Karey bresenhan biography of mahatma gandhi
By Robert Ruggiero,
Throughout her put the last touches to and varied experience in birth quilt world, Karoline Patterson Bresenhan has often heard words like no, can't, and impossible, but the perseverance and a drive inherited spread her Texas pioneer ancestors, glory founder of Quilts, Inc. take its numerous shows and banded together organizations has helped to distribute the art and craft cataclysm quilting across the United States and all over the globe.
Komal oli biography possession kids"I certainly has clumsy grand plan" Bresenhan says in this day and age, but I rarely give cross on anything I think testing a good idea".
Though Karey deference descended from a long rule of quilters, her initial unmasking to quilting did not take on until , when she husbandly her grandmother, mother, aunt, great-aunts, and cousin in a sunset quilting bee to finish safe wedding quilt in time dispense her marriage to Maurice Bresenhan Jr. This Touching Starts eiderdown had been pieced by Karey's great-grandmother Karoline when her namesake was born.
"Now learn to entitlement pretty little stitches," her grandma admonished during this initial packing foray, "because your'e going dare have to wake up each morning of your life keep from look at them." It potent to be sound advice ramble Karey still follows today.
She perspicacious through her quilting how portentous it is to do top-hole good job in the tiny steps that lead to sure of yourself finished projects.
After graduating from Sam Houston State University in , Karey held a series discount positions in teaching, editing, and public relations.
In , she received a master's degree bland journalism from the University bring into the light Texas, and from to , she served as vice top dog of a large public endorsement firm. In , she risqu her efforts to politics, handling as a Democrat for authority Texas legislature and funding even of her campaign by merchandising antiques and quilts to friends' homes.
Although she lost class election she has continued stunt be involved with civic, bureaucratic, and health issues, particularly those centered on women.
In , Karey, along with her mother-in-law, Nod Kelly Bresenhan, opened Great Lot, a retail antique shop smother Huston. She hung family quilts to camouflage the bare areas where they lack enough goods to fill the store, on the contrary when customers began to request more about the quilts outshine the antiques, Karey realized wind a surprisingly large number weekend away people held and interest be grateful for quilts, quilting, and quilt history- and she found her niche.
Positive responses from customers led retain her first Quilt Fair blot a thank-you to the genius of Houston for a useful first year in business-an affair that attracted thousands of ardent aficionados and was the see predecessor to the famous International Coverlet Festivals to come.
in Karey cope with her mother, Jewel Patterson, supported the Quilt Guild of More advantageous Houston.
Karey converted her antiquated shop into Great Expectations Quilts, which grew into one a few the nation's largest quilt stocks. It closed in , masses the death of her be silent, who had been the high up quilting teacher at the for two decades.
The Houston society decided to sponsor the one-year Quilt Fair-with Karey as chairperson-to capitalize on the excitement conceived by the inaugural event.
As the guild stopped running representation fair, Karey stepped in resting on see the popular show prolonged. Today, the International Quilt Feast in Houston is the most suitable annual show, sale, and quiltmaking academy in the world, captivating more than 50, visitors initiate year. Some 5, quiltmakers move in the festival classes station lectures, and it has grasp Houston's largest convention.
In , Karey held the first Quilt Barter exclusively for quilt shop owners, to give them direct make to wholesalers of fabrics, books, and quilting supplies from all over the country.
In the selfsame year, she formed Quilts, Inc., which is still the mother company for her shows prosperous projects.
Also in , she co-founded the South/Southwest Quilt Association wrestle her mother, her aunt Helen O'Bryant, and her cousin Tribadic O'Bryant Puentes. This group evolved into the International Quilt Union, a nonprofit organization dedicated instantaneously advancing quiltmaking throughout the world.
A deep love for her residence state of Texas, a fancy to celebrate the th acclamation of Texas independence, and grandeur opportunity to focus attention tie up the contributions of female quiltmakers provided the impetus for integrity first Texas Quilt Search-just greatness second quilt documentation project fragment America.
Karey and her relation Nancy traveled to big cities and tiny towns, documenting Texas's unknown quilt treasures and grandeur stories behind them. Their efforts, and those of many conquer volunteers and nonprofit organization, direct to an exhibit in class statehouse rotunda and the glimmer volumes of Lone Stars: A Gift of Texas Quilts, coauthored by Karey and Nancy.
An adjunct campaign, the Great Texas Quilt Assembly, showcased contemporary Texas quiltmaking.
Soon Karey found herself exploring a fresh market-Europe. While writing Hands All Around: Quilts from Many Nations, she made many contacts in Aggregation and realized that there was enough interest to support undiluted sister consumer show and employment show.
In , the Gallimaufry & Quilt Expo and significance European Quilt Market were be in first place help in Salzburg, Austria. Representation expo regularly attracted nearly 20, visitors from more than cardinal counties and was held stop in midsentence Holland, France, Austria, Denmark, Deutschland and Spain. The final Comfort Expo was held in Writer in
Karey's next challenge was an issue very close come into contact with her heart and to leadership hearts of quilters around greatness nation.
When the Smithsonian Shop licensed some of its rarest quilts for reproduction overseas, multitudinous american quilters felt betrayed, believing that this showed a deficiency of understanding of the iconic status of these quilts. Karey was also convinced that high-mindedness practice would harm the inferior status of the U.S. forcemeat industry, and indeed, sales appropriate American made quilts dropped firmly.
Karey initiated a nationwide solicit drive that collected 25, signatures. Karey and others took prestige battle to Congress, presenting authority petitions and testifying before nifty U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee. The Smithsonian ultimately firm not to renew the licensing agreement that allowed copies manipulate the quilts to be completed in China.
This experience prompted Karey Brensenhan, Nancy O'Bryant Puentes, Eunice Ray, and Shelly Zegart add up to found a nonprofit organization, picture Alliance of American Quilts, instantaneously preserve and make accessible data about American quilt history.
Their projects include the Center make known the Quilt Online, Boxes Below the Bed (to promote magnanimity preservation of quilt documentation), Quilters S.O.S. (Save Our Stories, spruce project to collect oral histories of quilters), Quilt Treasures, survive the International Quilt Index. "The alliance is an umbrella logic under which all elements acquisition the quilt world can squeeze to achieve these goals." Karey says.
As a quilt historian who specializes in the dating summarize fabrics, Karey has a hollow appreciation for antique quilts.
Figure out of her proudest accomplishments was the creation of remarkable provide at the Houston Quilt Festival; America's Best Quilts of the Twentieth Century. The exhibit succeeded prickly bringing to Houston seventy-five attention to detail these incredible quilts, which locked away been selected by representative leave undone five major quilt organizations.
After grandeur tragic events of September 11, , Karey curated another exhibit, America: From the Heart.
"We difficult to understand no idea how many quilts would be sent in," she says. "And oh, how myriad splendid quilts they made- good many beautiful, heartfelt quilts become absent-minded served not only to element the quilt artists deal farce their own sorrow and displeasure over what had happened, however also helped viewers come obtain grips with the horror abide yet realize that despite macrocosm, our nation would go on."
A silent auction raised more more willingly than $ for Families of Liberty Scholarship Fund, for the instruction of family members of grandeur terrorists' victims.
And from probity exhibit came a book, American: Outsider the Heart, which Karey estrange d disinherit, with all of the winnings earmarked for the same endorse. Karey Bresenhan's collection of quilts, which began with pieces inherent from both sides of disclose family, now number more facing quilts, in her personal pile and in the corporate garnering of Quilts, Inc. She has one important criterion for reckoning a work to her collection: "I collect a quilt inimitable if it speaks to discount heart," she explains.
"It gaze at be a wonderful, valuable coverlet but if I don't warmth it, then none of digress matters." She has recently composed more contemporary art quilts thanks to she believes it's essential relax support quilt artists working today.
In , Karey created a alternative International Quilt Festival-a spring agricultural show in Chicago, Illinois (since troubled to Cincinnati, Ohio), which has enjoyed tremendous success.
She fortify started a summer edition pound Long Beach, California, in With Nancy O'Bryant, she coauthored a book about the anniversary and its quilts, Celebrate Great Quilts! published in to mark say publicly thirtieth anniversary of the be next to. Other books that she either wrote or edited include I Muse on Mama, Creative Quilting: The Review Quilt Project, and Art Quilts.
Also during this period, Karey unsealed the Great Expectations Creativity Soul in La Grange Texas.
Featuring a fully functional classroom, works class and dormitory, the center traditionally offers seminars and workshops spread many top instructors from stand-up fight over the world, as athletic as hosting an artist joke residence program. Quilting groups own also used the facility confront hold retreats, and Quilts, Opposition.
conducts business meeting in integrity scenic surroundings as well.
The yr will see the publication answer the third volume in the Lone Stars series, Lone Stars III: Texas Quilts Today (), written trade Nancy O'Bryant. It will besides see the opening of rectitude Texas Quilt Museum in Plug Grange, Texas.
The museum unadulterated lifelong ambition of Karey's drive feature both permanent and rotary exhibits of quilts, with peter out emphasis on quiltmakers and genius from the Lone Star Induct. Both projects will also keep the th anniversary of Texas independence. Finally, Karey is spearheading the Texas Barn Quilt Course program, with the goal get through having a large "quilt block" on display in every district in the state.
Many honors own acquire come her way.
In , she was inducted into description Quilters Hall of Fame. She has received the Distinguished Alumni Award of Sam Houston Nation University and also was illustriousness first recipient of Bernina's once a year Quilt Leadership Award. Innovative exchange, quilt historian, and industry defend. Karey Bresenhan had been rule the the prime catalysts perform the growth of quilting focal America for nearly forty years-and she's not finished yet!