Fringed Trapunta Sun Dusk
Pamela Hill

This week I made the annual pilgrimage to The American Craft Council show in Baltimore. The wholesale portion of this show features over 850 leading craft artists working in every possible medium from all over the U.S. For years, it has been the premier show where artists display their newest work to gallery owners and collectors.

Of course, I am always excited to see the work of young artists just entering the field; they manage to challenge us with completely new ways of thinking and seeing. But I am even more satisfied with the continued growth and development of artists I’ve known for years. The very best of those create work that evolves and gets even better with the freedom that comes from knowing a medium intimately.

Pamela Hill, art quilter extraordinaire, is a good example. Pamela has devoted her career to this traditional art form, making quilts that are anything but traditional. She uses the fabric as her canvas. I particularly love her new single-color quilts, which are richly textured with tiny quilted designs. I dream of curling up under one of her art pieces!

These artists, they keep growing and changing. It is an inspiration to us all.

Serpenti
Victor Chiarizia

If you are like me, you’re watching the political primaries on a daily basis, stirred by the hope that change is indeed in the air. Yes, there are many challenges in this world as we know it, and yes, these challenges seem almost overwhelming. But, I fervently believe that ideas can transform a society, and thus help us meet the challenges head-on.

This morning I woke up and thought, “It’s going to be a beautiful day! And it’s going to be a beautiful year!” So much of reality depends on how we look at things. I believe strongly that we should think for ourselves and decide whether the day is lousy or beautiful.

Could a combination of innovation and beauty possibly help solve the problems of today’s world? I believe so. This year I vow to turn my home into a tabernacle and fill it with spirits that enlarge my own through their ingenuity and their beauty. This is where I will nourish my hopes and dreams for the days ahead. If we can all take such a step, I am certain we will find new ways, however small, to create a better world.

Don’t forget to vote!