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News Release

IWV Campus

CCCC to Display Ground Zero Quilt in November

Ridgecrest, CA – October 16, 2005

Quilter Lois Jarvis' Ground Zero quilt is attracting attention all across the United States and from around the world for its dramatic presentation of the human impact of the events of September 11, 2001. The quilt places the pictures of more than 600 individuals who perished that day in a "Lone Star" pattern that evokes the image of an explosion. The starburst of faces is surrounded by a boarder of grays, symbolizing a smoke-enveloped city in mourning.

The Ground Zero quilt is coming to Ridgecrest and will be on public displayed at Cerro Coso Community College in the new Learning Resource Center, Art Gallery from November 14 to 22, Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The City of Ridgecrest and Cerro Coso College will co-sponsor a community reception from 4 to 7 p.m. on Monday, November 14. "It is our intent to share this rich national treasure with the entire community." stated Sharon K. Dyer, President of Cerro Coso Community College. "This quilt is a lasting testament to the individuals who lost their lives on that tragic day." Dyer continued. Mayor Chip Holloway echoes Dr. Dyers sentiments and urges the community to come and view the quilt first hand.

The Ground Zero quilt was originally part of The American Spirit Quilt Collection, a traveling show of 12 quilts representing the triumph of the American spirit over the events of Sept. 11. These quilts traveled together for three years, from June 2002 to June 2005. But it was when Jarvis posted pictures of the quilt on her web site that interest really began to grow.

Jarvis, an accomplished quilter and quilter teacher is humbled by the influx of responses to this piece of work. To date there have been more than two million visitors to the website.

Comments from all over the world have been left in her web site quest book. She has received many affirmations of support to requests for showings. One viewer described the Ground Zero quilt as "a testimony, not just to the event and the people it describes, but to what art can do in the human community." Another called it "both healing and documentary." A woman from New York wrote, "While I have seen many tributes, none have touched me quite as much as your quilt."

"I made the quilt to be viewed", says Jarvis. "I hope it will remind everyone that the loss of the building and their material content was not the important event that day. The individual people on this quilt, the happy smiling people at work and at play, the brides and grooms, the fathers and mothers, the young so full of promise and the old with still so much to offer, who all perished that day, are the important things to remember."

To view the Ground Zero quilt online, visit Lois Jarvis's web site at www.loisjarvisquilts.com.

GROUND ZERO: Artist Statement
A quilt by Lois Jarvis, Madison, WI. 2002

I am not as eloquent with words as some people are. And why I needed to make this quilt I could not say. I do not personally know anyone who perished that day. I don’t plan to sell this quilt. So why I made it is a mystery to me. All I can say is that I felt I should do it because I knew I could to do it. Now that it is done I am finding the answer to why I felt the strong urge to make it.

I made it to be viewed by other people, and to somehow touch them. I hope it will remind everyone that the loss of the buildings and their material content was not the important event that day. I hope it will show the viewer that the individual people on this quilt, the happy smiling people at work and at play, the brides and grooms, the fathers and mothers, the young so full of promise and the old with so much still to offer, who all perished that day, are the important things to remember.

I created this work of art using traditional quilting techniques. The Lone Star pattern was used because I could manipulate it into looking like an explosion with outward movement. The inner border is meant to contain the blast. The outer border in shades of gray captures the colors of those days following Sept 11, the smoke, the dust, the sadness, the colors of a city in mourning. The quilting in the seam line along each side of the small diamonds making up the Lone Star skips the inner border and continues into the outer border. This creates the effect of a chain link fence providing a place for viewers to express their reactions to this event.

The images of the people on this quilt were downloaded from the CNN site starting just a few days after Sept 11. Over 1,000 pictures were downloaded.
About 800 were printed. Just over 600 were used in this quilt. They were printed on PFD cloth treated with Bubble Set 2000 on a Cannon 600 printer.

I wish to extend my thanks to Jannis Browning, Lydia Jarvis, Merry Moore, Clair Nordman, LoRaine Granhold, Brenna Hopkins, and Tom Jarvis for providing support to this project physically, financially, and technically. Thanks guys.

View online at: www.LoisJarvisQuilts.com

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Joann Handeland, Director of Facilities Development and Services (760) 384-6230

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Last updated November 02, 2005