My “Living Quilt for Newnan – City of Homes” was installed at 6 PM on Thursday, August 31, 2017. The weather turned out perfect with even some sunshine after a morning and evening before of heavy rains. Many people came out to enjoy the installation and dedication ceremony including the mayor of Newnan and Art Rez Board Members and many local children who helped to install the handmade paper quilt squares. We staked down the quilt with bamboo skewers with a cork on top, all being biodegradable materials.
The quilt is made with hand papermaking using stencils and dyed pulp from purchased and local plant materials and has seeds in the paper pulp for Southeastern wildflowers in the same colors as the quilt pattern. Ā I used bark from cedar, crepe myrtle, magnolia, mulberry, paper bush and wisteria to make paper in Newnan and created a recipe and sample book for Newnan papermaking plants. Ā The Newnan Living Quilt has a house motif and features a 2-story antebellum home in red, yellow, blue and white colors. The homes are around a square in the middle of each 20-inch quilt square, and each home is composed of 8 layers of handmade paper with natural string in between layers helping to hold it all together.
At the August 31 ceremony, local children laid out the squares and put in the stakes, and then a local minister/poet offered a prayer/blessing for the quilt. I am very grateful to all the volunteers who helped make the handmade paper quilt and construct the “bed. The headboard and footboard are made with local branches collected along the streets of Newnan after people had done some tree trimming. The headboard and footboard also contain wisteria and other vines and lots of hydrangea blossoms that someone had recently clipped off and left to be picked up.
This project was lots of fun for me although lots of work in the 3 weeks of my residency. Thanks to my husband Timothy S. Allen who was with me during the residency in Newnan and helped with all aspects of this project as well as taking great photographs to document it. For more of Tim’s photos see his Blog at http://allentimphotos2.wordpress.com
I was an artist in residence at Newnan Art Rez from August 8 to Sept. 1, 2017. We leave Newnan today, and I hope the quilt will change over time with the seeds sprouting and blooming as a living quilt for Newnan. Check back here to see photos of the quilt as it changes over time. I am hoping that local volunteers will continue to send me photos. Thank you, Newnan, for a wonderful residency experience!
For more information about the artist-in-residency program in Newnan, visit the website atĀ http://newnanartist.org
Tina said:
What a fun and creative project, Jane, and you involved so many people. I really enjoyed my experience helping, you’re an awesome teacher! It’s a great project for all ages, looks like it really brought the community together. And we were so impressed with the nice people we met in Newnan, Bette, Merideth, Jan, Robert and others. I think it would be a great place to retire!! Glad you had nice weather for the installation:)
Tina
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janeingramallen said:
Thanks so much, Tina, and you were wonderful to help out with the papermaking. I agree Newnan is a great little city and the people are very nice. We will have to go back there again. Hope the installation does well and starts growing soon.
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Shirah Miriam "Mimi" Aumann said:
Jane, such a wonderful project! It is a total of all we would want to accomplish with such an undertaking: the various native plants used for papermaking, including something of the town’s history and their pride, involving both children and adults in the process, and innovative ways to assure the future of the quilt with the bamboo skewers and corks. The wind does blow!! š And how opportune that there was rain to help prepare the soil prior to the installation to help with the sprouting of the seeds. It is wonderful to have your right-hand man, Timothy, to help with any manly gatherings and to document through his excellent photography. It was a wonderful residency!! And memorable for the town – and hoping for germination to be abundant with the quilt of seeds!! Mimi
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janeingramallen said:
Hi Mimi,
Thanks so much. You have a wonderful way of explaining everything and really appreciate that. I too am hoping it will sprout and grow well!
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Chin Chih Yang said:
That is so wonderful and interesting to kids, Congratulations!
I feel so sorry not able to see you and Tim when you are coming to NYC on Sept. 9-15.
But we will keep in touch.
Best wishes,
Chin Chih
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janeingramallen said:
HI Chin Chih, Thanks so much, and Newnan was a fun project. We will be in NYC staying at a friend’s apt. in Chelsea from Sept. 11-14 now…and so let us know if you might be around those days.
Anyway we will stay in touch by email. Best, Jane
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Marie-Louise McHugh said:
Hello Jane, wonderful work as usual. You are so creative with your paper works.
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janeingramallen said:
HI MARIE, I was just thinking of you! So nice to hear from you and thanks for your comment. I am in Albany now clearing out my storage space in Cohoes that I have had since going to Taiwan in 2004! It is quite a job and have had no time for socializing, but please give me a call if you get this message and maybe we could catch up a bit by phone. I will be in Boston and NYC next week and then back to CA on Sept. 20. Where are you now? still in Guilderland? My cell phone is 857-234-2432. Best wishes, Jane
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