilt artists were struggling to find a place to show their work, the Dairy Barn Arts Center adopted their work as its first art exhibition and opened the first Quilt National exhibit in 1979.

Quilt National ‘09 is a juried event in which a panel selects pieces of art to qualify for the final exhibit. The only requirement for the works is that the structure of the work indeed be a quilt. This means it must have at least two complete layers of material, front and back, held together with stitches. The vague requirement is what gives artists the freedom of interpretation that leads to innovative quilts.

One collection of Quilt National ‘09 is on exhibit at Riffe Gallery in Downtown Columbus. The exhibit is open now through Jan. 17, and admission is free.

“A lot of people walk in thinking these are just quilts, but they have always been art,” said Kathleen Dawson, executive director of Dairy Barn Arts Center.

Artists print, paint and hand dye. They photograph, silkscreen and reassemble.

“The people creating these quilts want to be considered artists,” Dawson said.

And rightfully so.

Kathy York’s “Little Fish in a Big City” is a hand-dyed construction featuring buildings in cities and fish representing water taxis, executed in a 3D perspective. This piece’s complicated construction and attention to detail can be truly appreciated only in person.

The techniques and processes vary from piece to piece. Sue Akerman’s “Africa Scarified IV” is made from teabags, South African beads and shells, and bone to create a quilt that combines images to resemble a topographical map. It uses animal hide to represent the scars that humans make on the planet.

The purpose of Quilt National is to show innovation within the realm of quilt art.

“By seeing the exhibit, you will find that these artists go way beyond what you would consider to be a quilt,” Dawson said.

Quilts started out as blankets, and on one level, the artists still use the underlying techniques of quilting in their work. But now, artists approach it on different levels, using the medium in ways it hasn’t been used before.

“These quilts are meant to hang on your walls. They are to be appreciated. They express world views and impress you with a point of view,” Dawson said.

Quilt National will continue to tour in galleries across the country.
The full collection is also documented in the book, “The Best Contemporary Quilts: Quilt National 2009.”