Eliza Fernand sent me this info:

June 5th

opening of a quilt show at Center on Halsted

6:30-8:30

queer quilting: A Regenerative Practice

queer quilting is a workshop series intended to lower barriers to creative expression by

sharing improvisational quilt-making skills and using recycled fabrics in a group setting.

This project is collaborative, involving individuals who identify as queer, and it also

queers the practice of quilting— a craft that can be intimidating with many rules about

precision and costly supplies. queer quilting is more than workshops; with the

participation of over 600 people in 3 years it is a skill-sharing community that finds

refuge and replenishment through gathering to craft together. Organizer and teacher

Eliza Fernand aims to spread confidence and joy through art-making, and bring a

calming practice and a sense of achievement to people facing the stress of societal

marginalization and governmental erasure. This quilt studio is a space for queer and

trans Chicagoans, many of them who work in support roles and see their studio time as

regenerative and joyful. Our community is under attack, and spaces of respite and

expression are increasingly vital. This exhibition is one in a series of group shows that

display the range of approaches and identities that make queer quilting a point of

connection and care.

Participating Artists:

Liz Barr

Marg Baughman

Tiff Besana

Diersen

Eliza Fernand

Callie F

Kaitlyn Griffith

Ari Karafiol

McKenna Kellner

Tan-bi Klein

Alejandro McGhee

Eleanor Mulshine

Andor O’Connor

Alex Ragsdale

Sharkey

Philip Smith

Sami Smith

Jess Townsend