FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2008
Contact: Molly Dannenmaier
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
molly.dannenmaier@galvestonhistory.org
409-765-7834

“Ike Challenge” Quilts to Headline 13th Annual Island Quilters Guild Show, Opening September 18 at Custom House

Last year at this time, the Island Quilters Guild was busy getting ready for its annual show at the 1861 Custom House. A previous quilt show had just come down, and the remainder of those quilts were awaiting pick-up by their makers, when Hurricane Ike roared ashore. It flooded the ground floor of Custom House with more than five feet of storm water. Miraculously, the quilts were stored on a shelf only a few inches above the flood waters, and escaped all damage. So whether that was a good omen, or simply another testament to Galveston Spirit, once again this year, the quilt show will go on.

"Line Dance" (detail) made by Dena Yngve, Galveston, 2008. Pattern design by Joen Wofrom Designs.

From September 18 through December 15, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the second floor court room of its headquarters, Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF) will showcase the Island Quilters Guild (IQG) 13th Annual Show at the 1861 U.S. Custom House at 502 20th Street in Galveston. “Ike Challenge Quilts” will be this year’s show’s special feature. The show is free and open to the public although donations are appreciated. GHF volunteer Jul Kamen is curating the show.

The Island Quilters Guild is based on Galveston Island and has about 70 members. The group’s annual show consists of work completed by members within the past year. The show is not juried, and showcases everything from the first efforts of new quilters alongside those who are masters of various techniques. It is a celebration of a year's worth of work of a group of women sharing ideas and growing in skill and creativity together.

This year, "Ike Challenge Quilts" will be an added attraction. In quilt lingo, a "challenge" is a project issued to quilters to create a quilt based upon certain criteria. Often it includes a specific size, fabric, or technique. The "Ike Challenge" simply asked quilters to create a quilt reflecting their own experience with the storm. These quilts will be debuted at the 1894 Grand Opera House during the "Revival, Reflections" anniversary events. They will then be moved to the Custom House for this longer-term show.

For its first 11 years, the IQG show was titled, "Quilts in Motion," because the quilts floated like giant mobiles suspended from the vaulted ceiling at Galveston County Historical Museum. That museum has been closed since Ike, and the court room at GHF headquarters was offered as an alternative location. "As happy accident would have it, the Custom House court room has turned out to be an unexpectedly fitting venue for quilt shows,” says Kamen, who has curated several quilt shows at Custom house over the past several years. Custom House’s 16-foot ceilings allow quilts to be hung two high, which is very dramatic. Also, unlike most galleries, there are many comfortable chairs where visitors can sit back and view the large pieces both up close or from a distance."

As a side benefit, the quilts have improved acoustics in the room and the staff loves the warmth and color--and the visitors—which the quilt shows bring to their environment, says Kamen. Located on the corner of 20th and Postoffice Streets, Custom House sits in the Galveston Arts District, bounded by galleries, the 1894 Opera House, and numerous restaurants.

Yet while Custom House is one of Galveston’s most imposing and significant downtown buildings, its primary function as an office meant that people not associated with GHF didn’t often come to visit--until the quilt shows began two years ago. With the advent of the first IQG quilt show, Custom House opened its doors to the public as an inviting new gallery space well integrated into its surrounding arts-oriented neighborhood. While still in need of restoration on the ground floor, GHF is ready to welcome quilt lovers to its headquarters’ second floor courtroom where the quilts will be hung.

The Island Quilters Guild show will run Sept. 18 through Dec. 15, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the second floor court room of the Galveston Historical Foundation headquarters, the 1861 Custom House, 502 20th Street. They will also be on view during the October 10 ArtWalk. Admission is free. Visitors to the Houston International Quilt Show or Dickens on the Strand are encouraged to include the Island Quilters Guild Show on their list of activities.