In the quilts of Sarah Nishiura one sees a long standing tradition in quilt making combined with personal interests (art history, family, and mathematics) that reflect the present day. Upon initial inspection, one may sense a strong connection to art movements of the 1960-90s, specifically, Minimalism, OpArt, and NeoGeo. This is due to education and time. There is certainly a painterly quality in these fiber art-based creations. This week The COMP Magazine traveled north to Rogers Park to talk with Nishiura about her early encounters with the fine arts, how her studio practice has evolved over time to focus on quilt making, her labor intensive requirements in production, and how her work has become distinctively representative of contemporary investigations now recognized as quality benchmarks in defining our culture today.
Can we start with a bit of background? You grew up in Detroit, studied out east and eventually landed in Chicago. You were trained as a painter, but your interests evolved into a fiber arts studio practice, specifically focused upon quilt making. Can you share with us how your early childhood sparked your interest in pursuing a life as an artist?
My Grandfather was an artist (my father’s father), and though I never knew him, his presence was always strongly felt at home. Our house was full of art, some pieces were wedding gifts from grandpa to my parents, and some pieces were things my father bought. We also always spent a lot of time at the Detroit Institute of Arts. It is still one of my favorite museums in the world. The DIA is across the street from Wayne State University where my parents worked and as a teenager I went to the museum 2 or 3 days a week as I waited for my parents to finish work. I went to a very small progressive private school from k-12 and art was always a big part of the curriculum. I had wonderful teachers there who encouraged my interest, gave me a lot of freedom to try different media, and helped me build a portfolio when the time came to apply to college.
I see a strong connection to your painting experience in your quilts. There’s a sophisticated use of color theory. The geometric patterns align with your interest in mathematics. And, the works, though referencing a long-standing tradition in quilt making, feel contemporary. Can you speak to the influence of painting upon your practice?
Although the look of my quilts is informed by the aesthetic sensibilities that I developed as a painter, I am determined that my work be firmly rooted in traditional quilting. My techniques are the same as those used by quilters before me – I hand quilt, use recycled materials, play with geometric patterns, etc. When I first started to really pay attention to quilts and quilt history, I recognized that some quilts are as visually stunning as anything I had learned about in art school AND they could keep you warm! I never studied color theory and the amazing, mostly unknown, women who made the quilts that I love from the 19th and early 20th century probably never studied color theory either. They did, however, have highly developed ideas about what materials, textures, colors, and shapes they wanted to bring together to make something they found beautiful. Once I found this connection between quilts and paintings, I stopped thinking about the borders between the two.
Why did you shift to quilt making from painting?
A practical reason that I switched had to do with losing my painting studio and knowing that working in oils in my living room with cats, a small child and lots of other chaos was going to be difficult. I was already dabbling in quiltmaking, making small quilts as gifts for friends having babies so I thought that it would make sense to focus on sewing while I thought about how to find a new studio.
At the same time, I was already having doubts that painting was the right medium for me. I had been talking to galleries about my work and was often told that my paintings were too decorative to be of interest (this was at a time when conceptual art was all the rage). I knew that I wanted to make work that was decorative, and that it is a very fundamental human desire to have decorative objects in our environments. Once I started quilting seriously, I quickly noticed what a different response I was getting to my work. It seemed like everyone I talked to had connections to quilts, whether this was a beloved blanket or a grandma who quilted. It was such a relief to make work that connected people and didn’t feel confined to the art world. Similarly, I had a grandma who quilted and many people in my family who were makers. These people were involved in craft for many complicated reasons including practical needs, religion, creative impulses, etc. Making functional things helped me to find a connection to my past in a way I didn’t expect.
Can you discuss your process? You use 100% cotton recycled and vintage materials in assembling your highly organized creations. Are there ideas or preliminary sketches that establish a platform for completing the finished works?
I mostly design my quilts on graph paper after lots of brainstorming in sketchbooks. I figure out the major components of the composition and then sew these parts in a more improvisational way. So it’s kind of like a jigsaw puzzle where all the pieces fit together but within each piece there is a lot of freedom. I work with recycled materials for a lot of reasons. Of course, it is more environmentally friendly to reuse what is already out there, but I also really like what these materials have to offer. In a fabric store there are usually only a few choices within a single color, in a thrift store, there are hundreds. I really love the subtle differences that these fabrics bring to my work.
Upon initial inspection I am reminded of geometric artworks of the 1960-80s. For instance, in “Loop”, 2023, the symmetrical design, attention to color selection, and technical precision seem to have an affinity with the Minimalist practitioners (Agnes Martin, Sol LeWitt, Robert Mangold). Are there any artists or practices that you see informing your studio inquiry?
I love the artists you mention, and I was extremely influenced by them when I used to paint. I don’t usually reference artists specifically although I am always looking and always taking ideas from other work. “Loop” is one exception. I designed it just after the passing of Brice Marden whose paintings I had always loved. His paintings went from being very minimal geometric abstractions to expressive gestural line studies. Quilting can never be gestural, it is inherently too slow for that, but I wanted to make a quilt that was a nod to his use of line. I looked a lot at Fra Angelico’s paintings in choosing the pink and gold color combination in that quilt, and I also was inspired by Vuillard in thinking about how to piece the quilt. He is so extraordinary at combining busy micro marks with big flat areas of color.
You appear to have a deep interest in traditional and vernacular artforms. In recent times, these artforms have been validated and are now receiving long overdue attention. Can you explain your connection?
As a student in the 80s and 90s, the weight of modernism was real. There was an idea that art was progressing towards some inevitable formal end line. While many of the artists that we are taught about in school are indeed inspiring, it is obvious to me that the cannon is exclusive and extremely limited. Humans are creative and skillful, and we have all always used these qualities to make objects that capitalize on these characteristics. The things we make function on many levels and have many different meanings. I think it is important that we all acknowledge and enjoy the range of stuff that is out there and give props to all the artists whose names have been forgotten.
In addition to your studio practice, you have taught at the Hyde Park Art Center since 2009. Are there any specific items you regularly share with your students?
I always open my class with a slide show which shares the history of quilting and introduces the range of techniques and forms that quilts can utilize. I also bring in examples from my own collection of antique and vintage quilt collection.
What do you value most in your aesthetic investigations and studio practice?
I love that on days when I feel creative, I can spend my day drawing and brainstorming. On days when I feel analytical, I can spend my day figuring out angles and measurements. On days when I feel like being physical and active, I can sew at the machine. On days when I just want to zone out, I can just sit on the couch and hand quilt for hours (and watch tv too!). If I feel stressed, I love to go to the thrift store to wander around and looking for just the right material for my project.
Can you share what’s currently in the works? What’s the plan for the remainder of the year? Do you have any upcoming commissions, project or exhibitions?
I am currently working on two new quilts that are a bit of a departure from past work. One is a quilt of clouds. One is a quilt of trees. I have never made quilts with figurative components before, and I will probably go back to working in a more abstract way after these pieces are complete, but I am learning a lot from the challenge of working differently.
For additional information on the studio practice of Sarah Nishiura, please visit:
Sarah Nishiura – https://www.sarahnishiura.com/
Sarah Nishiura on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sarahnishiuraquilts/?hl=en
Okan Arts – https://okanarts.com/blogs/blog/sarah-nishiura
Hyde Park Art Center – https://www.hydeparkart.org/directory/sarah-nishiura-2/
Entoten – https://www.entoten.com/2017/07/26/21465/
Artist interview and portrait by Chester Alamo-Costello
