The California Nature Art Museum (Cal-NAM) opened its latest solo exhibition in mid-July, a showcase of fabric collages and quilts by local artist Julia Laraway. The exhibit, titled California, Quilted: Wild in the Oak Woodland, is scheduled to run through January 2025.
Laraway’s artworks in the show were inspired by California’s oak woodland habitats and the thousands of animal species they support.
“Sitting at my sewing machine, I hope to capture the wonder that these creatures inspire within me. They are our fellow travelers in life, and they share their home with all of us, often to their detriment,” Laraway said in press materials. “[Cal-NAM’s] commitment to putting our environment in front of us so we can see the natural world through the eyes of artists is a gift, and I am incredibly grateful to be sharing my quilt pieces at this museum.”
Laraway hopes her depictions of birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, amphibians, and insects will “spark a curiosity about their lives and how our worlds intertwine,” and inspire interest in protecting oak woodland habitats from losing space to agriculture and urban development.
Cal-NAM’s Executive Director Stacey Otte-Demangate said that “as soon as we saw the quality of her quilted wall hangings and her subject matter, we knew immediately they would be a great fit for a museum exhibition here,” according to press materials.
When Laraway first began quilt-making many years ago, she was inspired by her mother, an accomplished seamstress and quilter.
“Her eye for color and beautiful fabrics was honed during the years she made her own clothes,” and “clothes for my siblings and I,” Laraway said in press materials.
“As I began experimenting with fabric collage, she encouraged me to use quilting and applique techniques to bring texture and movement to the pieces I was making,” added Laraway, who “has always loved the sound of the sewing machine, the smell of a hot iron on fabric, and the bright threads that give each piece its texture and form.”
To find out more about California, Quilted: Wild in the Oak Woodland and other programs hosted by Cal-NAM, call (805) 688-1082 or visit calnatureartmuseum.org. Cal-NAM is open Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is located at 1511-B Mission Drive, Solvang.
This article appears in Jul 18-28, 2024.