Kaleidoscopic XVII: Caribbean Blues by Paula Nadelstern
Kaleidoscopic XLIV: Continue to Continue by Paula Nadelstern
Kaleidoscopic XVIII: Chai by Paula Nadelstern
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
ka·lei·do·scope
/kəˈlīdəˌskōp/
noun
1. a toy consisting of a tube containing mirrors and pieces of colored glass or paper, whose reflections produce changing patterns that are visible through an eyehole when the tube is rotated.
2. an optical instrument in which bits of glass, held loosely at the end of a rotating tube, are shown in continually changing symmetrical forms by reflection in two or more mirrors set at angles to each other.
3. a constantly changing pattern or sequence of objects or elements.
The kaleidoscope has been Paula Nadelstern’s inspiration for over 35 years. Whether as a toy, a scientific instrument, or a metaphor for change, it shapes what she sees and what she creates for all of us to view. Nadelstern refers to the kaleidoscope as both her design inspiration and a “classroom” that challenges her as an artist. As Nadelstern explains, the kaleidoscope has its own personality, and through her art she engages what she sees as its core traits: surprise, magic, change, and chance.
Working with these dynamic qualities is an exciting and sometimes tricky process. As Nadelstern explains:
In order to conjure an instant of luminous and fleeting spontaneity, I’ve got to trust in symmetry, rely on detail, commit both random and staged acts of color and understand that the whole will always be greater than the sum of its parts.
Working at the convergence of the ever-changing kaleidoscope and the fixed elements of a fine art quilt, Nadelstern captures the kaleidoscope’s element of surprise in a moment of visual discovery. In making kaleidoscope quilts, she merges control and spontaneity to spark something unexpected.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Paula Nadelstern is internationally lauded for her innovative and complex designs inspired by the bilateral symmetry of kaleidoscopic images. Honored by inclusion in The Twentieth Century’s 100 Best American Quilts (1999), her designs were showcased in the American Folk Art Museum’s first one-person exhibition highlighting the work of a contemporary quilt artist (2009). In addition to her numerous awards, she is a recipient of fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts and The Bronx Council on the Arts. She is the author of numerous books, including Fabricadabra: Simple Quilts, Complex Fabric (2016); Kaleidoscopes & Quilts (2010); Kaleidoscope Quilts: The Workbook (2010); Paula Nadelstern’s Kaleidoscope Quilts: An Artist’s Journey Continues (2008); Puzzle Quilts: Simple Blocks, Complex Fabric (2006).
EXHIBITION GALLERY
