New Image Artists was founded in 1980 with eight members. At that time they were known as the New Image Quilters. Their goal was artistic expression through quilted pieces meant for the wall rather than the traditional use as bedcover. The group faced an uphill battle in getting quilts accepted as art since most people associated quilts with a home based scrap craft and not an artistic endeavor. The group's first show, at the Art Barn in Washington, D.C. broke all gallery attendance records.
As the members became more comfortable working together, they took on collaborative challenges and produced works that showcased a variety of interpretations. Each artist responded in her own way to a theme or question, and was pushed to try new things. They encouraged each other and saw individual styles emerge while celebrating the diversity of expression. One of these pieces, "Never Done," was composed of various portraits of a classic ironing board and became the first group quilt accepted by Quilt National.
Regular meetings allow members to share ideas on current work, and to support each other in pursuing exhibition opportunities. Works based on thematic interpretations form the basis of many of their group exhibitions. As part of the process, any member can propose a plan for a project. The finished pieces include work from all artists who have chosen to participate. The goal of this process is a "lively cohesiveness" in the group work, which "gives a glimpse into the creative process of the artist who plans a project, and forces new ways of thinking for those who follow the plan."
New Image in its present form contains eleven active members. Because personal contact and active participation is highly valued by the group, affiliate and non-attending membership is not an option. As members have moved or re-focused their art priorities, new members are added by invitation pending a group review of submitted images and resume. Three of the eight founding members of New Image remain active within the group.
Members of New Image continue to uphold their standard of excellence. Four current members were juried into Quilt National 2009, the premier international show of fiber art. Dominie Nash, Ginny Smith, Sandra Woock, and Catherine Kleeman are all showing work in this year's exhibit. The show will hang at The Dairy Barn in Athens, Ohio, until September and will tour for two years thereafter. Sandra's piece Blue Bamboo/Blue Breeze was given a Juror's Award of Merit and Catherine's Family Reunion won the "Persistence Pays" award. In the 30 year existence of Quilt National, 13 individual members of New Image have been juried into the show, in addition to the group quilt Never Done.
Left to right, front row: B.J. Adams, Sara Brown, Catherine Kleeman, Ginny Smith, Lesly-Claire Greenberg
Back row: Jeanne Benson, Mary Beth Bellah, Candace Edgerley, Sue Pierce, Dominie Nash
Missing: Sandra Woock