KALONA

When visitors enter the English quilt gallery at the Kalona Historical Village this season, they may find themselves surrounded by the unexpected. Bold colors, nontraditional techniques, and contemporary themes dominate the quilts created by artist and scientist Dr. Carmon Slater.

To show off the work to its best effect, managing director Nancy Roth removed much of the decorative mannequins and furniture from the gallery, and instead kept the space simple and clean with only the dark woods of spool cabinets and antique beds left to accentuate the quilt art. Quilts line the walls and lie neatly on the beds; others are in the form of mobiles, flags, and framed art.

Unlike other seasonal exhibits in the gallery, this one also contains small quilted works that one can purchase; prices range from $30 to $250.

Dr. Slater’s quilts were most recently displayed at the Fort Dodge Art Museum; when the Iowa Museum Association reached out to Roth, asking if the Kalona Historical Village would like to display the collection next, she jumped at the chance. Although Dr. Slater now lives in Colorado, he has strong roots in Iowa, having earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Iowa and served as vice-chair of the Iowa Arts Council.

That connection to Iowa, as well as the “different ideas, different thoughts, different angles” by which he approaches the craft of quilting, were a part of the collection’s appeal.

Whoever we might think a “typical” quilter is, Dr. Slater defies those expectations. He began his professional life as a science teacher, and that has informed is evolution as an artist.

“My creative foundation comes out of the idea that the real, but seemingly abstract, relationship between the macroscopic and microscopic world is a constant force in our lives,” he writes in his artist’s statement. “I am concerned about the interrelationship of all organisms in their environment and the importance of each within the context of that environment.”

He explores this relationship through his unique approach to materials and technique in quilt making.

“I utilize both old and new artistic techniques, approached with a contemporary twist,” he writes. “Contrasts are explored, lines are direct or subtle, an organic rhythmic flow. There is always an integration of color, pattern, form, and line quality, which creates visual language and metaphor regardless of the medium I am working in.”

One example in which the viewer can clearly see color, line, and rhythm is Dr. Slater’s “Tribute to Jackson Pollock,” a 52x93-inch quilt made in 2007. With a background seemingly spattered with blue ink, an eclectic assortment of ribbons – grosgrain, satin, thick yarn, and ricrac – is scattered over the field, overlapping, some folded, and stitched over.

“The background for this quilt was screen printed and then overlain with various ribbon subjects that a woman who grew up in the Depression in Nebraska bequeathed to me,” he writes in his description of the quilt. “What fun it was to begin to compose with limited amounts of various colors and ribbons.”

Another of Dr. Slater’s quilts puts what looks like home in front of an Iowa native’s eyes. “Farm Fields Forever,” a 74x102-inch quilt created in 2020, features wide horizontal bands of green acreage and partly cloudy blue skies.

“I’ve always loved seeing that nearly flat horizon line of Midwest farmlands and former prairie lands where you can see forever,” he writes in his description. “As the land has been developed, you now see farmsteads, fields, and livestock interspersed throughout the varied landscapes of Iowa, and that is what I was hoping to capture in this quilt.”

A third wonder of subject and technique is Dr. Slater’s “Dragonfly Dreaming,” a 90x105-inch quilt created in 2000 that has a three-dimensional, folded fabric aspect that Roth likens to origami.

“I’ve always loved the darting of and structure of dragonflies around water sources, and finding applicable fabrics for such a subject was obviously the challenge. Once fabrics are found, then the fun can begin with design and inspiration,” Dr. Slater writes of the blue-based design.

One challenge for this quilt, Dr. Slater explains, was “finding two allied fabrics of slightly different hue for some of the large squares.” Another was “creating a three-dimensional square of a smaller size and then putting those all together to make the larger squares. Then the next challenge was creating larger blocks by sewing curved pieces together, which means they had to be cut simultaneously, and then carefully sewing the resulting curves together without stretching either piece so they came out evenly in the end.”

The skill and artistry in these quilts is evident when one looks at them closely. Visitors would be wise to plan enough time for their visit to the exhibit to take them in and experience the wonder that is the art of quilting.

Dr. Slater’s quilts will be on display at the Kalona Historical Village through the end of September. The Village is located at 715 D Ave., Kalona. Current hours are Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.