World of Threads Festival: the Meditation panels and Not To Know But To Go On

earth ark  Judy Martin and community  2011  photo Klaus Rossler

The four meditation panels of the Manitoulin Community Circle Project were displayed at the World of Threads festival in Oakville, Ontario from November 1 - November 30, 2014.

Judith e Martin was present at the opening on November 1.

mended world   Judy Martin and community  2012 photo Klaus Rossler

Judy didn't move far from the meditation panels because so many of the artists and visitors to the exhibition's opening day wanted to speak with her about the experience of the circle project.

What impressed the visitors the most was the hand work.

So often these days, quilts of this size (each between 86 - 96" square) are pieced and quilted by machine.  That these pieces had evident hand stitches both for construction and for quilting was remarked upon with awe over and over.

precious water   Judy Martin and community   2013 photo Klaus Rossler

Other questions had to do with the community aspect of the work.  How was it organized?  How many people came each time?  How long were the sessions?  Did everyone work on the same thing each day, or did women choose what they wanted to work on?  Where did the re-cycled materials come from?  Who donated them?  (answers are here)
Many people wanted to share with the artist stories of their own experiences with community work and with their own treasured domestic fabrics.

layers of time   Judy Martin and community   2013 photo by Klaus Rossler

Installed at eye level, the power and beauty of the hand stitching was close up and intimate for each viewer.

Judy was also invited to exhibit Not To Know But To Go On, the stitched journal she made over three years while the circle project was also going on.  (circle project took 4 years)

Not To Know But To Go On  (shown below) was one of the most popular installations at the world of threads festival 2014.

not to know but to go on     2013     photo by Frank Myers

This exhibition continues until November 30 in Oakville.
Web site is here for more information about artists, exhibits and excellent interviews.