By Lilia Menconi
Disclaimer: I tell Betty Friedan to "suck it" in this blog. I don't really mean that. It's a joke, everybody.
Impressed? You should be. Spaceboy by Julie Duschack is all fabric, folks.
Don't get me wrong - I appreciate the second wave feminist movement, I really do. I can't thank those ladies enough for paving the way for my young life filled with birth control pills and career planning. But it's a damn shame that one of the byproducts was a general disdain for so-called "women's work".
I'm talking about cooking, sewing, knitting and all the things my mother knows how to do. I, on the other hand, can barely boil water and my eyes glaze over if a sewing conversation goes beyond "3/4 inch inseam".
Lotus Flowers for My Mother by Claire Gimber. Amazing.
I have a deep respect for anyone who excels at these difficult activities and can't wait to see "Art Quilts XIII: Lucky Break". The juried exhibition features works from the U.S., Canada, Belgium and Israel to provide a range of style and technique. The quilts are contemporary art pieces so you won't see the same kind of thing your Grandma churned out back in the day. No, this show amps up the quilts with new skills like painting, monoprinting, photo transfer and machine piecing integrated into this dying art.
The work is incredibly impressive in spite of its oppressive roots. Yeah, so...suck it, Friedan!
"Art Quilts XIII: Lucky Break" is open until December 31st at Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Avenue in Chandler, 480-917-6859, www.chandlercenter.org.
