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Epilogue - Another Style Emerges ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Taiwan International Quilt Exhibition 2009, as Taiwan quilters¡¦ first exchange with international quilters¡¦ community, has invited artists from different countries/cultures to dazzle Taiwan with richness and vitality of ¡§Boundaries Crossing¡¨ and ¡¨innovation¡¨ in Art Quilt. In this exhibition we can see how artists defined their viewpoints, challenged their own concepts of Art and techniques, and established their own styles with amazing creativity and aesthetic techniques. To invite 147 quilts from 9 countries at the time of global economic crisis, we stayed firm to be humble and thoughtful. This exhibition gave TAQS opportunities to improve its competence, overcome constraints, try innovation, and explore the unknown. These opportunities are surely precious and meaningful. In Taiwan, quilts are handicrafts in women¡¦s daily life, not a term pop-up in people¡¦s minds when it comes to Art. In fact, quilts are real and symbolic support for many women. Needlework, as an art form to express liberty and competence, can release women¡¦s emotion, and vitalize them as well. In this exhibition, Taiwan quilters sewed their ¡§local environment¡¨ and ¡§life topics¡¨ into the quilts. The texture of hand-sewing is not only a record of Taiwan quilters¡¦ preservation of traditional techniques, but a kind of culture itself. In this exhibition we presented art works from 64 locations all over the world creating a whole new fiber art world for visitors to feel them closely and have dialogues with them. As Leni Wiener said, there are amazing quilts she sees in person for the first time in TIQE 2009. To curate this exhibition, we have much complicated work to do, but it¡¦s worthy because it is a precious opportunity to get so many masterpieces together. Artists use multi-media and new techniques to introduce and promote Art Quilt as an artistic form full of experimental and descriptive characteristics. These art works not only brought diversified stimulation to Taiwan quilters, but also attracted attention and praises from non-quilters communities, gaining admiration from visitors who just knew what is ¡§Art Quilt¡¨. We appreciate all the warm support from individuals and groups. We would like to thank exhibitors who came and shared their precious experiences of quilting in panel discussions and workshops, for instance, Chan Chih-Cheng, Chuang Huei-Lan, Huang Hui-Chun, Lai Shu-Chun, Leni Levenson Wiener, Liang Ying-Ya, Liao Chun-Ching, Lin Hui-Fen, Lin Mei-Hui, Lin Ya-Hui, Liu Shu-Chin, Noriko Endo, and Wang Li-Chun. And thank Director of Graduate Institute of Applied Arts, Tainan National University of the Arts, Ms. Huang Wen-Ying, Ms. Liao Chun-Ching, and Mr. Fukushima Kunio for detailed interpretation which made all the international exchange possible. Thank speakers and workshop instructors who donated their honorarium to support the exhibition. Out of curiosity, I made observation every day. Through their questions, I found visitors were very interested in the process of art creation. Quilts made by B. J. Adams, Carol Watkins, Chan Chih-Cheng, Cindy Rinne, Deborah Baldwin, Jette Clover, Marilyn Gillis, M. Joan Lintault, Noriko Endo, Pamela Allen, Pat Kumicich, Peg Keeney, and Tiziana Tateo often started people s discussion about multi-media art. There are quilters who came several times, concerning developments of mono-prints and dyeing, and how to choose between or blend traditional and non-traditional styles to express their subjects. Quilts made by Betty Busby, Chen Chun-Hua, Chen Hsiu-Juen, Cheng Chia-Yi, Deborah Gregory, Hsu Ming-Chieh, Huang Chiao-Jung, Huang Hui-Chun, Huang Ming-Mei, Jacque Davis, Jill Jensen, Joan Schulze, Karen Kamenetzky, Katherine K. Allen, Kathy Nakajima, Kuo Chih-Ting & Lai Shu-Chun, Liao Chun-Ching, Lin Ya-Ying, Linda McCurry, Lu Emi-Ling, Ludmila Aristova, Rosemary Claus-Gray, Sonya Lee Barrington, and Sue Dennis have offered diversified ideas. Quilts have connected with women for a long time and we can see fiber and textile are often selected to represent the meaning and implication of women issues. We have wonderful quilts addressing women issues in this exhibition while other issues like Nature, local environment, Conservation, global warming, architecture / space, anti-war, and social concerns outnumbered. In addition, we have creative depiction of people. Quilts made by Bella Kaplan, Clairan Ferrono, Chen Chin-Luan, Cheng Hsiu-Hui, Chuang Huei-Lan, Dottie Moore, Eileen Doughty, Elaine Quehl, Lai Yen-Shao, Leni Levenson Wiener, Lee Hsiu-Lan, Li Wen-Ting, Liang Ying-Ya, Lin Chi-Hsiang, Lin Hui-Fen, Lin Mei-Hui, Lin Ya-Hui, Lisa Chipetine, Liu Shu-Chin, Marilyn Belford, Mirjam Pet-Jacobs, Marilyn Henrion, Patricia Gould, Sherry Davis Kleinman, Tseng Yi-Yao, and Wang Li-Chun have elicited people¡¦s attention and reflection on these topics. I was deeply touched by many appreciators¡¦ interaction with art works. This was too impressive to fade out in my life. I was fascinated by the quilts¡¦ story-telling power. How marvelous. There must be many imperfect and inadequate parts during the whole process. Please give me some feedback and suggestions for further improvements. I would like to thank our co-organizer, National Tainan Living Art Center for great cooperation, thank Tainan City Government for great coordination, and thank National Taiwan Craft Research Institute and Kun Shan University / Arts and Culture Industries Innovative Incubation Center for subsidizing partial expenses. The first edition of Catalogue was sponsored by National Taiwan Craft Research Institute and many contributors. Thank President of National Association for the Promotion of Community University, Mr. Lin Chao-Cheng, who is also the Principal of Tainan Community University, and the Director of Tainan Community University, Mr. Lin Kuan-Chou. They brought in many resources. We are lucky to have an Executive Director with administration and international communication competence, Ms. Lin I-Ying, who worked hard with few sleep to go beyond limitation and overcome difficulties. Thank Tien Ya-Wen, Liu Chih-Ching, Lin Hsin-Lan, and Wu Pei-Hsuan for their efforts in professional exhibition management, and thank Lin Mei-Hui, Liu Shu-Chin, Liang Ying-Ya, and Lin Hui-Fen¡¦s coordination of volunteer shifts and Lin Chih-Hung and Su Wen-Yu¡¦s support of venue design and decoration works. There so many people to whom I want to express my gratitude. I want to say thank you to everyone who helped or participated in TIQE 2009. The visitors range from the age of 0 to 100, including mothers-to-be, and a 100-year-old grandmother. The grandmother came with her son, appreciated the exhibition and recalled how she was moved by the process of her own quilting. Most visitors came in couples or with their families and shared their feelings with each other. Students of kindergartens, elementary schools, junior and senior high school, universities, and members of quilt clubs all had their wonderful classes in the exhibition hall. There are touching scenes and stories shared and kept in records during 14 days of exhibition. We are glad that Taiwan and international artists feel satisfied or interested in such a success and look forward to next exhibition or similar events. I need some time to think about the future. If it is meaningful to Taiwan¡¦s quilting, it will be the goal TAQS strives for. During the first three days, the visitors exceeded 5,000 in total. In the following days, visitors exceeded 1,000 per day. In addition, there are more than 10,000 website hits per day during the exhibition. The achievement has brought confidence to the team, opened up a new vision for Taiwan quilters and impressed our governmental agencies which made subsidies. This is the first time that we introduce Taiwanese quilting to international fiber art communities and voice out our ideas. The goal of TAQS, remaining a non-profit organization to do ¡§right¡¨ things and serving Taiwan quilters, has been achieved. More than 100 volunteers worked together to accomplish this project and every donation came crucially right on time to help with our financial shortages. We appreciate warm supports to make this exhibition perfect, as our self- evident theme says it best, ¡§boundaries crossing¡¨- together we quilt the global vision.¡¨ It¡¦s not easy for a non-profit organization to hold an international exhibition like this, especially at the time of global economic depression. TAQS worked very hard and connected with each other seamlessly to make our dream come true and has learned a lot. We believe in the idea that ¡§Common ideals keep us walking side by side.¡¨ I¡¦ll slow down to contemplate and adjust my paces, and then start a new learning to meet the next ¡§meaningful and enduring need.¡¨
Lin Hisn-Chen |
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