'Interpretations' on display at Luther College

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Composition, 1939

DECORAH, IA (11/12/2012)(readMedia)-- A series of quilts that celebrate the works of master artists will be on display Tuesday, Nov. 20, through Wednesday, Jan. 16, in the Kristin Wigley-Fleming Gallery in the Center for the Arts on the Luther College campus.

A gallery reception for artist Rebecca Kamm will be 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27. The show, titled "Interpretations," and the reception are open to the public with no charge for admission.

Kamm began quilting as a teenager after seeing quilts made by her grandmothers, and has since produced traditional and art quilts as well as quilted garments.

"Traditional quilts were used to give life to drab environments, provide warmth and even transmit messages, " Kamm says. "Art quilts move traditional patterns and techniques in new directions."

She says the quilts in "Interpretations" celebrate master artworks by translating the way she visualized their art using a different medium. She was drawn to images that included geometric designs and bold colors because they easily translated to fabric and quilts.

"These quilts are not copies of paintings, but were produced to draw viewers into works of art to see them in new ways," she said.

A 1970 graduate of Waseca High School, Kamm graduated from Wartburg College with a bachelor's degree in English/education and received masters and doctoral degrees in education from the University of Northern Iowa.

She is a Fulbright Scholar and a National Endowment for the Humanities participant. In 1996 she received a Wartburg College Alumni Citation. Her academic book, "Cases for Community College Teachers," was published by New Forums Press.

Kamm has served on the communications faculty at Northeast Iowa Community College since 1990 and lives in Decorah with her husband, David.

This show is sponsored by the galleries of Luther College.