1. Contact:
Stephen Manuszak
Program Manager, Arts Midwest
612.238.8016
stephen@artsmidwest.org
For Immediate Release
Arts Midwest Announces Unique Cultural Engagement Initiative with China
“The Sum of Many Parts: 25 Quiltmakers from 21
st
-Century America” Exhibition
to Open in Shanghai on September 7, 2012
September 5, 2012, Minneapolis, MN – The Sum of Many Parts: 25 Quiltmakers from 21st-Century
America is an exhibition of quilts by contemporary American artists that will tour throughout China from
2012 to 2014. The exhibition will open in Shanghai on September 7, 2012, accompanied by interactive
workshops for Chinese audiences and presentations from U.S. arts specialists and quilters featured in the
exhibition. The exhibition will then tour for two-month installations at major cultural institutions in the
cities of Kunming, Nanning, Changsha, and Dalian.
Quilt making has always been an important tradition in America, and the many styles of American quilts
reflect the diversity of the United States itself. The Sum of Many Parts features twenty-five contemporary
quilters from the Midwest, the South, and Hawaii. The exhibition highlights a range of quilting styles and
techniques while providing an opportunity for Chinese audiences to connect with American culture
through our shared love of textile arts.
The Sum of Many Parts is a program conceived and sponsored by the United States Embassy-Beijing. The
exhibition and its tour have been jointly developed and managed by Arts Midwest and South Arts, with
additional assistance from the Great Lakes Quilt Center at Michigan State University.
Gary Locke, the U.S. Ambassador to China, says, “The focus of this exhibition provides a unique
metaphor for our connected world. An ancient and global phenomenon, quilts represent a celebration of
diversity—a combination of materials, design, learning, and purpose that leads to a unified and beautiful
whole. Through this exhibition, we are pleased to share these extraordinary examples of American quilts
with the people of China and celebrate the common threads between our two countries.”
David Fraher, executive director of Arts Midwest, notes, “The act of assembling this exhibition has been
itself a sort of quilt making exercise, requiring each of our organizations to carry our best skills and
resources to a single table to craft a collaboration.”
Gerri Combs, executive director of South Arts, says, “South Arts and Arts Midwest are honored to have
been chosen to lead in the creation of this exhibition, and we are grateful to our partners at the Great
Lakes Quilt Center at Michigan State University for their critical contributions.”
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2. More information: www.artsmidwest.org/programs
Exhibition slideshow: www.flickr.com/artsmidwest
Participating Artists Artist’s State
Bettye Kimbrell Alabama
Louisiana Bendolph Alabama
Eleanor A. McCain, MD Florida
Gwen Procter Johnson Georgia
Patricia Lei Murray Hawaii
Edna J. Patterson-Petty Illinois
Marguerite Cox Indiana
Caroline Trumpold Iowa
Erick Wolfmeyer Iowa
Caryl Bryer Fallert Kentucky
Cecelia Tapplette-Pedescleaux Louisiana
Linda M. Roy Louisiana
Beth Donaldson Michigan
Carole Harris Michigan
Patricia Cox Minnesota
Tammy McGrew Mississippi
Martha Ginn Mississippi
Jereann King Johnson North Carolina
Patricia Renault Stuen North Dakota
Eldeen Geist North Dakota
Carolyn Mazloomi, PhD Ohio
Dottie Moore South Carolina
Bonnie LeBeau South Dakota
Betty J. Collins Tennessee
Alicia Avila Wisconsin
The Sum of Many Parts: 25 Quiltmakers from 21st-Century America is a program conceived and
sponsored by the United States Embassy-Beijing. The exhibition and its tour throughout the People’s
Republic of China has been jointly developed and managed by Arts Midwest and South Arts, with
additional assistance from the Great Lakes Quilt Center at Michigan State University.
Partial funding is provided by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Additional support is provided by Rhoda A. Pierce.
Additional support from Alabama State Council on the Arts, Illinois Arts Council, Illinois Office of Trade
and Investment, Iowa Arts Council, Kentucky Arts Council, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural
Affairs, Mississippi Arts Commission, North Dakota Council on the Arts, Ohio Arts Council, and South
Dakota Arts Council.