Quilt show opens with Artwalk

Dramatic design and meticulous piecing and quilting are hallmarks of the 2007 Delectable Mountains Quilt Show opening at the Ice House Gallery on Friday, April 13. A three stop Artwalk from 5 to 9 p.m. in downtown Berkeley Springs starts the festivities. The quilt celebration continues with a second reception on Saturday. Produced by the Morgan Arts Council, and curated by quilt guild member Marilyn Moser, the popular quilt show hangs through May 28.

The Friday Artwalk begins at 5 p.m. at Mountain Laurel Gallery with Robeo, Oh Robeo, a show of color-enhanced black and white photographs by Martinsburg artist Daniele Paisecki. Also at 5 p.m. is a special reception at Acorns and Oaks, Quilts and More. Centerpiece of the Artwalk is the meet-the-quilters reception at the Ice House Gallery beginning at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m., Bath Bookworks has a special reception featuring miniature quilts.

More than 30 quilts recently made by members of Delectable Mountain Quilters will be on display, some for sale, some not. Johnnie Schell's Scream is a lopsided, off-center, bright colored quilt with innovative piecing that has to be seen to be believed. Cindy Marsullo is showing both the Delectable Mountains Mystery Quilt as well as Autumn Kaleidoscope featuring intricate "fussy cutting." Also on display is the collective quilt created by members for the 2006 Morgan County Fair.

Rika Bennett introduces the 2007 Apple Butter Festival quilt, Autumn Colors, as well as Lighthouse which paints a picture with fabric. Landscapes are captured in four pieces from different quilters. Another group did Oriental themed quilts. The newly reopened Paradox room as well as halls adjacent to the Gallery proper are hung with quilts and wall hanging for sale. This year's specialty items created for the show are tote bags with book covers to match in varying sizes. "We have a lot of new faces and fingers contributing work for this show," said Jane Frenke, chair of gallery committee

For the third year, the Delectable Mountains Quilters turn all Berkeley Springs into Quilt Central during the show with the only-one-of-its-kind Yard-Square Quilts–a display and auction of 39 small pieces hanging in businesses throughout town. The finale for the month long silent auction is at the Ice House on Monday, May 28 when bids close at 5 p.m. "The Yard-Square Quilts have become so popular that businesses and other locations were calling us to make certain they had a quilt to display," said Frenke who masterminded this project.

On Saturday and Sunday, May 5 and 6, quilters showcase an innovative connection with other art forms in Piecework, three locally written and acted one-act staged readings performed at the Ice House. Each play was created to match a particular yard square quilt. "Audiences will laugh, cry and have a chance to win the quilts for the price of a ticket," said Frenke.

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 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. For more information call 258-2300.