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Ohio Star: Lazarus Rooftop Garden

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72″ x 48″
2018
$500

I made this photoquilt inside the City Center Gallery at the Urban Arts Space in Columbus, Ohio.  In conjunction with my show, Ohio Through the Lens of a Quilt Block, we asked the public for photos to be used in a photoquilt using the hashtag #CCGOhioStar on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  I worked with the gallery staff to sift through the hundreds of photos we received to eventually choose this one, which was taken on the roof of the Lazarus Building by Mark Koenig.  The building houses the gallery, which really sealed the deal for us.  Well, that and the fun shapes in the skyline and the gorgeous deep blue of the sky.

To be honest, I’m not sure I would’ve taken this photo myself, at least with the intention of using it in a photoquilt — I typically look for certain shapes and angles and this image was different from anything else I’ve worked with.  But this participatory interaction was the whole point and it made it a really interesting challenge.  There is a certain rhythm in the shapes and patterns which is different from my other Ohio Star Photoquilts.  But, because it is based on the same Ohio Star pattern, some of the same kaleidoscopic shapes emerge across the photoquilt.

Watch the video below to see how this photoquilt came together:

Columbus, Ohio #3: The Faces of Columbus

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34″ x 34″
2018
$300

This photoquilt is the third in a series of maps of Columbus, Ohio.  The first included the median home values for every zip code in Columbus and the second tallied the number of homicides in each zip code.  This photoquilt incorporates census data from 2016 for each zip code in and around Columbus.

In this photoquilt, I took a picture of the statue of Christopher Columbus which stands on the Statehouse grounds downtown.  The image varies based on the demograhics of the population in each zip code — the whiter the population of a zip code was, the whiter I made the squares that make up that zip code.  The blacker the population, the blacker the photo.  Of course, there are also people who do not identify as only black or white.  In those cases, the photos representing the zip codes are also less black and white or more colorful.

Viewed next to the maps in the series, this photoquilt reveals some similar patterns.  Clearly, there are some strong correlations between wealth and violence and race in Columbus.  My goal with all three maps is to present this data in an objective and visually interesting way.  While I know the former is impossible, I feel like I’ve succeeded on the latter.

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Ohio Star: Ohio State Fair

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72″ x 48″
2018
$500

The first time I incorporated imagery from the Ohio State Fair into a photoquilt, I used an image that included people, rides, ticket booths, and more.  But for this photoquilt, I pared things back to just the essentials: one roller coaster track against the clear, blue sky.

The green-yellow-blue palette is not one I’m naturally drawn to, but the swirling, swooping structure really works well in the Ohio Star block.  Colorful metal beams merge and twist into increasingly complex kaleidoscopic shapes that commonly result from the Ohio Star pattern.

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detail

Ohio Star: North Market

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72″ x 48″
2018
$500

The North Market is a veritable institution in Columbus.  If you have friends or family visiting the city for the first time, you will probably take them here for a scoop of Jeni’s ice cream, some pierogies, a bowl of pho, a maple-bacon doughnut, or any of several other delicacies.

I wasn’t sure about using this image in a photoquilt, but my wife encouraged me to give it a shot and I’m glad that I did.  The image itself has more detail than I usually like to include, but this gives the photoquilt a rich and ornate feel, a bit like hand-woven rug.  This may also be due to the rich golds and reds or the stark patterns created by the beams that hold the market together.

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detail

Ohio Star: Idea Foundry

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72″ x 48″
2018
$500

For the past 10 years, the Idea Foundry has grown into one of the largest maker spaces in the country.  It’s a really fantastic space which helped to renew interest in the Franklinton neighborhood.  Inside, you can find metal and woodworking tools, 3d printers and laser cutters, and now a large coworking space on the upper level.  I took this photo in the center of the coworking space, which features a large staircase that serves as seating for events and presentations.

I love the way the bright wood in the beams contrasts with both the darker wood in the building and the bright light streaming through the windows.  The angles of the rows of seating, some of which include a pop or red, creates a repeating pattern that evolves across the photoquilt.

Columbus, Ohio #2: Homicide Map

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34″ x 34″
2018
$300

This photoquilt is the second in a series of maps of Columbus, Ohio.  The first included the median home values for every zip code in Columbus.  This one records the number of homicides in each zip code.

Sadly, Columbus set a new record for the number of homicides in 2017 with 143.  In this photoquilt, every square in a given zip code receives a line of red stitching for each homicide in that zip code which ranges from 0 to 17.

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detail

The differences between neighboring zip codes are striking and, perhaps not surprisingly, correlate strongly with the median home values within each zip code.

I chose an image of a gun because 83% of the homicides involved a gun.  The photo is a picture of an old toy gun that I dug up in my backyard and photographed against my patio.  I really struggled with an appropriate image to use, but went with this one because it has a camouflage feel.

Because one image is used for the entire map, the zip codes are not as easy to distinguish.  However, clear patterns emerge as some zip codes are much redder than others.

Persistence of Winter

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31″ x 31″
2018
$200

This is one of my first forays into improvisational quilting.  Instead of choosing a pattern and then cutting and sewing several blocks in that pattern, I took several photo prints and began cutting and sewing to see what I could come up with.  This photoquilt combines a stack of photos of a lovely yellow forsythia bush with several white strips of photo paper that are the remnants of the photo printing process — the strips are cut from between the prints to render them into their final size.

I was working with these prints in the springtime, which is probably what got me thinking about snow.  As I began cutting the prints and filling the cuts with strips, I thought about the snow that remains a constant threat to return throughout the spring but also the snow that recedes to reveal beautiful flowers like the ones on this forsythia bush.  And so, across the quilt, the snow gets heavy at times, and melts away at others, revealing the flowers beneath and between.

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Columbus, Ohio #1: Median Home Value

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34″ x 34″
2018
$300

This is the first in a series of maps of Columbus, Ohio that I am making by sewing photographs together.  Each map will incorporate some set of data related to the city.  This map features the median home value for each zip code from 2015 US census data.

Within each zip code, I have taken a picture of a house for sale at or near the median home value.  The photo of the home with the highest value ($310,000) is tinted green while the photo of the home with the lowest value ($55,000) is not.  I have then tinted each photo green proportionally to the values in between.

photo squares for columbus map 1Keeping 576 squares organized.

Through color, a map of the city is formed.  The northwest quadrant, much of which is not technically Columbus, includes suburbs (Upper Arlington, Dublin, Hilliard) with very high home values.  This green area stretches down past the Ohio State campus (blank, because there are not homes for sale within the 43210 zip code) into downtown and German Village.  Another suburb within the city, Bexley, is the green rectangle just southeast of center.  Although I have left roads off the map, several are still easy to find.  The most obvious to me is I-71, which runs north-south through the top of the map.  To the west, median home values are quite high, while to the east they are much lower.

This map, and the data it depicts, is the result of several societal trends and civic decisions over the history of the city.  This piece is also a reflection on my ability to create an objective record of that history.  This map is a neutral artifact in the sense that it is a set of data that has been put through a algorithmic process.  This is the result.  On the other hand, it is impossible to design an algorithm without some cultural and personal bias.  In this way, this photoquilt cannot be completely free of bias, much like the very map it depicts.

The process of converting the map to a grid was an interesting challenge.  The short video below summarizes my process.  Look for more data-driven photoquilt maps soon.

 

Ohio Star: Clintonville Farmers Market

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Ohio Star: Clintonville Farmers Market photoquilt block

12″ x 12″
2017
$100

I created this photoquilt block for a show at Global Gallery, a coffee shop that also sells handcrafted fair trade items from around the world.  The theme of the show was the Clintonville Farmers Market, the hub of which is Global Gallery.  The market features an array of vendors that sell fresh produce, local meats and cheeses, coffee, honey, flowers, and more.  People from around the neighborhood, and throughout the city, make a pilgrimage every Saturday.  In addition to all of the great stuff for sale, I really enjoy the community spirit and civic pride on display.  One of my favorite features is the bike corral, which is operated by Baer Wheels, a local bike shop across the street from the market.  They will keep an eye on your bike while you shop the market so that you don’t have to worry about your bike riding off without you.  The original photo of the corral is below.

 

Ohio Star: Clintonville Farmers Market - original image
Original image for Ohio Star: Clintonville Farmers Market

Although there are lots of colorful sights at the market, this image is the one that stuck out for me.  First, the bike corral may not be the first feature you think about when you think about the Farmers Market, but it’s a useful service that helps people get to the market under their own power, which I think is fantastic.  Second, I really like the colors in the mural on the half wall.  It’s an interesting wedge of rainbow that breaks up the larger areas of brick and concrete.  Finally, I love the random lines and angles of the bike frames, wheels, and shadows.  When they are reflected in their mirror images, they kaleidoscope off in all kinds of interesting directions.  In the detail below, you can see how the bike parts and mortar lines between the bricks line up to create this effect.

 

Ohio Star: Clintonville Farmers Market - detail
Detail of Ohio Star: Clintonville Farmers Market

This 12″ x 12″ block is available for purchase, framed or unframed.  Please contact me directly for pricing and other details.  See more 12″ blocks or 24″ blocks.

 

Ohio Star: Park of Roses

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Ohio Star: Park of Roses Photoquilt

72″ x 48″
2017
$500

This photoquilt was inspired by a show at Wild Goose Creative, called What Is It About This Place? A Neighborhood Art Show Featuring Works by or About Glen Echo, SoHud, and Clintonville, Ohio.  It is part of my series of Ohio Star photoquilts, which incorporate the Ohio Star quilt pattern and feature places around Ohio.  This one began with this picture of the gazebo at the Park of Roses in Clintonville, which is a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio.  I took the picture just before sunset, which accounts for both the silhouette of the structure and the color of the sky, which fades from bright blue to yellow to orange.

Ohio Star: Park of Roses - Original Image
Original image for Ohio Star: Park of Roses

As with my other Ohio Star photoquilts, I used a different part of the original photo for each row of blocks in the quilt, which is why the different kaleidoscopic shapes evolve from the top to the bottom.  The geometric latice-work of the top also contrasts with the curling filigree scrolls of the railing, creating unique and interesting shapes when they meet in different parts of the quilt.

Ohio Star: Park of Roses Photoquilt - Close Up
Close up of Ohio Star: Park of Roses

Ohio Star: Park of Roses Photoquilt - Extreme Close Up
Closer close up of Ohio Star: Park of Roses

This photoquilt was on display at Wild Goose Creative for the month of July, 2017.  Even if you’re not able to get there in time for this show, check them out.  They are a great, non-profit community arts organization that is worthy of your support.

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Photo of the opening at Wild Goose Creative by Erin Aluise, used with permission.