UW News

January 17, 2008

‘Zarzuela’: Employee quilt art on display

UW Medical Center’s art program is sponsoring a quilt art exhibit that kicks off at 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18.

The exhibit, titled Zarzuela, will be located in the Sky Light Gallery off the third floor main lobby leading to the Healing Garden.

The 19 juried works included were selected by committee. Zarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung sequences and also includes dance. It is also the name of a seafood dish.

Several UW employees’ quilts will be on display including a piece from Katy Gollahon, a research scientist in pathology.

Zarzuela is sponsored by the Contemporary QuiltArt Association, a Washington state nonprofitcurrently led by Joe Pepia, a nurse who worked at UWMC for more than 20 years until his retirement in December.

Pepia, who started sewing some 30 years ago, said quilting today is not exactly your grandmother’s quilting any more.

“Your grandmother did quilting from used clothing, but some artists today dye their own fabric,” he said. Pepia said he’s always been amazed at how many members of the CQA work at the UW.

Zarzuela runs through Wednesday, Feb. 27, and many of the pieces will be for sale. Call Karen Neuhard-Forsythe, UWMC art program coordinator, at 206-598- 6308 or visit www.contemporaryquiltart.com  for more information.