Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1184228
2 6 | M A C O N M A G A Z I N E F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 9 L O C A L B U Z Z m Contemporary quilts explore woven history T H E EX H I B I T "CO N T EM P O RA RY A F RI CA N A M ERI CA N Q U I LT S" at Wesleyan College features the work of four Georgia artists, three of whom are from Macon. Maconites W ini McQ ueen and Carolyn and Rudy Mendes, as well as Georgia artist Ellen Blalock, use their work to explore their individual relationships with culture and identity, and prompt viewers to connect with their own fusion of culture. In a narrative about the exhibition, Alexis Gregg, Assistant Professor of Studio Art at Wesleyan and one of the program's curators, said, " The aesthetics of their work ranges from highly representational to abstract but common threads of narrative, gender, identity and justice connect them. W hile these quilts employ contemporar y techniques such as image transfer, much of the sewing and weaving techniques connect to historical American quilting as well as African fabrics, designs and techniques such as kente." Textile artist W ini McQ ueen creates works of art using colorful fabrics, handmade dyes and an image transfer process for her narrative quilts. Rudy Mendes is an artist and sought-after instructor for many art workshops. His artwork is based on graffiti and hip-hop music as he seeks a connection between an object and that energ y. Since 1998, Carolyn Mendes has worked in the tradition of quilt making. As a gifted textile artist, she uses African fabrics in her works and enjoys the challenge of bringing color, shape and pattern together to create works that connect with people across cultures. Artist Ellen Blalock has taught art histor y and photography at Georgia College and State University and Georgia Southern University. The exhibition, on display now through March 1 in Wesleyan's Porter Family Memorial Fine Arts Building, was opened by a Jan. 24 panel discussion led by Jeffrey Bruce, director of exhibitions and collections at the Tubman Museum. ACE students tune up to violins donated by Moretti family WHEN YOU LISTEN to Amy Schwartz Moretti play the violin, you hear the sound of years of dedication and education. An award-winning violinist and the Caroline Paul King Chair in Strings at Mercer University's Townsend School of Music, Moretti was recently named a Top 30 Professional of the Year by Musical America. "The Musical America award celebrates the amazing things happening at the McDuffie Center and Mercer. I am so proud to have been selected for this," Moretti said. "What we are doing here in Macon is something special, and it's nice to be recognized." Moretti's musical gift goes beyond her skill. She and her husband, drummer Steve Moretti, donated a collection of child- sized violins to the Academy for Classical Education, or ACE. According to Rachael Smith, ACE orchestra director, it's a gift the students desperately needed. During the school year, Smith