Suzan Hirsch

Suzan has spent more than twenty years as a social worker for special needs children. For her, quilting is a means of relaxation and creative expression.

She began quilting in 1977 but in recent years she entered the world of the art quilt where she put her artistic ideas to fabric. Her work revolves around the natural world and often features flora and fauna, both real and imaginery. Being a part of the Committee has given Suzan the opportunity to grow artistically.

Officially joining the Committee in 2002, Suzan thinks of herself as the group's jill of all trades. She has performed a variety of tasks including application processing, slide preparation for jurying, notifing quilts shops and guilds of the upcoming show. More recently, she has served as TV media contact in addition to a host of other duties.

However, Suzan's real passion is helping others preserve and document their family history in cloth. Memory quilts and pillows bring so much delight to those celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary or an important school graduation or a special birthday. Quilting fulfills her artistic and compassionate nature and brings her closer to people and the natural world that I love so much.

Read Carolyn Lee Vehslage's in depth article Preserving Memories of a Lifetime: Suzan Hirsch.

Visit Suzan's website SuzanHirsch.com

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Leaves of Grass

Leaves of Grass (detail)

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Rita Burnstein

Originally from New York City, Rita studied theatrical costume design at Pratt Institute before moving to Buffalo. She continued her studies in art at the University of Buffalo and then at Tyler School of Art / Temple University after moving to Philadelphia in 1965.

In 1981, while director of the Art and Activities Department at the Philadelphia Geriatric Center, Rita discovered quilt making. She became a full-time quilt maker since retiring in 1994 and her quilts have been exhibited at many quilt conferences.

In 1999 Rita joined the committee of ArtQuilts at the Sedgwick overseeing the mailing and processing the entry applications. She takes on many additional jobs in her support of this exhibit.

INTERVIEWS

The Alliance for American Quilts interview conducted by Megan Dwyre.



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Lonni Rossi

In 1987, searching for a more personal form of expression other than her graphic design career, Lonni discovered fiber art and quilting. After more than fifteen years as a serious quiltmaker, art quilts and fabric surface design have become her primary artistic focus.

Lonni's original handpainted fabrics, as well as her recent commercial design for Andover Fabrics, fuse her love of communication through typographic design and the written word with textiles and quiltmaking. Lonni combines her original fabrics with extensive machine embroidery and quilting to create art quilts that have won awards in many national and international exhibitions.

Lonni's role in ArtQuilts at the Sedgwick began when she agreed to exhibit work and to design the promotional materials for the first show in 1999. As the show has evolved, Lonni continued to create the appropriate graphic "look" for materials ranging from promotional postcards and the outer packaging for the CD-Catalog, to ads, flyers and posters. The Commerative Calendar was conceived and designed by Lonnni in collaboration with Cindy Friedman.

AQatS 2004 marked the end of Lonni's formal association with ArtQuilts at the Sedgwick. We thank her for her fine contribution to the overall growth of the exhibit and the organization.

Recent work, information about her new fabrics for Andover, and news about THE LONNI ROSSI FABRIC DESIGN STUDIO can be found on her website at www.LonniRossi.com

OTHER PROFILES

The Quilter Community 2003 interview conducted by Carolyn Lee Vehslage.

Andover Fabrics profile.

The Alliance for American Quilts Save Our Stories oral history project. Click here for Lonni's Interview.


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