Quilt show receives arts commission grant

The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show has earned a $5,300 grant from the Oregon Arts Commission to support a joint project with the Sisters Folk Festival, "Shared Stories: Piecing Together Music and Art," featuring an evening performance by the Quiltmakers of Gees Bend, Alabama, and students in Sisters' arts and music programs.

Grant funds will be used to promote the event in and beyond Central Oregon.

The Quiltmakers from Gees Bend, Alabama, are descended from slaves who worked a plantation on the Alabama River. Their quilts, all made from materials on hand and inspired by the world around them, were discovered and introduced to curators about ten years ago. Since that time they have become famous in the world of quilting for their simple yet striking designs and a penchant for breaking into song while working on their quilts.

On Tuesday, July 5, the Quiltmakers will spend a day sharing their life experiences in two workshops, one focused on quilting and the other on music and song. Students in Kit Stafford's middle school ARTS Discovery program will participate in the fiber arts workshop.

High school students from the Sisters Folk Festival's educational outreach program, the Americana Project, will prepare music for the performance and partner with the Gees Bend quilters on stage in an evening concert. Tickets are available at Paulina Springs Books in Sisters and Redmond, BJ's Quilt Basket in Bend, Stitchin' Post in Sisters and at http://www.sisters

outdoorquiltshow.org/events.htm#geesbend. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youth under 18. The event begins at 7 p.m. and is a fundraiser for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.

The event is sponsored by South Valley Bank & Trust and Bend/Sisters Garden RV Resort. A limited number of additional sponsorships are available.For more information about becoming a sponsor of this event, contact [email protected] or call 541-549-0989.