SEQUIM — A quilt in a national show at the Sequim Museum & Arts is based on Joe Rantz, a Sequim resident who was a key member of the University of Washington’s 1936 rowing team that won the gold medal in rowing in Germany.
“Against all Odds: Abandonment to Olympian, A Tribute to Joe Rantz” by Catherine Bilyard of Kennewick, is among the 41 art quilts on exhibit at the museum at 544 N. Sequim Ave.
“Inspiration/Exploration,” a juried exhibit by the Washington State Region of Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA), continues through March.
Visitors from 10 different states have viewed the 41 art quilts in the Judith McInnes Tozzer Art Gallery in recent weeks, museum leaders said.
Bilyard based her quilt on Rantz, who survived abandonment, the Great Depression and was a member of the team that won against Nazi Germany.
“My heart was deeply touched by Joe’s story so much, I felt I needed to create a piece that told his story of resiliency and redemption,” she wrote of the quilt.
For the juried exhibit, quilters were asked to identify the inspirational qualities of Washington and then explore that inspiration in their artwork.
Sequim Museum & Arts is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and on First Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call 360-681-2257.
For more information about the quilters group, visit saqa.com.