Community Quilt Project Workshops At Oswego Public Library To Be Held October 7, October 9

OSWEGO – Come join Ellen M. Blalock and have fun making a quilt square for the community quilt project that will be on display in the Corner Gallery in Tyler Hall on the SUNY Oswego campus this winter.

Ellen M. Blalock, SUNY Oswego’s Artist-In-Residence, will hold workshops on Thursday, October 7, 2 to 5 p.m. and Saturday, October 9, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Oswego Public Library’s Community Room.

We need your help, from beginners to advance quilters. You don’t need to know how to sew. These workshops are open to the college community and the community at large. All materials will be provided.

The work is appliqué. The pieces will be fused and ironed. Everyone will be given a numbered square (12” by 12”) to design while following the pattern.

You can bring your own fabric. If you are going to bring fabric pieces, you can bring any size, even down to 4 by 6 inches. You are welcomed to bring your own scissors and other sewing notions. The work is appliqué. The pieces will be fused and ironed. Everyone will be given a numbered square (12” by 12”) to design while following the pattern.

Ellen M. Blalock is the Artist-In-Resident at SUNY Oswego this semester. She started quilting over 20 years ago to replace what was taken from her family. As a narrative artist and documentarian, she works in several mediums: quilting, photography, film/ video, and drawing. Her main goal is to tell the stories of people that have been marginalized. She is particularly interested in female identity and power and the African diaspora.

Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Blalock now lives in Syracuse, NY. She has a B.F.A. from Temple University and M.F.A. from Syracuse University. She lectures on art/ quilting, race and social issues. She has taught art history and studio arts at colleges and universities: Syracuse University, Georgia Southern University, Georgia College & State University, and Onondaga Community College.

Her art quilts have been exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions, including: Gibbs Museum, Charleston, SC; Bundy Museum, Binghamton, NY; Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY; Natural History Museum, Los Angeles, CA; The African American Museum, Philadelphia, PA and Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY.

Blalock has received several awards, grants, fellowships and residencies and she serves on the Syracuse Public Arts Commission.

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