The Lincoln Center will exhibit the 40th Annual New Legacies: Contemporary Art Quilts, June 15 – August 17, 2024. This juried exhibition features the current work of the finest national and international contemporary quilt artists. Art quilts accepted for exhibition exemplify innovation in quilting and surface design techniques as well as excellence in artistic composition and craftsmanship. The goal of the exhibition is to recognize the world’s finest contemporary quilt artists and to advance the art form.

A full list of selected artists can be found on our website.

Join us for our Opening Reception Saturday, June 15, 4 – 6 PM with the Awards Presentation the same evening at 5 PM.

Exhibition Jurors: Vicki Carlson, Valerie Maser-Flanagan, Lea McComas
Awards Judge: Lea McComas

Vicki Carlson is a studio art quilter and fabric designer residing in Fort Collins, Colorado. Working with her hand dyed and hand painted fabrics along with other surface design techniques, she creates predominantly abstract quilts. Influenced by her traditional roots, her emphasis is on finding rhythm and unity through color and line. Her work has been juried into numerous regional and national exhibits and can be found in quilting publications as well as public and private collections.

Valerie Maser-Flanagan uses hand-dyed fabric to design abstract sewn constructions. Her work is influenced by both the rural Massachusetts setting where she currently resides, her exposure to urban structures from working in Boston for thirty years, and her attraction to ethnic design. Valerie has exhibited throughout the United States and received numerous awards for her work. Her work has been purchased by the Chandler Arts Council in Arizona, Visions Art Museum, San Diego, The International Quilt Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska, and by private collectors. Examples of her designs are published in Quilting with a Modern Slant by Rachel May, Dyeing Alchemy by Diane Franklin, Art Quilts International Abstract & Geometric by Martha Sielman, and Colour a Workshop for Artists and Designers by David Hornung. Valerie began as a traditional quilter but transitioned to contemporary design through studies with Nancy Crow, David Hornung, and Carol Soderlund.

With a life-long interest in fiber, Lea McComas began sewing at age six and quilting at 16. She taught public school for almost 40 years, including nine years teaching overseas. This gave her opportunities to interact with people of many cultures, and a chance to study carpet-weaving in Turkey, and fabric dying in Japan. Returning to the states in 2001, Lea discovered art quilting. With fabric and thread as her preferred medium, she works in a style of contemporary realism to capture images from daily life, past and present. Her award-winning portrait and genre quilts have been featured in numerous publications and exhibited in juried shows nationally and internationally. She has received awards in both art quilt and fine art venues. Lea shares the knowledge and techniques behind her award-winning portrait quilts through her lectures, workshops, online classes, and in her book, Thread Painted Portraits.

A printed catalog will be produced for the exhibit and will be available for purchase through The Lincoln Center Box Office for $20 (including tax).

The Lincoln Center Art Gallery is free and open to the public Wednesdays and Fridays, 1–6PM and prior to most performances.