Quilters Mix Tradition with Contemporary Art

by Sara Cogswell, Curator of "Threads of Evidence"

The quilts of Dayton resident Winifred Fiedler are undeniably traditionally rooted, but her bold colors and imaginative use of geometric forms also show the influence of contemporary painting and photography. As an artist, she has worked as both a quilter and photographer.

Fielder came late in life to the pursuit of art after a first “career” of community involvement while raising five children. She started quilting about 20 years ago.
Her work is in both corporate and private collections, some of it created as commissions. It has been shown throughout southwest Ohio at venues that include the Glen Helen Preserve, the Ohio State Fair, Springfield Art Museum, Cox Arboretum, Dayton Convention Center, and Dayton Visual Arts Center. Her king-size quilt, Outback, was reproduced in the magazine "Quilters Newsletter".

An equally fascinating fusion of traditional quilting, contemporary art, and performance art will be seen in the work of well-known textile artist Christina Pereyma. Based in Troy, Pereyma is known for her “fragile, non-functional garments, iconic textiles and poetic sculptures”, incorporating such materials as beeswax and eggshells, as well as a wide variety of fabrics and textile traditions. Her work has been shown in solo exhibitions at the Dayton Visual Arts Center and the Dayton Art Institute, as well as group shows in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

Pereyma will be performing a work she calls “Yellow”, in which she uses a historic Davis treadle sewing machine (manufactured in Dayton by the company that evolved into the Huffy bicycle company) to quilt pieces of yellow satiny fabric which she has imprinted with the natural rust of steel implements. The printing process can take anywhere from two days to several weeks depending on the treatment of the fabric as well as the steel. “The quality of the surface of my materials is a primary concern, the confrontation of satin and rust.”

As a woman trained to use an electric sewing machine, maintaining the steady rhythm pumping the foot treadle requires a tremendous amount of concentration. “It is equally Zen and controlled frenzy.” She sees it as “a metaphor for life on earth, a constant forward motion in a rotational spin, hurling through space.”

Her performance and site-specific installation will progress and grow during the Festival and will take place in a small tent located by the Material Culture Stage. She will be giving an explanation of her piece at 2:00 pm on Sunday on the Material Culture stage.