Open to all current SAQA-PA primary and secondary region members.
Theme
In the summer of 2026, in honor of the 250th birthday of our country, this touring exhibition will premiere among many exciting happenings in Philadelphia, the cradle of liberty. We invite members of SAQA-PA to create and share your freedom of expression in the medium of the art quilt and your declaration of independence from traditional quilt making. Applicants are encouraged to consider broadly the meaning of this theme, including interpretations of our Constitutional rights, our pride in democracy, our multiculturalism, or inspiration from America’s songbook or history. Our juror, Jill Kerttula, will select approximately 40 wall-hung (maximum 40” wide), ceiling-hung, and floor or pedestal 3-D artworks. Members of SAQA-PA may submit up to 3 works, but only one work from an artist will be accepted. Images of submitted wall-hung artwork shall show the work in its entirety (including all edges), plus one detail shot. A ceiling-hung or 3-D work may include up to 3 images (including at least one overall view). Photographic quality must meet the standards of other SAQA show calls for entry, as these photos will be used for judging and for a catalog.
The regional exhibition will be traveling for close to a year at four venues. It will premiere at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia. Next, it will go on to appear at the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza in Oaks, PA. The third venue is the Phillips’ Mill Community Association in New Hope, PA. Finally, it will be showcased at the Reading Public Museum in Reading, PA. At Moore College and at Phillips’ Mill the art quilts may be designated as available for purchase.
The SAQA-PA exhibition committee members are committed to support the show logistics for the duration of the exhibition but shall be ineligible to submit work for jurying into the exhibition. However, at each of these venues, there will be a physically separate area for an art quilt by the juror, as well as one piece by each of the committee members that are on theme and meet the SAQA definition of an art quilt. These works will appear as an addendum at the back of the catalog and may also be available for purchase.
Juror: Jill Kerttula
*Note: The Prospectus was revised in July 2025; review for changes, including a reduction in the maximum height allowance.
Thumbnail artwork by Libby Cerullo