Jewel Box Quilt Guild’s 'Diamonds of the Prairie' at Faulconer Gallery

Grinnell College's Faulconer Gallery will host the biennial exhibition of works by the Jewel Box Quilt Guild from June 10-18, 2017. The exhibition features more than 100 quilts of all sizes, techniques, colors, and patterns, designed and quilted by the 50 local guild members.

The quilt exhibition is free and open to the public beginning at 11 a.m., Saturday, June 10, with a reception from 3 to 5 p.m. Members of the guild will be present to discuss their work. Faulconer Gallery is located in Grinnell College's Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, 1108 Park St., Grinnell.

The guild was established in 1996, with the first quilt show in 1997. The shows have continued every two years since then.

Director of Faulconer Gallery Lesley Wright said the quilt exhibition was added to the gallery schedule because the guild’s biennial show "has grown to be a significant community event."

"We were intrigued to be approached about hosting the 2017 show, and fortunate to have space in our schedule to try this new partnership," Wright added. "Together we are planning some changes, such as keeping the quilts on view for more days, and we hope the experiment leads to future collaboration."

During the exhibition, local judges will select their favorites in seven categories while viewers vote for their pick for "viewers’ choice." The judges are:

• Tilly Woodward, artist and curator of academic and community outreach at Faulconer Gallery;
• Ken Saunders, photographer;
• Mollie Osgood, artist;
• Laurie Vos, owner of Loralei’s and Village Decorating;
• David Abarr, teacher at Grinnell-Newburg schools; and
• Sarah Parrish Hamilton ’91, assistant at the Pioneer Bookshop.

All members of the guild were eligible to submit quilts for the show, said guild member Janet Carl. "All of the quilts in the show are new and have not been displayed previously," she added. "Judges will not know the identity of quilters while observing and judging the wide variety of quilts."

The guild will raffle the "Diamonds of the Prairie" quilt during the day-long Summerfest celebration on the Grinnell College campus on Saturday, June 17. The 76-by-90-inch quilt, inspired by the pattern "Flower Box" by Edyta Sitar for Laundry Basket Quilts, was pieced by Chris Hulin and Margy Sieck, appliqued by B.J. Santema, and machine quilted by Jane Bazyn.

Raffle tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. They are available in advance from guild members, at Headquarters barbershop in downtown Grinnell, or by contacting Denise O’Polka, 641-236-7106. Tickets also will be available on June 17, the day of the quilt raffle, in Bucksbaum Center for the Arts. Ticket holders need not be present to win. The winner of the "Diamonds of the Prairie" quilt will be announced at 6:30 p.m. June 17 in the Haight Courtyard, adjacent to Faulconer Gallery.

 In addition, guild members will donate small handmade quilts and other items for sale during Grinnell College's Summerfest on June 17. Proceeds from the sale are used for guild member education and community projects. Several quilt-themed activities will be part of Summerfest as well.

Faulconer Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week.