VERO BEACH — The innaugural Quilt: Beach* will be hosted by the Treasure Coast Modern Quilt Guild (MQG) on Saturday, Feb. 22. The Treasure Coast MQG is a chapter of the MQG International.
Leaders in the modern quilt movement, Luke Haynes and Victoria Findlay Wolfe, will join Quilt : Beach* attendees via a ‘digital dialogue’ as the event opens at 9 a.m. Attendees will be able to participate in a Q&A session with Luke. Luke and Victoria are sought after lecturers and both have exhibited works at leading national museums across the U.S.
The exhibit will include a vast assortment of modern and art quilts. A ‘sampler challenge’ will pay homage to the mid-century modern architectural design prevalent in Vero Beach and will result in Florida’s first permanent art installation of modern quilt design.
Additionally, attendees at Quilt : Beach* may participate in spectacular workshops with topics that cover thread painting with free motion quilting, paper piecing, modern crazy quilting and cathedral window techniques. Vendors will offer fine quilt materials, machines and finished works for sale.
The event is “a celebration of modern, classic and art quilting,” according to Shelagh Traill, Founder of the Treasure Coast MQG. “We’re a multi-generational guild and we offer the opportunity to learn a modern way of doing something traditional. Attendees will see the expanded range of these art forms and the workshops will help individuals grow in their artistic journey. We‘re thrilled that Modern Quilt Guild chapters across Florida are joining us.”
“As a venue, First Presbyterian Church provides the Guild with a state-of-the art, 27,000-square-foot facility adjacent to our mid-century modern sanctuary,” said Dr. Tim Womack. “We are committed to the arts and are proud that Florida’s first permanent installation of modern quilt art will be housed here, just across the bridge from the Vero Beach Museum of Art and the Riverside Theatre.”
In future years, Quilt : Beach* will be a two- to three- day event featuring on-site national speakers, more workshops and a host of after-hours events that celebrate the arts and Vero Beach.