SUDBURY—From June 17 until August 30, an exhibit of Judy Martin’s work hangs in the Art Gallery of Sudbury and on Saturday, August 23, two Manitoulin artists sat together in conversation, for it was more conversation than interview. However one would describe it, it was a treat for those fortunate enough to sit and listen in on the conversation between environmental artist Sophie Anne Edwards and textile artist Judy Martin.
Ally Carlos, manager of collections at the Art Gallery of Sudbury, was on the job “for approximately one more week,” she said in her introduction, and laughter followed, as because Ms. Carlos was undeniably large with child. She began the program with the land acknowledgement, followed by the introductions for both the moderator and the artist.
“I do have a bunch of questions, I doubt we’ll get to all of them,” Sophie Edwards began. Her first question had to do with Ms. Martin’s journaling, explaining that Judy has a dedicated journal practice. Ms. Edwards wanted to know how Ms. Martin’s journal practice works in regard to the objects she creates.
“I’d almost say that they are more important to me than the textiles,” Ms. Martin began. “I don’t go a day without my journal.” She held up a large, thick black book that contained the writing of just two weeks. The journal was from several years ago and she read aloud, “‘Neither of the commercial galleries that I speak about in my resume appreciate my work. They do not support me.’ whoops, I won’t go on,” she said, and shut the book quickly to much laughter from the audience. She sketches in her journals, but in ball point pen, she will lay out how her next show will look. If she has a good idea from a previous journal, she’ll add it to her new journal so her good ideas are not forgotten. “That’s how they’re so nourishing for me.”
“Perhaps you can talk a bit about text and textiles, sometimes they’re hidden, sometimes they’re fully there. I wonder if you can talk about your relationship to the written word in your quilting practice,” Ms. Edwards said.
“I like to read poems, but I don’t always put a whole poem in my journal, often just a couple of words. And using journal text has occurred in a couple of my pieces,” Ms. Martin said, and she showed some slide examples of written text on the back of a couple of her quilts.
Ms. Edwards observed the artist is so conscientious about the materials and the work – the slow process. “Why do you work the way you do? So slowly. Why is it important to you?”
“I think I really love having these friends for years. It takes me years to make each piece. But I don’t just go working on one piece for two years, I work on about eight or 10 pieces. I put them aside. Those pieces actually change, to reflect my life and what I’m actually thinking. So, I’ll fold them up and put them away. And I’ll get excited about another one, then I’ll come back to this one and I’ll do something different that I didn’t know I was going to do. I really like to be able to keep on changing.” She gave an example of a piece she was working on when her father died, and how she ended up incorporating a piece of the hospital gown that her father had worn into the piece, and how it changed it. “I think all my work responds to the material that way.”
In conversation they touched on ‘urgency,’ the urgent need to create. Is it a selfish thing to do? In this world of turmoil, is it not more important to take concrete measures to improve the world? Ms. Martin quoted Patti Smith: “Even amidst all the stupidity and the terror, I need to live, and I need to do my work,” She also spoke of Henri Matisse and a quote of his from 1908, where he said he wanted to give people serenity through his art, to be like an armchair for them to get away from the world. When she was young, this statement of Matisse’s made her angry, she felt he was copping out. “But now,” she said, “I get it completely.” And later, “We have to believe that what we’re doing is important. My quilts are not going to save the world, but they’re going to make some kind of impact. I know they are.”
Ms. Edwards responded, “I think they remind us in the day to day, the care and compassion we need to have for each other. There’s not enough of it in the world.”
The importance of mentorship was addressed, especially Ms. Martin’s mentorship with her daughter April. “Well, I have had a long mentorship with April, her whole life. But she mentors me as well. I appreciate her take on my work and it changes my take on my work.”
“Can you talk a bit about how you navigate the world as an artist?” Ms. Edwards said, pointing out most of Ms. Martin’s work is large, too large for many galleries, too untraditional.
Ms. Martin held up an article from the Manitoulin Expositor from 1999 and read the title of the piece. ‘Quilter seeks respect for art form.’ “So, it’s been going on for all of my career and now I just don’t care.” She said to audience laughter and applause.
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| the day, the night, and then the day again, 2025 hand stitched quilt by Judy Martin |
The audience was invited to ask questions. Does your state of being change as you work your long hours of stitching? Ms. Martin replied that she does go into a meditative state. “It’s like an act of self-love for me.”
When do you decide that a piece is finally done? “If someone buys it, then it’s done. Otherwise, it never seems done in my mind and sometimes I change it completely.”
Two things said during the conversation so beautifully depict the art and soul of Judy Martin: Quilts wrap us up in a dream-like state and, “It’s important to dream because new ideas come from dreams and that’s how quilts and dreams can change the world.” She also remarked, “It used to be more important to me that my audience go into this dream world, now it’s more important to me that my audience feels cared for, that they know that love is in the pieces.”
Wrap yourself in dreams by catching these last few days The Sky: New Quilts by Judy Martin, at the Art Gallery of Sudbury on Elgin Street, until August 30., located 174 Elgin Street in Sudbury’s downtown.
by Margery Frisch
link to the article in the Manitoulin Expositor is here
The talk was recorded and it will be shared on this blog when it is available.
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