After QuiltCon 2016 in Pasadena, several of us from the San Francisco Francisco Quilt Guild (who also meet on the sidelines as the San Francisco Bee Modern quilt group) were inspired by some of the quilts that addressed social issues. We have formed our own group – but more on that later. I wanted to share some of the work we found inspirational.

The LA Times covered some of these quilts from QuiltCon West in this article.

Of note, some of these:

The One for Eric by Chawne Kimber

The One for Eric by Chawne Kimber

In Chawne’s words:

The improvisational patchwork here is meant to remind one of graffiti scrawled impulsively on a wall in the shadows. Hand-quilting in winding trails of various reds invokes brick and blood.

A quilt in my “elegy” series, this one is for Eric Garner who was killed in a chokehold by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo on July 17, 2014 on Staten Island. His suspected crime was selling loose cigarettes on a street corner. Recorded in a viral video on a smart phone, these were Eric’s last words.

For me, these words are filled with meaning beyond the incident.

Her website Completely Cauchy can be seen here with more of her work.

My Brother’s Jeans Artist Statement

My brothers Jeans by MELISSA AVERINOS

My brothers Jeans by MELISSA AVERINOS

Aftermathe by Jackie Gering , made April 2013 in response to the Boston Marathon Bombing

Aftermath by Jackie Gering

Aftermath by Jacquie Gering

image

Artist statement from Jacquie Gering:

bang, you’re dead. was made in response to the violence in chicago in 2012, in particular i was thinking of the children that are hurt and killed violently every day. photograph by gregory case photography. this is first in a series of modern message quilts

 Our San Francisco group found new inspiration in these thought provoking artists and are trying to branch out on our own to explore new ideas in our own creative work. Next time I’ll share our first efforts!