38th Annual Quilt Exhibition Winners
Each quilt submitted for the exhibition was juried by quilting experts in the region, including Gerald E. Roy, Marry Derry, and Marti DelNevo. Each juror selected one quilt to receive a Juror’s Choice Award. The awards were presented at the opening reception on Friday, June 28, 2024.
Visitors can vote for their favorite quilts for the People’s Choice Award through August 19, 2024.
Juror Award: Head Judge Gerald E. Roy
Amy’s Citrus Basket by Carol Devins, White River Junction, VT
Inspired by the cherished memory of a family gathering, and Amy, a dear friend of the quilter’s daughter, this quilt radiates warmth and cheerfulness. The bright colors reflect the vibrant personality of Amy. The quilt features an asymmetrical and modern take on the traditional Drunkard’s Path pattern, with zigzagging and staggered paths made from curved pieces of fabric. A further modern aspect is the enlarged negative space on select blocks. Head Judge Gerald E. Roy commented that “Carol managed to arrange the pieces in a totally different pattern than I had ever seen before. The quilt is pieced using quarter round pieces of circles of various colors creating a center field of Citrus Fruit and leaves. “
Beyond the vibrant, contrasting colors, intricate craftsmanship and appliqué work in circular, organic motion enhances the design, including beautiful stitching of flowers, citrus cross sections, and leaf veins. Devins comments, “Our family has truly enjoyed having Amy around for many important memories.”
Juror Award: Judge Mary Derry
Reunion by Nancy Foote, Hartland, VT
This quilt is a powerful evocation of historical and contemporary themes of war and remembrance. Originally inspired by the still and somber cemetery commemorating 8,500 lost lives on a Civil War battlefield, Foote comments, “As painful news reports and images from Ukraine and the Middle East have filled out newspapers and screens, I thought again of that cemetery and of the burial grounds all over the world filled with those whose lives have been destroyed by war.” The simplicity of the quilt, with repeating triangles in red, white, blue and grey, symbolizes the countless and uniform gravestones. The design evokes powerful imagery, and taking the form of a quilt, it offers a soothing response to the harsh realities of war and loss.
Judge Mary Derry was drawn to the symmetry and commented that “row after row of identical shapes and the artistically placed red, white and blue fabric brought memories of American Military Cemeteries in the United Sates and in other sacred spots around the world. The piecing and quilting techniques were also exemplary, making this entry special in both its message and execution.”
Juror Award: Judge Marti DelNevo
A Repeated Prayer by Rae Heller, Brattleboro, VT
Part of a series of quilts on grief, “A Repeated Prayer” was created after the complex and unresolved death of a friend. The precise and deliberate work of quilting naturally lent itself as a conduit to process grief. The quilt represents the stages of grief, using soothing and healing colors. The painstaking process included piecing approximately 1,700 squares for the border, each square a small step in the healing journey. The hand of the artist is evident in the hand-stitched pathways, each stitch a testament to the slow, deliberate work of coming to terms with loss. Heller describes the quilt as “a meditation on devotion, aliveness, and the process that is grief. In art and life, things take as long as they take.”
Judge Marti DelNevo selected this quilt because it “drew me in with the colors and movement of the design. The big stitch quilting added a contemplative dimension. After reading the quilter’s description, it resonated and moved me. After losing my husband, the somewhat monotonous work of piecing and rhythmic stitching was balm for my soul and allowed me to sit with my thoughts.”