Since 2015, the Memorial Art Gallery has celebrated the 鈥渁fter-hours鈥� hobbies and creative lives of Rochesterians as part of a series called The program includes presenters from throughout Greater Rochester鈥攊ncluding 暗网吃瓜 faculty, staff, and students鈥攚ho share their stories and ideas about creativity with the community.
Randall Cook, building and project manager for River Campus Libraries, will talk about his passion for quilts at 7 p.m. Thursday, January 11, at the Memorial Art Gallery. Read more about Cook below. He鈥檒l be joined by Brittany Williams, an assistant basketball coach and artist. Entry is $7.50 and includes museum admission.
At the start of 2000, on the heels of completing a massive work project related to a Y2K computer software changeover, Randall Cook found that he had some free time on his hands. And because January鈥檚 chill had set in, a hobby he could enjoy indoors was ideal.
鈥淚 wanted something to replace the crazy work life I鈥檇 been leading with something more calming,鈥� says Cook, who now serves as building and project manager for River Campus Libraries.
He bought a sewing machine and a few books about quilting 鈥渙n a whim鈥� while walking through an arts and crafts store. And his passion for the art was born.
He started with easy projects such as traditional bed quilts, which he gifted to family members.
鈥淚t was exciting, so I kept going,鈥� Cook recalls. His skills burgeoned, his desire to learn more grew, and he progressed into more complicated projects. In 2004, he started entering his work in quilt shows, winning several awards at the New York State Quilt Consortium show in Auburn. His interest in art quilts鈥攑ieces meant to be displayed rather than used as bedding鈥攃ontinued to grow.
In 2006, after 鈥渁nother crazy year at work鈥� as a software project manager, he found himself without a job. Cook says he stretched his severance package and, at the encouragement of his friends, committed himself to his quilting.
He enrolled in a weeklong course with internationally renowned textile artist Hollis Chatelain in California, where he learned dye-painting techniques. He took a drawing class locally and continued to refine his craft.
Rather than simpler projects that could be completed in about a month, he devoted long stretches of time to creating hand-painted art quilts that required extensive machine quilting.
鈥�2007 was a great year for me, personally,鈥� Cook says, because of the time devoted to his creative pursuits.
That year, Cook鈥檚 鈥淚 Remain,鈥� a red art quilt depicting the backside of a male nude, earned Finalist honors at the nation鈥檚 largest annual quilt show, the in Houston鈥攚here it also generated some controversy for its subject matter.
鈥淚 Remain鈥� was among the works featured in a 2009 article on 鈥淪hocking Quilts鈥� in Mark Lipinski鈥檚 , a story that generated its own controversy when retailer Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts declined to sell the issue because of the 鈥淪hocking Quilts鈥� feature.
Cook was also one of the artists featured in a 2011 short film, Stitched, which chronicled the stories of three controversial artisans as they prepared to submit entries for the 2010 International Quilt Festival.
He鈥檚 earned many accolades for his work over the years at the International Quilt Festival and at other shows across the country.
These days, he continues strive for balance between his life as a textile artist and his professional life.
鈥淚鈥檓 a control freak. I鈥檓 a project manager, I have to plan things out,鈥� he says. 鈥淢y best and favorite pieces are the ones that come when I can get out of that mindset.鈥�
He鈥檒l sometimes take a week of vacation time to immerse himself in the creative process and work on surface designs for his quilts.
鈥淚 really need to be in 鈥榠t鈥� and not in the rest of my life,鈥� he says.
View his portfolio at .
