First Thursday on Main Street and DEEP IN DUST, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt

(Above: Keys for the City, a storefront window installation. Click on image to enlarge.)

The rain held off enough for lots of people to enjoy the monthly "First Thursday on Main Street" art crawl....including the storefront window displays at the old Tapp's Department Store. There were fire twirling performers, a graffiti art exhibition (at Frame of Mind), some great politically inspired paintings (at Anastasia and Friends), and a well received one-night-only art sale with demonstrations (inside the Tapp's building). All the windows, which will be on 24/7 view through the end of the year, LOOKED GREAT!


(Above: View to Keys for the City from the sidewalk on Main Street during the "opening" celebration, November 4, 2010, a "First Thursday" art crawl. Click on image to enlarge.)

My corner window unit could have used more light but I wasn't willing to risk a citation from the fire marshal or tax the old wiring in the building by plugging in an extension cord and a bunch of clip-on lights! The darkness, however, surprisingly meant my photos were much, much better. Reflections were kept to a minimum! So....I've posted a bunch of photos further below. Generally, I don't post this many, but most of these keys were collected by my Dad. I want him to see how beautiful they were at the opening reception.


(Above: Deep in Dust, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series. 36 1/2" x 23 1/2". Crayon on silk grave rubbing, vintage linens and lace, hand and free motion machine embroidery. Click on image to enlarge.)

In the meantime, I've finished another piece in my Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series. This is called Deep in Dust. The rubbing was made in the Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, DC. The actual tombstone was quite wide and the epitaph appeared in only four lines. Of course, I split each line into two when creating the rubbing. While stitching, I thought I'd somehow made a mistake.


(Above: Deep in Dust, detail. Click on image to enlarge.)

"Withering" isn't spelled "withring".


(Above: One of the photos of the tombstone from which the rubbing was made.)

I checked my photos though...and in 1802 someone chiseled it in without the "e". Since then, an apostrophe was drawn in its place...but not carved into the stone. Thus, there is no indentation. I left my quilt the way it originally appeared! I forgot to snap a photo of the quilt's reverse....I'll add it later!


(Above: Deep in Dust, detail, click on image to enlarge.)

And now....more photos from the "First Thursday on Main" monthly art crawl and my Keys for the City storefront window installation. Click on any image to enlarge!


Above: Keys for the City. The view from Main Street.


Above: People looking at the installation.


Above: The view from the side window facing Blanding Street.


Above: Detail of hanging keys and one of the doors.


Above: People enjoying the one-night-only sale and demonstrations inside the Tapp's Department Store.


Above: Fire twirling performers on Main Street.