Rev. Dr. Wormack-Keels will lead Seat at the Table discussion
Loveland, Ohio – National non-profit based in Loveland, The Grail in The US, has announced its 2022 showcase for the Art at The Oratory Series in collaboration with Heritage Village Museum and Education Center. A Seat at the Table features Grail member Renee Wormack-Keels, a quilter based in Columbus. Rev. Dr. Wormack-Keels will lead an Artist Talk focusing on the role her art has played in her personal life and the purpose of her art in documenting and activating social transformation.
According to Wormack-Keels, “Historically women’s stories are either ignored or reduced in favor of another to subjugate their value, contributions, and importance. Telling stories has always been a part of the quilting traditions of African American women. In fact, every quilt has a story either in front of it or behind it. Each quilter, in my experience, generally has been inspired to make a quilt with intention.”
While the showcase is a one-day event, Rev. Dr. Wormack-Keels has curated an exhibit of over twenty quilts which will remain available for viewing until October 15th. When asked why it was important to give African-American women a seat at the table by sharing their stories in her art, Wormack-Keels said, “There are many reasons, and I may not be able to share them all, but it is important to know and hear the genesis of these quilts in this exhibition.”
After the Artist Talk, quilters from the Heritage Village Museum Quilters Society will have circles set up where attendees can sit and sew as they experience the historical importance of such circles. The event will take place the afternoon of Saturday August 6th from 1 until 4 PM and is free of charge; donations are always appreciated. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP by emailing art@grail-us.org and follow the Grail Facebook and Instagram for more details. RSVPs are not required. For the safety of all, attendees who have not been fully vaccinated are required to wear masks.
Loveland, Ohio – Over the past couple of years, the Historic District of Loveland has really come along and so has its businesses! Loveland businesses’ both seasoned and new have been racking up the accolades locally and nationally. Recently a business right out of the West Loveland Historic District called, The Quilter’s Studio of Loveland & QSL Workshop, was selected to be featured in one of the most well-known publications, Better Homes and Garden’s Quilt Sampler Magazine.
“I truly was shocked! It was my first attempt at getting in the magazine and I didn’t expect to get in,” Karen Breed, the owner of The Quilter’s Studio of Loveland & QSL Workshop, explained, “My shop is for very creative people who like to create their own selection as opposed to walking in a shop and having a stack of kits you can grab that is a replication of something someone else has made!”Breed says at her quilt shop customers see something they like and are able to pick their own spin, which is what really sets her shop apart from other quilt shops.
Karen Breed has invested hundreds of thousands of private dollars in the West Loveland Historic District
Quilt Sampler Magazine is a prestigious quilt publication that features the top quilt shops in North America. Although it is only published twice a year, the magazine itself has been running strong since 1995. Yearly, the magazine conducts a competition in which quilt shop owners from across the United States are able to apply to be featured as one of the top 10 quilt shops in North America. Over 3,000 quilt shops were eligible to apply for a multipage profile in Quilt Sampler. Quilt shop owners all across the United States submitted a detailed application including the quilt shop’s history, business promotions, charitable work, teaching schedules, and design philosophies. Quilt experts, including those from the American Patchwork and Quilting staff, reviewed the applications and then selected the 10 best quilt shops accordingly.
This year The Quilter’s Studio of Loveland & QSL Workshop will appear in the Quilt Sampler as one of the best quilt shops in North America! The issue will be released on May 1st. The 10-page spread will also feature an original quilt design from the employees of The Quilter’s Studio of Loveland and QSL Workshop along with instructions on how the quilt was made. Breed couldn’t be more pleased with the honor from Quilt Sampler as she has had a passion for the art of quilting since 1990!
The Quilter’s Studio of Loveland & QSL Workshop at the corner of West Loveland Avenue and Loveland Madeira Road
“I had to create an original design that they had to approve. Then send the finished quilt to them so they could photograph it,” Breed said. “It will be part of the photo spread. It’s pretty awesome that the issue comes out this May as it will be my 10-year anniversary.”
Breed was formerly in two separate buildings at the corner of Wall Street and West Loveland Avenue that she lovingly renovated in 2010. When she outgrew the space she purchased and renovated the building and grounds of her current location at the corner of West Loveland Avenue and Loveland Madeira Road in 2016.
“Quilt Sampler already did the photoshoot in November. I found out last July and spent all of those months preparing for the photoshoot, but wasn’t allowed to tell anyone that my shop was selected,” Breed said.
You can also watch the 2016 LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV interviews with Breed talking about her business and the renovations as she was preparing to move into her new location which is the site of Loveland’s former Post Office. (Karen Breed makes major investment with new Quilter’s Studios)
Inside The Quilter’s Studio of Loveland & QSL Workshop
The art of quilting was brought to America by the original colonists in the nineteenth-century. As settlers moved west so did quilting. When quilting finally entered into the Great Plains it took off from there! Although Americans discovered quilting hundreds of years ago according to the Better Homes and Garden’s Quilt Sampler’s press release quilting is bigger than ever!
“The art of quilting has changed dramatically since the days of quilting bees in church basements, and quilting is experiencing a major renaissance. A Quilting Consumer Insights study completed by American Patchwork & Quilting magazine reports that the U.S. quilting market is composed of 4.2 million avid quilters. Further research shows that readers of American Patchwork & Quilting spend an average of $1,165 per year on quilting supplies and complete nearly 11 projects per year.” – Better Homes and Gardens Quilt Sampler
If you would like to get involved and become a Loveland quilt connoisseur at one of Top 10 Quilt Shops in North America check out The Quilter’s Studio of Loveland and QSL Workshop’s website at http://www.quiltersstudioofloveland.com/ or visit the shop located at 535 West Loveland Avenue.
CONTACT INFORMATION
P: (513) 683-3666 (Studio) This is the Store Side
P: (513) 683-1666 (Workshop) This is the Long Arm Machine Side
Studio Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 10 AM – 5 PM
Thursdays: 10 AM to 6 PM (Extended Hours on Thursday Spring and Summer open until 8 PM Memorial Day to Labor Day)
Workshop Hours:
Open Monday – Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM
by Cassie Mattia
