In the gallery window

The Bakersfield Art Center in the downtown arts district

I’m in the WINDOW! Or rather, my quilt is! This the Bakersfield Art Center, home to two large lighted galleries and a busy classroom. it is the hub of the Bakersfield Art Association, which was formed by a group of artists over 60 years ago to support each other and further the role of art in the community.

I got to know some of the history after getting involved in the creation of a PSA (public service announcement) for the Art Center. My friend, Todd, who I used to work with in TV and radio for advertising, asked me if I would help and I jumped right in. It was an enjoyable and rewarding project. I got to know what goes on behind the scenes to keep the Art Center thriving, how much time and effort artist members give. Each artist who has a space in the gallery works two days a month, along with volunteering at First Fridays and other community events where artist members show and sell their work. Along with getting to know long-time members who are now holding positions on the board, I also became more familiar with different artists’ work. We spent one day shooting every piece of art in the galleries, in case we decided to use it. What a variety! There’s everything from oils, acrylics and watercolors to big free-standing sculptures to ceramics, hand-painted scarves and unique jewelry (that I am trying to resist!) Currently I am the only art quilter in the midst, although there are a couple of other artists who use textiles in their work.

First Series: Film Strip – This little quilt marked the beginning of my first series. For now, the “First Series” part of the name is a placeholder until I come up with something better…! It sat on my wall for a long time before I quilted it. I was ready to move from my “artsy” style of free motion quilting (think spirals, circles, meandering, flames and of course, feathers) to the straight line quilting I had been admiring for some time.

It was great to be back in the studio again – and promoting art! At this point we have finished production of the TV PSA and all that’s left is to get back in the booth, do the voice-over, and then Todd will edit it with the music for the radio PSA.