About Sandra
 Artist Statement
Art quilting is one of my favorite activities. It has challenged me to try things I never imagined and taken me in directions I didn't expect to go. I spend a lot of my spare time in art museums and reading design books.
For me, quilting is like completing a jigsaw puzzle. I have an advantage with these puzzles. I'm the designer, so I know how they fit together. Some designs are simple and can be made quickly, others are very complex. My work includes geometric designs and story quilts made with fabrics from around the world.
My interest in sewing started when I was a child. I made clothes for my Barbie doll and then for myself. I made my first quilt in the early 80's. After I made quilts for everyone in the family, my work transitioned from being functional to being decorative. These days all my quilts are art quilt wall hangings.
Every piece is unique. Sometimes I use the same fabrics in more than one quilt but none of my quilts are alike. My favorite techniques include working with fabric to create transparencies and designing without templates. The variety keeps the opposite sides of my brain busy and that helps to keep life balanced. One is very detailed and requires a lot of concentration while the other just happens.
I use quilting as an escape from my daily routines even though it has become part of my every day life. If I'm not making a quilt, teaching someone else, or lecturing about quilt making, I'm creating new designs.
I welcome commissions, workshops and speaking engagements. Contact me at ssmithdc@aol.com or 301-879-8759.
Awards
Creative Crafts Council 2003 Show - Bethesda, MD
"Circle of Life"
Winner of Potomac Craft Council Award
February - April 2003
Eastcoast Quilter's Alliance - Westford, MA
"Complements and Contrasts"
First Place Award for Best Reflection of Theme
November 1997
Select Exhibits
African American Quilters of Baltimore – Baltimore, MD
“Painting in Stitches”
Quilt and Fiber Art Show and Sale
October, 2006
NeedleChasers – Chevy Chase, MD
Quilt Show and Sale
October, 2006
The Art of the Quilt – Flint, MI
African American Quilters Guild Exhibit
Flint Public Library, Flint MI
September, 2006
Children's National Medical Center - Washington, D.C.
"Dreams to Reality"
January - March 2004
Portfolio Gallery - St. Louis, MO
HOK Show
February 2004
Rockville Arts Place - Rockville, MD
"Inspired by Words"
January - February 2004
G Street Fabrics - Rockville, MD
"African American Art Quilters"
January - March 2004
Carroll Arts Center - Westminster, MD
"Celebration of the Spirit: A Showcase of African
American Artists"
January - February 2004
Portfolio Gallery - St. Louis, MO
"African Masks and Fetishes"
August - September 2003
"Diversity of the Cloth"
June - July 2003
Rockville Arts Place - Rockville, MD
"Off the Wall" Show and Sale
May 2003
Creative Crafts Council 2003 Show - Bethesda, MD
"Circle of Life"
Winner of Potomac Craft Council Award
February - April 2003
Rockville Arts Place - Rockville, MD
"Inspired by Music" juried member show
January - February 2003
Maryland State House - Annapolis, MD
Quilts by Marylanders"
Sponsored by the Office of Special Projects
December 2002 - January 2003
Maryland College of Art and Design - Silver Spring, MD
Faculty Art Exhibition
October 2002
Eastcoast Quilters' Alliance - Nashua, NH
"A Quilters' Gathering - All that Inspires Us" exhibit and competition
November 2001
New England Quilt Museum - Lowell, MA
"Parallel Threads"
August - October 2001
Vermont Quilt Festival - Northfield, VT
"Parallel Threads"
June - July 2001
American Craft Museum, NY - sponsored exhibit
"Spirits of the Cloth: Contemporary African-American Quilts"
Venues: The American Craft Museum, NY - Mint Museum of Craft, NC - The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. - Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, FL - Evansville Museum, IN - Blaffer Gallery, TX
February 2000 - January 2002
The Gallery at the Piano Factory, Boston, MA
"Epiphany: Excerpts from the Lives of Black Woman Artists"
Sponsored by Renaissance Art & Design Gallery
October 2000
Spelman College Museum of Art - Atlanta, GA
"In the Spirit of the Cloth: Contemporary African American Quilts"
Part of the National Black Arts Festival
February - July 1998
Banneker-Douglass Museum - Annapolis, MD
"Quilting - The Fabric of Our Lives"
January - March 1998
Eastcoast Quilter's Alliance - Westford, MA
"Complements and Contrasts"
First Place Award for Best Reflection of Theme
November 1997
Brush Art Gallery & Studios - Lowell, MA
"Textile Traditions: The Fabric of Women's Lives "
September - November 1994
Frederick Douglass Gallery - Hartford, CT
"A Woman's Touch "
Sponsored by Renaissance Art & Design Gallery, Boston, MA
March 1993
New England School of Art & Design - Boston, MA
"Sharing Our Spirit: African American Art"
September 1993
Annual Newbury Street Fall Art - Boston, MA
14th Annual Fall Art Festival
September 1993
Publication and Television
"Does Your Work Speak for You?"
Article in the Journal of the National Quilt Association
Quilting Quarterly
Volume 34, Number 1 [#129]
May 2005
"Spirits of the Cloth: Contemporary African-American Quilts"
Carolyn Mazloomi - author
Published by Clarkson Potter - November 1998
Museum of American Textile History - Lowell, MA
"Textile Traditions: The Fabric of Women's Lives"
Multimedia project sponsored by the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission
Summer 1993
"Your Morning Show" - Cable TV Channel 8
Interview about my quilting designs and inspirations - broadcast in conjunction with the Textile Museum, Washington D. C. - "African-American Quilts from the Robert and Helen Cargo Collection" exhibition
November 2003
NUE TV
Interview about my inspirations for works featured in the "Spirits of the Cloth" exhibition at The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution.
October 2000
Workshops and Presentations
The Walters Art Museum – Baltimore, MD
Quilt Design Demonstration
July, 2007
The Textile Museum – Washington, D.C.
Celebration of Textiles
Quilting Demonstration
June, 2007
The Art of the Quilt Presentation – Flint, MI
African American Quilters Guild
Flint Public Library, Flint MI
September, 2006
Maryland College of Art and Design, Silver Spring MD
"Tips for Creating an Artist's Website" workshop
Spring and Fall semesters November 2002 - March 2004
The Textile Museum - Washington, D.C.
African American Quilts from the Robert & Helen Cargo Collection
Design demonstration - November 2003
Educators' Night demonstration - October 2003
Rockville Arts Place - Rockville, MD
Fabric collage workshop
April 2003
Needle Chasers of Chevy Chase, MD
Lecture and discussion
January 200
American Textile History Museum, Lowell, MA
Lecture and discussion
September 2002
Montessori Teachers Association, Washington, D.C.
Bargello Story Quilts - Curriculum development workshop
March 2002
The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
- Quilt trunk show and discussion
February 2002
- Three Dimensional Quilting Techniques Demonstration
January 2001
- Bargello Story Quilts - Hands-on workshop for children and adults
November 2001
Full Gospel Emancipation Life Center
Quilt trunk show and discussion
May 2001
Thomas House Retirement Community
Quilt trunk show and discussion
April 2001
John Easton Elementary School, Washington D.C.
Second grade classroom activity
February 1996
|
