FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- 4/20/08
Morgan Arts Council • Berkeley Springs, WV
Press contact only: Rika Bennett -- 304-258-6189

QUILT SHOW OPENS WITH ARTWALK

BERKELEY SPRINGS, WV -----The annual Delectable Mountains Quilt Show opens
at the Ice House Gallery on Friday,May 2 as the first major event
of Quilt Month in Berkeley Springs, WV. A four-stop Artwalk along
downtown streets from 5 to 9pm marks the opening festivities.
Produced by the Morgan Arts Council, and curated by quilt guild
member Rika Bennett, the popular quilt show hangs through June 1.

The Friday Artwalk begins at 5pm at Mountain Laurel Gallery with
Ladies on the C&O Canal, a show of paintings and prints by Tom Kozar.
Next door to Mountain Laurel at 5pm is a special reception opening a
display of miniature quilts at the new Recycling Works shop. Also at
5pm is a special reception at Acorns and Oaks Quilt Shop. Centerpiece
of the Artwalk is the meet-the-quilters reception at the Ice House
Gallery beginning at 7:30pm.

More than 30 quilts recently made by members of Delectable Mountain
Quilt Guild will be on display, some for sale, some not. New this
year are quilts produced in the recently established evening group of
Delectable Mountain Quilters. "We're very excited at the opportunity
this evening group provides for women who work and pleased at how many
of them choose quilting as a way to spend their limited amount of free
time," said Rika Bennett, longtime quilter and curator of this year's
show. "Their work makes a valuable contribution to the annual show."

The array of quilting styles, colors and designs represents the variety
of women who participate in the quilt guild. "We have some who are
traditional and others who are doing really unusual work," said
Bennett. For the first time, the show displays the round robin quilts
done this year by the group. According to Jane Frenke, a round robin
is a group of quilters who do center blocks, then pass the quilt from
person to person adding details like triangle borders or applique. " No
one sees the round robin until it is finished and returns to the first
person," she said. A professional fabric artist, Frenke has new work
in the show including wall hangings from new vat dye fabric she created
as well as a large quilt using African fabrics.

As is traditional, Bennett introduces the annual Apple Butter Festival
quilt at the show. This year, the quilt is called Peacocks and Flying
Geese, done in shades of blue, violet, and turquoise. Alternating with
the pieced blocks are plain blocks which Bennett painted and
sun-printed with book-pressed images of woodland leaves. "Once I
painted the blocks last summer, I laid the dried leaves on the wet
fabric and put them in the bright sunlight," said Bennett. "A perfect
photographic image results."

In addition to full size quilts and wall hangings for display and sale,
guild members also produce quilted book covers, pocket books, tote bags
and new this year, utility buckets with pockets in two sizes. "We
want there to be items for every budget," said Bennett.

This is the fourth year that Berkeley Springs is transformed into Quilt
Central during the show with other quilt-related activities including
the only-one-of-its-kind Yard-Square Quilts -- a display and auction of
44 small pieces hanging in businesses throughout town. The finale for
the month long silent auction is at the Ice House on Monday, May 26
when bids close from 4 to 5pm. The Yard Square Quilts are already
hanging on display.

On Saturday and Sunday, May 10 and 11, a collaboration of quilters,
playwrites and actors produce Piecework. "We are staging four locally
written one-act staged readings at the Ice House," said Piecework
director, Abbie Brown. Each play has a yard square quilt designed and
created to match the play topic. "Audiences will laugh, cry and have a
chance to win those special yard-square quilts for the price of a
ticket," said Brown.

The special quilt exhibit is funded through grants from the National
Endowment for the Arts, the West Virginia Commission on the Arts and
local hotel/motel tax revenues. The Ice House is located on the corner
of Independence and Mercer streets. The gallery is open from 11am to
5pm Saturdays and Sundays. For more information call 258-2300 or check
online at www.macicehouse.org