September Issue 1999
Francis Marion University Art Gallery Features Quilts of Roberta Olmstead
Roberta Olmstead's Interpretations in Fabric will be on exhibit through Sept. 30 in the Francis Marion University Smith University Center Gallery, in Florence, SC, as part of the 1999-2000 FMU Art Gallery Series.
Subtitled Road to Arabia, Olmstead's exhibit includes a collection from a four-year period she spent in Jordan. As an Arab American, she traveled to Jordan 12 years ago hoping to discover something about the roots of her family's culture.
"I found a people and land which have inspired my artwork ever since," she says. "I loved the kindly warmth of the people, which for me was reflected in the warm and varied tones of the landscape whose patterns I have attempted to capture in my quilts."
"Quilting is an art form which I embarked on 15 years ago. It has proved suitable for expressing my vision of this beautiful country," Olmstead says.
"The color choices in Ommayyad Garden were influenced
by Palestinian cross stitch embroidery... The gold and blue and
red of East Window were inspired by the desert... West
Bank incorporates authentic Palestinian cross stitch designs
using traditional cotton perle threads bought in Amman..."
"The gold and black fabric striped fabric in Hashemiyya
and Interior Geometry was woven in Damascus... The two
floor cloths were inspired by Byzantine mosaics from the floor
of a church in the Christian town of Ma'daba, near Mount Nebo,
where Moses is said to have died after beholding the Promised
Land."
Olmstead holds a BA degree from Capital University.
For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or call the gallery at 843/661-1220.
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