History
Off Our Blocks began in the Fall of 2003. Becky Chamberlain and Elizabeth Palmer-Spilker had just finished curating and jurying Uptown Quilts, a two-week exhibition of art quilts from around the country. Visitors to the show expressed a desire to see more and to have a venue for art quilts in the Westerville area. Both Becky and Elizabeth had long wanted to belong to an art quilt group in the Westerville area, but finding none, started one. Beginning with just a few folks interested in art quilts, the group had their first exhibition in August 2004. The exhibit was called "Hot Art: The Potholder Series" and was held at the David Myers Art Gallery in Uptown Westerville. Struggling a bit after that with participation and direction, the location was changed and Becky and Elizabeth took a break, leaving the group in the capable hands of Judy Phillips. With Judy's enthusiasm and organizational skills, the group has thrived and attracted even more talented artists to be part of it.
Today
Off Our Blocks is an informal group of 22 active members held together by a shared interest in the creation of art quilts. The spirit of the group is to offer mutual support and constructive criticism to facilitate individual self-expression and growth. Each meeting focuses on a topic of specific interest to the group as well as opportunities for individual members to share and seek input regarding various aspects of quilting. The group meets monthly on the second Thursday at 7 p.m. at QuiltTrends in north Columbus. The group has shown in numerous exhibits since 2006. Additionally, some of our members have exhibited individually in national and international competitions and exhibitions for a number of years.
The artists' work ranges in style from representational to contemporary and abstract and are original designs. Pieces range in size from quite small, 10-12 inches, to as large as seven or eight feet square. Techniques include hand and machine piecing, applique, embroidery, embellishments, beading, painting, fusing and a variety of quilting styles. In some exhibits, we offer a challenge to each other and all create a piece adhering to a particular theme, color scheme or mutual fabric.