(Above: One of South Carolina fiber artists Jo-Ann Morgan’s creations, titled Reunion, in her Lady Corona series.)

Posted by Randi Bjornstad

Two shows devoted to fiber arts will be on display at the Maude Kerns Art Center through March 24, 2023.

One is titled Emergence: From Concept to Stitch, featuring work by members of the Studio Art Quilt Associates of Oregon.

The other, Lady Corona, showcases the work of Jo-Ann Morgan, who comes from Surfside Beach, South Carolina. Her art often features a female figure with crown, gloves, and mask, hence the name of the series. The theme of the series is to commemorate the victims of social injustice and to offer comfort to those who suffer from it.

Morgan began the series at the beginning of the pandemic, when she bought a sewing machine and conceived the idea for Lady Corona as a source of strength and compassion, as expressed through the medium of quilting.

That was the beginning of Morgan’s full-time pursuit of the art form. During her academic career, she was professor of African American studies and art history at Western Illinois University. Her creations have been included in more than two dozen juried shows, and she also has had two solo exhibits in South Carolina.

Morgan will give an artist talk at the Maude Kerns Art Center at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023.

Emergence: From Concept to Stitch includes work by 17 members of the Studio Art Quilt Associates, or SAQA, which has an international membership of more than 4,000 quilt artists, curators, collectors, and art professionals, including nearly 200 in Oregon.

Emergence is a juried show, for which quilt artists submitted a written proposal for their entry as well as examples of the work they carried out during a six-month period. That documentation has been collected in a book titled, Emergence: Fiber Art from Concept to Stitch.

This exhibit contains work in a wide variety of quilting styles and materials, including raw-edge fusible appliqué, contour quilting, hand-dyed fabrics, organza, tulle, embroidery, paint, Inktense pencils, sateen, katazome on silk, beads, and speciality yarns.

An artist talk by some of the artists in the show will take place from 2-3 p.m. on Saturday, March 11, 2023.

Two fiber art shows at the Maude Kerns Art Center

When: Through March 24, 2023

Where: Maude Kerns Art Center, 1910 E. 15th Ave., Eugene (corner of 15th and Villard streets)

Opening Reception: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24

Artist talks:

  • Jo-Ann Morgan, creator of Lady Corona: Works by Jo-Ann Morgan, 2-3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25
  • Several contributors to Emergence: From Concept to Stitch, 2-3 p.m. on Saturday, March 11

Gallery hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday when exhibits are on display

Information: 541-345-1471 or online at mkartcenter.org

Hope Springs, by Amanda Miller, is part of the Emergence: From Concept to Stitch exhibit at the Maude Kerns Art Center