Kathy Nida has been a quilt artist for many years, mostly working on her own without the benefit of the connections that art groups bring. She finds that the images in her work sometimes make it difficult to fit into the quilt world, and because she works with fabric and uses quilting techniques, the art world often also dismisses her work.
Frustrated with a lack of artistic connections, in 2012, she went looking for art groups that would accept and help her exhibit her work. California Fibers was one such professional group that took her in. The first piece she exhibited with the group was Ball.
Over the last 8 years, Nida has appreciated the camaraderie and discussions that come from being with a group of fiber artists who value the ART part of the fiber-art designation, as well as the craft and process of making work that has connections to both functional and historical work. Although she sometimes still has to decide about what work will be appropriate for specific shows, the support and opportunities the group provide is well worth it.
Nida’s artmaking techniques have not changed much in the last 8 years, but some of her quilts have become more political and resonant with current events. Womanscape, below, deals with many issues women might face in our current world, from sexual harassment to immigration, discrimination, and issues of reproduction and abortion, as well as worldwide issues of pollution and climate change.
Although Nida still largely works alone in her space (both mentally and physically), the continuous conversations and connections with like minds have been a positive force in her artmaking.