Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail in Upstate, SC, Adds More to Its Quilt Trail

#224 OUT OF THE BOX

“Out of the Box”, located on the old Walhalla Depot at 211 South College Street in Walhalla, SC, is a “Giant Dahlia” quilt modeled after one made by master quilter Jenny Grobusky of Walhalla. The Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail sponsored this block and has donated it to the City of Walhalla in honor of Jenny Grobuski’s contributions to the upstate quilting community and to the communities of Oconee County.

Grobuski gave her version of this classic 20th century pattern an “out of the ordinary” twist by centering its dahlia medallion below, rather than on, the quilt’s mid-line—hence its name, Out of the Box. Jenny said she made this quilt for herself and wanted the entire dahlia to be on the middle of the bed instead of over the pillows where its symmetry would be distorted.

The Giant Dahlia quilt pattern was developed in America sometime in the early half of the 20th century. There are competing claims as to its original designer. One reference attributes the pattern to Hubert ver Mehren of Des Moines, Iowa. Beginning in the mid-20’s, his company called Home Arts Studio sold stamped textiles for embroidery and eventually sold patchwork and medallion quilt patterns. (http://willywonkyquilts.blogspot.com./2016/11/the-giant-dahlia.html). Quilt historian Ginny Beyer notes that the pattern was originally published in 1933 in the Des Moines Register. Finally, it has been suggested that the dahlia pattern may have been inspired by the designs in Rose windows found at the front of churches and cathedrals. (https://amishspirit.com/country-quilts/)

The Giant Dahlia is constructed of sixteen gently curving arcs radiating out from a small Dresden plate center. This complex pattern is not at all typical of traditional quilt piecing. There are no squares or triangles incorporated into the pattern. Instead, each arc is composed of distorted four-sided shapes that look a bit like misshapen squares someone tugged out of alignment. Each side of the shape is a slight convex or concave curve. As the dahlia grows out from the center, the pieces of the arc increase in size proportionally. Even the most experienced quilters find this pattern challenging. Extremely precise piecing is a necessity in order to create a truly spherical completed “dahlia.” Jenny machine pieced and machine quilted “Out of the Box”. This beautifully constructed quilt is a testimony to her exceptional skills as a quilter.

Grobuski is a prolific quilter and her work is distinguished by the vibrancy of its color. “Out of the Box” juxtaposes batiks in warm orange and red-orange against cool aqua, violet, and blue. The medallion is surrounded by a royal blue background and seems to glow as if it’s lit from within. “Out of the Box” won 2nd place in its category at the 2006 Lake and Mountain Quilters Guild show.

Born in Walhalla in 1923, Grobuski lives in the Walhalla community where she worked and raised her five children. Before taking up quilting in 1993, Jenny spent much of her life using her talents as a seamstress. She was instrumental in forming a quilting club in Walhalla called Stitchin’ Friends and was on the steering committee of the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail. She has been generous with her time and talents as demonstrated when she organized quilters in 2005 to make quilts for Hurricane Katrina victims. More than 200 quilts were donated to the relief effort.

Grobuski has been an active member of Lake and Mountain Quilters Guild. It is her unique, custom constructed quilt that covers a PT Cruiser outside each of LMQG’s quilt shows. She is a faithful member of St. Francis Catholic Church in Walhalla.

The City of Walhalla chose the old Walhalla Depot as the location for this block because of its historic significance to the city. The depot was built in 1887 by renowned Walhalla builder Otto Kaufmann, whose father John Kaufmann built St. John’s Lutheran Church. According to the Rev. George Shealy’s book Walhalla: The Garden of the Gods, the first train arrived at the new depot at 5 p.m. on November 14, 1887. It was located near the intersection of South Broad and College streets, where the Mountain Lakes Convention & Visitors Bureau and Walhalla Chamber of Commerce building stands today. The depot was given to the City of Walhalla by Norfolk-Southern Railroad Company in 1987 after they discontinued train service to Walhalla. The city moved it to its present site where it now serves as the focal point of the Walhalla Depot Park, also known as Kaufmann Square. For additional information about the Depot and Kaufmann Park visit (http://www.walhalladepot.com/).

#235 Fire and Ice

“Fire and Ice” is the first quilt block chosen by the Pickens County selection committee and financed by the Pickens County A-tax Commission grant to the Pickens County Area Chamber of Commerce. This multi-colored modern quilt graces the building of Domino’s Pizza at 102 East Main Street in downtown Pickens. Domino’s owner Scott Carrick fell in love with it and requested it for his location. The original quilt was made by Seneca quilter Libby Carter. She chose the quilt’s colors because they reminded her of beautiful Upstate South Carolina—the blues of our lakes and waters and the vivid oranges that represent the lovely fall foliage of the mountains. The quilt is primarily composed of batik fabrics. It was longarm quilted in the “Splashing” pattern by Libby’s friend, E. Ann Ewald of Dragonfly Designs. A version of this quilt was featured in the June 2008 edition of McCall’s Quilting. Libby’s placement of the orange batiks against the calmer blues creates a pleasing balance between energy and tranquility.

Carter has been quilting for approximately twenty years but has sewn in one form or another for much of her life. She considers herself a traditional quilter but enjoys all forms of quiltmaking and fabric craft. That is what inspired her to own a quilt shop with her sister for seven and a half years in Georgia before moving to South Carolina. Carter is a member of the Lake and Mountain Quilters Guild.

#236 Rhythm and Hues

“Rhythm and Hues” is located at 112 Main Street, next to the outdoor amphitheater on Rt.183 in downtown Pickens. It was funded by an A-tax grant written by Kim Smagala, director of the Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce. According to Kim, “Rhythm and Hues” was chosen because it captured the essence of the Pickens community with its outdoor musical amphitheater and its vibrant Young Appalachian Musicians Program.

“Rhythm and Hues” is the unique creation of art quilter Jean Wachs. This quilt was made in 2016 for the Lake & Mountain Quilters Guild Show whose theme was “Symphony of Quilts.” Wachs said music has always been an important part of her life. Since she played the guitar when she was younger, it seemed like the perfect subject for the show. She used a clip art image which she enlarged, then modified, adding vibrant color and design to portray the music she imagined coming from the guitar.

All of the fabrics used in the quilt were 100% cotton, either batiks or hand dyed. Each piece was fused in place, then appliqued and quilted using free motion on her domestic machine. She sculpted copper wire to form the bridge, rayon gimp thread for the strings and small metal hooks for the tuning pegs. Wachs’ strong color composition of red, blue, yellow and green imbue the quilt with intense energy. The colors practically dance from the quilt.

“Rhythm and Hues” won first place at the quilt show in the pictorial category. It was not listed as being for sale, but during the show a lady called Wachs, inquiring about purchasing it. She eventually sold it to the woman, following a commitment to exhibit it with the art group Thread Heads at the Belton Art Center a few months later.

Wachs began sewing when she was in high school but did not take up quilting until 2006. Although she has done some traditional quilting, art quilting for wall display is her passion. In recent years, her focus has been on portrait and pictorial compositions.

For further information call 864/723-6603 or visit (www.uhqt.org).

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Hub City Empty Bowls’ Soup Day Takes Place in Spartanburg, SC – Sept. 29, 2018

The people have made pottery bowls all summer long. Now, Hub City Empty Bowls will host Soup Day on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, at Indigo Hall in downtown Spartanburg, SC, and a great many needy people will be fed for months to come.

Annually, Soup Day is the culmination of many people’s creative and hard work during the summer, making hand-shaped clay pottery bowls that will be used to raise money for local citizens who are “food insecure,” which is generally defined as “not knowing if you’ll have the ways and means for your next meal.” In Spartanburg County, about 40,000 people are food insecure.

Hundreds of people turned out for Hub City Empty Bowls’s three bowl-making sessions during the summer, producing hundreds of unfinished bowls. The members of the lead agency Carolina Clay Artists repaired, touched up, painted, glazed, and fired the bowls, making them ready for people to donate $20 per bowl on Soup Day. In addition to getting a handmade pottery bowl to keep, patrons of Soup Day will also get to feast on about a dozen different soups that will be donated by the community’s finest restaurants. They will also get to bid on a silent auction, hear live music, and enjoy the fellowship of knowing they have done something that will improve the lives of others in Spartanburg. The money raised on Soup Day will be given to TOTAL Ministries, a faith-based agency in Spartanburg that helps local citizens faced with hard times. For each of the past two years, Carolina Clay Artists has donated more than $33,000 to TOTAL Ministries.

“This being Hub City Empty Bowls’s 10th anniversary, we are hoping for a historic turnout of people on Soup Day,” Chairman Bruce Bowyer said. “This is always the real test of people’s concern for others — to come out to Soup Day and get one or two or three or more bowls, and then enjoy themselves with a wonderful meal, music, and people who share their concern for others. Soup Day is so many things: heartwarming, creative, community minded, giving, grassroots, and most certainly fun. If you want to see how a little bit of effort can produce great results, come to Soup Day. It will change how you look and feel about those less fortunate.”

This year, the location of Soup Day will be in vibrant downtown Spartanburg at Indigo Hall, a special events venue. It will start at 11am and end at 4pm. The street address is 190 Ezell St. Ample parking for Soup Day has been secured by the organizers.

“We are very excited about our new location for Soup Day,” Bowyer said. “Everyone wants to be in downtown Spartanburg, and Indigo Hall is a wonderful space with lots of room for the bowls, the soup stations, the silent auction, and outdoor covered seating. I think people will really like this change. It will also be the location for a new pre-Soup Day celebration.

In preparation for Soup Day, TOTAL Ministries has secured soup and other food-related donations from the following restaurants and providers: Andre Nguyen, Hub City Co-op, Country Club of Spartanburg, Cribb’s Kitchen, Fatz Cafe, Garner’s Natural Foods, Gerhard’s Cafe, Lime Leaf, Carolina Country Club, Mon Amie, Moveable Feasts, Palmetto Palate, Renato’s In Centro, Southern BBQ, Sparks: Fire Inspired Grill, Sun King, II Samuels Restaurant, Le Spice Kitchen, Willy Taco, Delaney’s Irish Pub, Blue Moon Specialty Foods, The Beacon Drive Inn, Cakehead Bakery, LongHorn Steakhouse, Wade’s Restaurant, and Chick-fil-A.

The live music will be performed by David Giles and the RJ Rockers Orchestra (11am-1pm), Fayssoux McClean (1-2pm), and Roy McBee Smith (2-4pm).

The silent auction items will be fine art and other items donated by local artists, businesses, and concerned citizens.

The sponsors for the 2018 Hub City Empty Bowls campaign are JM Smith Corp., Allegra – Marketing • Print • Mail, Spartanburg Art Museum, West Main Artists Co-Op, Chris Williams, and Kohler.

“It takes a lot of community support to make Hub City Empty Bowls come together,” TOTAL Director Traci Kennedy said. “This is a truly grassroots fundraiser that is supported by some really great local businesses and individuals. We give them our sincere appreciation and want the community to know about their generosity.”

Hub City Empty Bowls is Spartanburg’s version of Empty Bowls, a worldwide fundraising effort that has hundreds of communities participating in similar but different ways and independently of each other. There is no global central control, administration, or oversight agency. Empty Bowls is a concept that normally inspires volunteer clay artists to make pottery bowls that are used to raised money to feed the needy in the local community. It is grassroots project that uses creativity to generate funds. Most Empty Bowls projects find ways to make pottery bowls and use them to host a fundraising event, such as Spartanburg’s Soup Day.

“And every day when you look in your kitchen cabinet for a bowl,” Bowyer said, “you’ll see your own personal Empty Bowl, and you’ll be reminded that someone out there is having a meal — just like you — because of you.”

For more information about Hub City Empty Bowls, please visit (www.HubCityEmptyBowls.com).

Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail in Upstate, SC, Expands Again

233 FLOWERS AMONG FRIENDS

Flowers Among Friends – a series of four small floral-themed quilt blocks – grace the front pillars of Westminster’s historic Moon’s Drug Store. Beckie Harper DeFoor, Kathy Collins Smith and Jerry Smith sponsored these lovely blocks to commemorate their lifelong friendship of fifty years. The blocks are reproductions of four quilt squares included in Beckie DeFoor’s original quilt of the same name, a quilt she made to celebrate their special friendship. Inspiration for Beckie’s quilt came from several small embroidery pieces included in Laura’s Fantasy Flowers. Local quilter and instructor Cheryl Keith edited and digitized the designs for computer assisted embroidery. The warm, sunny color scheme of oranges and yellow against a black background add of a touch of folk art to the facade of Moon’s Drug Store founded in 1901. The four blocks were painted by Beckie DeFoor, Kathy Smith, and Kathy and Jerry’s daughter Whitney Jones with the help of Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail’s Production Team.

Rebecca DeFoor with quilts

Kathy Smith and Rebecca DeFoor painting quilt blocks

Whitney Jones, Beckie DeFoor and Kathy Smith

223 DOUBLE WEDDING RING

The Nix family has lived in the Six Mile area for generations. The house and barn on the property now owned by Dean & Jennie Nix dates back to 1911. Dean’s grandfather was a blacksmith, and he and his wife, Clara had three sets of twins. James, their son, and his wife, Pauline bought the farm from his parents in 1950 and cared for Clara until her death.

The quilt dates back to the 1920s to 1930s, and was pieced and machine quilted, most likely by Bette Alexander, Pauline’s mother. The fabric used in the quilt is unusual for a Double Wedding Ring in that it consists of only two colors, red and grey. It appears to be of fabric referred to as Sea Island cotton, a fine cotton hand-spun and woven, the bright, red color most likely was hand-dyed as well. It is hand stitched on the finished quilt with threads taken from old flour sacks, proving not only the thriftiness of this family, but also how the art was handed down from generation to generation. It is believed that Pauline and her sisters were likely involved in learning how to quilt as children by hand stitching the flour sack threads!

Jennie and Dean Nix are now the owners and keepers of the family farm. The quilt is installed on the old barn, that can be seen across the farm’s field from the road. Jennie continues to carry on the rich tradition of quilting in the family and hopes to have one of her beautiful quilts transformed into a quilt block on the property soon.

The barn and painted quilt block are located at 1281 Mile Creek Road Six Mile, SC.

For further information visit (www.uhqt.org).

Leo Twiggs, Represented by Hampton III Gallery in Taylors, SC, Wins 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art

Orangeburg, SC, artist Leo Twiggs, represented by Hampton III Gallery in Taylors, SC, wins the1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art, sponsored by Society 1858 and the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC.

“Requiem for Mother Emanuel #5”, 2016, by Leo Twiggs; batik; 30 x 24 inches; courtesy of the artist.

Born in the Lowcountry town of St. Stephen, SC, in 1934, Leo Twiggs studied art at Claflin College in Orangeburg and went on to earn a Masters degree from New York University and a doctorate in art education from the University of Georgia. In 1964 he began his thirty-four year teaching career at South Carolina State University. A year later he began experimenting with batik, a wax-resist method of dyeing textiles. He was attracted to the medium for its rich tradition and improvisational nature.

Much of Twiggs’ work explores family history, cultural heritage, and how the past is manifest in contemporary life. His series titled “Requiem for Mother Emanuel” recently traveled throughout the southeast, earning acclaim as a powerful tribute to the nine church members slain during the horrific shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

A reception will be held for Twiggs at the Gibbes Museum of Art on Sept. 19, beginning at 7pm.

Hampton III Gallery is located at 3110 Wade Hampton Blvd., Suite 10, in Taylors, SC, 29687.

For further information call 864/268-2771.

Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail in Upstate, SC, Adds #222 Quilt Block to Trail

222 Birchwood Bear’s Paw

The Birchwood Center, off Highway 11 in the far northern part of the Pickens County, SC, was the recipient of a quilt block sponsored through the Pickens County ATAX Grant awarded to the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail.

The Birchwood Center for Art and Folk Life was founded in 2000 by Dot Jackson, Gayle Edwards, Tom Johnson, and Starkey Flythe to promote and enhance the study and awareness of the Arts and Humanities in this region. Their mission is to provide a free place to be used as a comfortable sanctuary or retreat to inspire creativity and enhance learning across the curriculum of Arts and Folk Life.  To this end, they have provided a variety of mostly free programs and activities to the public throughout the years. The Bear’s Paw block was placed on the Masters-Southerland House located on the Birchwood Center’s property in the mountains of northern Pickens County, SC, with Table Rock State Park as a backdrop.

The Bear’s Paw Quilt Block was chosen to represent the spirit and mission of the Birchwood Center. In the stories about the Underground Railroad, the Bear Paw was the symbol for a refuge for the slaves to find shelter, food, and safety. One of the founders, Dot Jackson, wrote a prize winning novel, Refuge. While the novel has nothing to do with the Birchwood Center, the title is a reminder of our mission and for the Bear’s Paw symbol on the Underground Railroad.

The Brown Bear is a native to this region and is a popular part of the local culture. In the Native American Spirit world and other mythology, the bear’s extreme power, size, courage, tenacity, confidence, and intelligence along with a touch of curiosity, mother-cub family connections, its gentle nature topped with a splash of cuteness has earned it the following title: The Great Protector and Defender of the peoples’ safety, and their freedom and resourcefulness to create a better life. The bear allows the people to be free to safely create a better life for themselves and their families. The Native Americans also believed that the bear was a messenger for dreams and visions. The Birchwood Board feels that all people who contribute positively to our history and the Arts share most of the bear’s characteristics.

Dot Jackson was a wonderful storyteller and told some wonderful tales about her bear encounters. Several tales were about a bear who loved snooping around at the Birchwood Center. We believe he just loved being around Dot. During the restoration of the Masters-Southerland House, Dot lived in a trailer on the property. After several sightings, that bear (or one bearing a striking resemblance) decided to snoop around under the trailer (called “Paradise” by Dot). It tore off some underpinning on the backside of Paradise and crawled in during the dead of the night. Dot woke to loud bumping noises and much shaking under her bedroom floor. This continued until he got settled in to rest. The bear must have decided that living close to Dot was a good thing. It bumped around under the floor anytime of the day or night. When was it going to come on in for a visit? Dot was concerned that the floor would collapse bringing down a wall. She never knew if that bear was lurking around outside. Dot was not sleeping well. The bear was happy. Dot was NOT. Somebody had to go! You know it was not going to be our feisty, fearless Dot. After a while, someone (maybe Dennis Chastain) volunteered to lure Dot’s bear out from his den under Paradise. He was taken to a more suitable home somewhere in the mountains. Dot was happy. The bear probably missed Dot.

One foggy morning at the Birchwood Center, Dot woke from a deep sleep in the comfort of Paradise to the sounds of loud grunting and other strange noises. She made her way to a front window to peer out in the direction of the noises but could see nothing unusual through the fog. When it got light enough, Dot came out to check out the area of the earlier noise. Well, she found a bear in her car and most of the contents thrown out onto the wet grass! Now, Dot was a lot like that Bear in that she was courageous, fearless, tenacious, and a protector (of her car) so she proceeded to try to get rid of her unwanted passenger. The intruder shared these traits so he was not moving out of her car. Dot was upset. The bear seemed pleased with himself. Since she was not supremely strong like the bear, Dot just went back into Paradise to call for help. In a few minutes she saw the bear slowly getting out of her car carrying the precious red bag that had gone with her everywhere for years. She was sorry to lose it but the bear looked so funny carrying that red bag slowly through the woods like he knew he had something important to take home. Dot could not help laughing at that memory even as she was looking at the mess he had made inside the car. Those paws could do some major damage!

The memories of Dot’s bear tales, along with the symbolism of the Bear, the popularity of this block in the local history, and with the original idea for the Birchwood Center, made choosing the Bear Paw a perfect choice. The Bear Paw Quilt Block represents the traditional quilt block and the colors chosen represent the new modern colors used today. Much of the material used in the block has light, softened dots in the background to represent our late Dot Jackson who was one of our cherished founders of the Birchwood Center.

The traditional Bear Paw with the modern, brightly colored materials comprised of contrasting muted backgrounds came together to make a beautiful quilt block for the Birchwood Center for the Arts and Folk Life. The square was created by Linda Blakeney, who met with the Birchwood’s Board of Directors to choose both the pattern and colors.

For further info call 864/723-6603 or visit (www.uhqt.org).

Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail in Upstate, SC, Adds New Quilt Blocks to Its Ever Expanding Trail

#220 Autumn Compass

For more than 40 years, Lynn Brill of Anderson, SC, has been crafting quilts and perfecting her unique creations. After a stroke in January 2012, Lynn lost the use of her right arm. However, with an extension for her machine and the will to learn a new way to continue her quilting, she still makes beautiful quilts and wins ribbons in quilting shows. She and her husband, Glenn, have decided to honor her love of quilting with an UHQT block on their home.

The block chosen by Lynn is Autumn Compass and is a blaze of the glorious colors of autumn, Lynn’s favorite season. Adapted from several quilt designs, Lynn’s Autumn Compass was created in a class by Lynn Kirsch of Racine, Wisconsin. The circle for the Mariner’s Compass was created by drawing a circle around a pizza pan, then divided into quarters, eighths, and sixteenths to make paper foundations. After the compass was completed, it was hand appliqued onto the quilt. The border, comprised of a quilting technique called flying geese, is in greens, rust and gold. Because the Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin is a stopping place for thousands of Canadian geese each fall, Lynn decided to incorporate the flying geese into the border.

The block was installed above the garage door of their Anderson home in celebration of Lynn’s 70th birthday.

#221 Bursting in Air

Bursting in Air is a variation of the classic Greek Square quilt block. It is located on the Six Mile Farmers Market, once the site of the town’s volunteer fire department. This patriotic-themed block was sponsored through a Pickens County Accommodations Tax grant awarded to the Greater Pickens County Chamber of Commerce. Kim Smagala, Director and the Chamber selected Six Mile to receive this block to enhance the cluster of quilts already in the area.

When the town of Six Mile was contacted with the news that they had been chosen to receive a quilt block, Mayor Roy Stoddard chose this red, white and blue block to honor the four Congressional Medal of Honor recipients who grew up in the Six Mile and Liberty communities. It will serve as a reminder of the bravery and sacrifice of these men, who gave their all for their country. They are: Furman D. Smith, US Army, medal awarded January 17, 1945; William McWhorter, US Army, medal awarded September 27, 1945; Charles H. Barker, US Army, medal awarded June 13, 1955; James D. Howe, US Marines, medal awarded September 15, 1971. The stories of these men and their heroism can be found on the town of Six Mile’s website at (www.sixmilesc.org).

This patriotic themed square is modeled after one that quilter Doris Land included in a sampler quilt made for her son Karl Tubbs. Doris acquired the fabric and pattern for this square from Viking Sew ‘n’ Quilt, now in Maulden, SC, when she completed one of the Carolina Shop Hops. That year twelve quilt shops in the region participated, each offering its own pattern and fabric packet to use in a patriotic themed quilt. Doris was relatively new to quilting and assumed that all she had to do with each packet was sew the pre-cut pieces together. To her surprise, there were no little squares, triangles, and rectangles cut and ready to sew in the packet—just large strips of fabric and the directions for cutting. She laughs at her beginner’s mistake.

After joining a quilt guild she learned about their efforts to make Quilts of Valor for veterans. She was inspired to use her Shop Hop squares in a Quilt of Valor for her son Karl who served with the Army National Guard in the Iraq war. Doris’s sampler quilt uses the squares, including Bursting in Air, to frame a center Lone Star medallion. The quilt is machine pieced and machine quilted.

Doris resides in Pickens County and belongs to the Upcountry Quilters Guild and the Swamp Rabbit Guild in Traveler’s Rest.

For further info visit (www.uhqt.org).

Greenville Center for Creative Arts in Greenville, SC, Offers an Art Supply Flea Market – Aug. 25, 2018

The Greenville Center for Creative Arts in Greenville, SC, is askng artists & art students to mark your calendars for the Art Supply Flea Market, to be held on Saturday, August 25, 2018, from 10am – 3pm.

Artists, we need you! Clean out your studios and donate your gently used art supplies.

Drop off your donated supplies on Friday, Aug. 17 or Saturday, August 18, from 11am – 2pm at Greenville Center for Creative Arts. You may request a gift in-kind form for your contributions.

GCCA Members may also sell higher priced items ($40+) by consignment at the Flea Market, with 50% of the sale price returning to the artist.

What is the Art Supply Flea Market?
Artists and students of all ages and stages will find great bargains on gently used and new supplies in all mediums. Come shop for deals on paints, papers, tools, brushes, equipment, frames, display racks, and more.
Who is invited?
Anyone can donate supplies and materials!
What donations will be accepted?
Gently used or new art supplies and materials. Examples: paintbrushes, pencil sharpeners, viable paints and inks, printmaking equipment, mat cutters, papers, etc.

What donations will not be accepted?
Examples: Artwork (unfinished or finished), home goods (lamps, blinds, rugs, etc.), house paint, broken items, dried paints.

If you have questions, please e-mail (info@artcentergreenville.org).

Proceeds will benefit Art School scholarships for youth to attend classes, summer camps, and workshops at the Art Center.

Spread the word! Forward this info to high school students, art teachers, college students, and artists of all stages!

Cash accepted. $10 minimum on debit/credit purchases

The Greenville Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 Abney Street, Greenville, SC 29611.

For further info call 864/735-3948 or visit (www.artcentergreenville.org).

Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail in Upstate SC Adds Another Quilt Block to the Trail in Anderson, SC

Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail in Upstate SC adds quilt block #219 Drunken Sailor to the ever expanding Quilt Trail.

Descendants of Ida Bell Nelson Turner, Quilt Maker, Variation of the “Drunken Sailor” Pattern. Created near Shellhorn, AL, around 1910/20.
Left front to rear: Diann Simms (granddaughter) and Nelson Brooks (great-grandson)
Right front to rear: Simms Brooks (great-granddaughter), Holland Simms (grandson), Eden Brooks (great-great-grandaughter) and Walt Brooks (great-grandson)

Experienced quilters will recognize Ida Bell Nelson Turner’s lovely, complex quilt as an example of the Drunkard’s Path pattern. This is one of the more challenging quilt blocks to construct because of its curved piecing and complicated block layout. Turner’s quilt is distinguished by its intricate arrangement of blocks and its balanced placement of color. Its block layout is more complicated than other common arrangements. Its bright early 20th century fabrics make this Drunkard’s Path an especially cheerful quilt.

Turner likely made this quilt sometime after 1920 while living with her husband, Newman Sebastian Turner, in Pike County, AL. She lived in close proximity to her many relatives and friends who joined with her to complete quilts for each other. Turner’s granddaughter Diann Simms—the owner of this quilt and sponsor of this block—says Ida told her she used to “put the pieces together” and then family and friends would gather and quilt. According to Turner, not everyone in the group got a completed quilt each year. They “took turn about.” While Ida’s quilt is admired for its beauty and craftsmanship today, its original purpose was covering beds and keeping warm. Like many quilts of the early 20th century, this quilt is backed with bright yellow fabric. The quilt top has a border of blue and bright yellow.

The Drunkard’s Path’s zig zag pattern of curved pieces resembles the path a drunk might walk after a night of drinking. Some quilt historians note that the Drunkard’s Path pattern was popular among quilters during the nation’s experiment with Prohibition. These historians believe that women who supported the temperance movement may have used this pattern to express their support of the anti-alcohol cause. There is, however, some disagreement among quilt historians about the theory’s validity. Turner’s granddaughter Diann doubts that her grandmother made this quilt as a political statement but thinks she’d have found its name, Drunkard’s Path, funny since Ida abstained from alcohol all her life.

Turner was born in 1880 and died in 1966. She is buried near Shelhorn, AL. This quilt block is located at 66 Oleander Drive, Anderson, SC.

For further information about the Quilt Trail call 864/723-6603 or visit (www.uhqt.org).

Hub City Empty Bowls Celebrates 10 Years with a New Event in Spartanburg, SC – Sept. 28, 2018

Hub City Empty Bowls 2018 marks 10 years of pottery bowl-making as a way to raise funds that feed hungry people in Spartanburg, SC, who are not sure where their next meal is coming from.

To celebrate 10 years of helping the public make thousands of hand-shaped pottery bowls and donating tens of thousands of dollars to local charity that provides food to the needy, the lead agency Carolina Clay Artists will add a special event to its lineup of activities. In addition to three bowl-making sessions and Soup Day, “10 Years of Filling Empty Bowls” will be a ticketed party on Friday, Sept. 28, 2018 at Indigo Hall in downtown Spartanburg. Patrons will purchase $50 advance tickets that will admit them to the event and will include first dibs on selecting pottery bowls (one bowl is included in the ticket price); beer, wine, and finger foods; and a silent auction. The event starts at 5:30pm and ends at 8pm.

Tickets can be purchased by calling Traci Kennedy at 864/585-9167, ext. 202 or e-mailing her at (Director@TotalMinistries.org).

“This is a special year, and we wanted to do something special to celebrate,” Hub City Empty Bowls 2018 Chair Bruce Bowyer said. “After nine years of doing this, we’ve noticed some things that people really like about Hub City Empty Bowls. They like the pottery bowls. They like looking at them and getting the ones they really want based on shape, color, and personality. They like being together. People really have a good time when they attend bowl-making sessions or Soup Day. They like coming together for a common cause. So, we are giving them another opportunity to enjoy what they like the most. The night before Soup Day, we’ll host this party for people who want the best selection of bowls and who want another reason to get together in their efforts to end local hunger. I think a good time will be had by all, and, of course, all of the money will be given to TOTAL Ministries, the local faith-based charity that provides food to local people in dire financial straits.”

In recent years, Hub City Empty Bowls as averaged donating about $33,000 a year to TOTAL Ministries, which now helps with the administration of the annual event, freeing members of Carolina Clay Artists to focus their efforts on actual pottery making.

“Carolina Clay Artists has filled many empty stomachs in Spartanburg in the past nine years,” TOTAL’s Director Traci Kennedy said. “So many people — not just the homeless but average people who have lost jobs or fallen on hard times — have been saved from the pangs of hunger because someone made a pottery bowl and someone else bought it. Hub City Empty Bowls is a grassroots effort that has struck a nerve in Spartanburg. It is much anticipated and much loved. It is a creative program, it is an inclusive program, it is an effective program. Look at it this way: a $20 pottery bowl produces about 100 pounds of food from the local food bank. One hundred pounds of food can feed a family of four for about a week.”

According to Feeding America, a leading national agency dedicated to stopping hunger, about 13.6 percent or 39,690 people in Spartanburg are “food insecure,” which is usually defined as people who aren’t sure if they will have their next meal. The State of South Carolina has a rate of 15.3 percent or 746,810 people out of the total population of 4,896,146, based on 2017 statistics.

“Spartanburg may not be the worst county in the state for food insecurity, but we certainly have a problem,” Kennedy said. “I see it every week as people who need help line up outside our doors.”

The first bowl-making session will be Saturday, June 16, 2018, at Spartanburg Art Museum (SAM), housed at Chapman Cultural Center. The morning session will be 10am to noon; the afternoon session will be 1-3pm. Anyone can attend, and there is no charge. All clay, studio space, and professional instruction are donated. This is an excellent family event.

The second bowl-making session will be Saturday, July 7, 2018, at West Main Artists Co-op, from 1-4pm. The third and final bowl-making session will be Saturday, July 14, at SAM, from 10am-noon and 1-3pm.

Soup Day will be Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, from 11am-4pm at Indigo Hall. Hundreds of finished pottery bowls will be on display and available for purchase/donation at $20 each. Included in the day’s activities will be about two dozen gourmet soups donated by local restaurants. The meal will include tea, water, and bread. Also, there will be live music.

“Bowl making is the creative part of Hub City Empty Bowl,” Bowyer said. “Individuals and families come to experience pottery or to scratch a creative itch. Soup Day is when it all comes together. I’ve seen people get a dozen or more bowls at a time. They use them for Christmas gifts, and I know of one lady who gets them to be used at her Thanksgiving meal. Then they all congregate to eat soup, listen to the music, and feel good about helping others. It really is one of Spartanburg’s most heartwarming events.”

This year’s sponsors are West Main Artists Co-op, Spartanburg Art Museum, Chapman Cultural Center, Allegra Printing, JM Smith Corp., and Chris Williams.

Empty Bowls is an international phenomenon that uses art to fight hunger in local communities. It started in 1990, when Michigan high school art teacher John Hartom wanted to create an outreach program for his students to use art as a means to raise money that would be used to feed local citizens. From there, the concept spread globally, with each community tweaking the concept to fit its unique circumstances. Most communities engage local potters to help citizens make pottery bowls that are eventually sold at a public event, such Hub City Empty Bowls’s Soup Day. Other communities use different types of art and/or different fundraising events. There is no centralized authority: each community coordinates its program based on the original concept but individualizes it to suit its ways, means, and goals.

For more information about “10 Years of Filling Empty Bowls” or Hub City Empty Bowls, please visit online (www.HubCityEmptyBowls.com).

Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail in Upstate, SC, Adds #216 to the Quilt Trail

The UHQT’s latest addition to the Trail in Pickens County is number 216 an 8×8 rendition of the traditional 1930s Puss-in-a-Corner quilt pattern, also known as Kansas City Star and Puss in Boots (1935). The design was also featured in the Aunt Martha series of Quilt Designs, ca. 1952. The quilt block is located at 446 Dacusville Highway Easley, SC.

This gorgeous family quilt was made by Hattie Porter Willis, nee Rampey, who was born and grew up in Liberty, SC. She created this quilt in 1954 with assistance from her sisters and friends who gathered after church services or when they were visiting the family to complete this piece. The quilt, when completed, was gifted to Wallace, (Hattie’s grandson), and Faye Rogers, on the occasion of their wedding. Wallace was also born in Liberty and then moved to Easley after his marriage.

Since that time, the quilt has been handed down to Wallace’s son, Bart Rogers, and his wife Kim. It is installed on a small barn on their property in Easley, SC. This property on Dacusville Highway was originally a grist mill owned by the father of Sarah Hamilton. Two of the millstones from the grist mill are displayed at the Hagood Mill in Pickens County. Sarah Hamilton gifted the property, as well as other parcels to the Easley Baptist Hospital. The Rogers, Bart & Kim purchased the property from the hospital in March of 2015 and have lived there with their family since that date. The old farm is adjacent to the Easley Baptist Park and Walking Trail and the block can be viewed from the park.

For further information about the Quilt Trail call 864/723-6603 or visit (www.uhqt.org).