Ann Chooses Artwork for “Apparent Contradictions”

The SAQA New Jersey+New York Regional group invited me to jury their 2025 exhibit, byCONTRAST: Apparent Contradictions. It has been a privilege and a challenge to be the sole juror for an exhibit with such talented artists. I spent a week looking at images of all the entries, overall images and details, and reading their required statements explaining the idea they intended to convey and how it relates to the theme of the exhibit. We decided that I would try to select only one from each artist, unless there was a clear exception needed. There are 30 wonderful quilts you will enjoy seeing at various venues, traveling throughout the year. There is also a catalogue available.

THEME/CONCEPT

Contrast in art–the juxtaposition of obvious differences–is an aspect of design that can add drama, elicit a smile, convey meaning, evoke emotion, or guide the viewer’s eye. For, the second exhibition by the SAQA NJ + NY region, we ask artists to create work that explores a particular kind of contrast epitomized in everyday expressions such as open secret, random order, alone together, same difference, jumbo shrimp, and deafening silence.

VENUES

• Rochester Contemporary Arts, Rochester, NY
  Aug 21 hanging; Aug 30 opening; Sept 5: First Friday Opening
• View Center for Arts and Culture, Old Forge, NY
  Oct. 2: Hanging; Oct. 4: Opening; Oct. 5: Panel Talk
• Trenton City Museum at Ellerslie Park, Trenton, NJ a. Jan. 7, 2026: Hanging; Jan 9 and 10: Opening; 
• Quiltfest 2026, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
   May 14: Hanging; May 15-17: Open
• Bethany Arts Community, 40 Somerstown Rd.; Ossining, NY
  June 12: Hanging; June 12/13: Opening; June 29

Ann’s statement for juror quilt “A Stone’s Throw”

I decided I wanted to send a quilt to join the exhibit, and I was working on one that was in the size category. I thought “A Stone’s Throw” would fit the theme too.

Artist comment: I have heard and used the phrase “a stone’s throw away” many times in my life… but not recently. Where did it come from? Maybe my grandmother. Was it a common expression of a distance? Is it a concept that is going away? It makes me think of how many times I have arrived at a lake or river and someone picks up a stone and throws it in, a big high plop or a low skipping skim.

My challenge to myself was to see if I could make stones look like they were underwater by using this particular piece of cloth, with irregular overlapping shapes and indistinct areas. The arrangement of the shapes gave me the idea to applique more of them; I used a large whip stitch with bright thin thread to highlight the edges a little and see how it would look under the quilting I planned.

I referred to my photographs of the textures on streams, and for practice, drew out the main quilting lines full size on paper. Then I had to jump in, no going back! Now that it is done, I see other ways I might try to stitch water ripples in the future.

Ann Johnston’s Juror Statement for “Apparent Contradictions” 

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