Artist Statement
I combine fragments of found letters, diaries and journals from the late 19th and 20th centuries. Like an archeological site, bits of language can be excavated but do not always fit together, and some remain undecipherable.

After spending well over two decades as a professional writer, these past twelve years working as a visual artist have given me new perspectives on words and text. Discovering old, handwritten letters and diaries holds a strong personal connection as well, since journaling has been a longstanding practice for me. Old diaries and journals differ greatly in vocabulary and structure from contemporary writing, even though they were written over the past 150 years. Yet it is the calligraphic form of these writers' penmanship that fascinates me more than the content. Even the existence of such documents seems poignant, since handwritten correspondence has virtually disappeared from contemporary culture.

In addition to searching for handwritten works, ancient scripts and Asian calligraphy have also inspired my appreciation for the visual nature of written words. Language evolves and alters; each alphabet represents an entire culture and epoch. Even when these ancient scripts cannot be translated, the beauty and mystery contained in the patterns and forms still engage the imagination.

When we speak a language, the cadence and intonations of the human voice convey as much meaning as the words. Responding to that idea, the writings on the surfaces in this new body of work evoke spoken sounds through the rhythm, spacing and pressure of the marks.

Each piece in this series in some way deconstructs the linear structure of text and incorporates invented letterforms that become their own visual language. Working through the ideas for each piece excavates new associations for the next – an evolution, which like language, is ever-changing in the contexts of human culture and personal experience.

Resume
    Solo Exhibitions
  • "Notations," University of Rochester, Rush Rhees Library Art & Music Gallery, Rochester, NY, 2008.
  • "Works by Jeanne Raffer Beck," Mancuso Brothers New Jersey Quilt Fest, Somerset, NJ, 2007.
    Invitationals
  • "Breaking Boundaries: Art of the Quilt", Gallery 50, Traverse City, MI, 2008.
  • "A Personal Landscape: Contemporary Art Quilts," Tyler Art Gallery, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY, 2008.
  • Columbus Cultural Arts Center, QSDI Invitational, Columbus, OH, 2006. "Committed to Cloth," Festival of Quilts, Knitting & Stitching Shows in London and Harrogate, UK, 2004.
  • "Art:Cloth", The Knitting & Stitching Shows, Birmingham, London, Harrogate, 2008.
  • "Festival of Art Cloth", International Quilt Festival exhibit, Houston, TX, 2007.
    Selected Juried Exhibitions, 1998-2008
  • Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, "Made In New York", Auburn, NY, 2007.
  • Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, "Quilts=Art=Quilts, Auburn, NY, 1998, 99, 2000, ’01,’04.’05,’06,’07.
  • Quilt Surface Design Symposium, 2002-2007, art cloth, Columbus, OH.
  • Surface Design Association Member Exhibition, Kansas City, MO, 2005, 2007.
  • Artspace, "Contemporary Fine Crafts", Raleigh, NC, 2006.
  • Atlantic Center for the Arts, "Considering Quilts", Smyrna Beach, Florida, 2006.
  • Textile Center, "Never Static", Textile Center, Minneapolis, MN, 2006. 
  • Carnegie Center for Art & History, "Form Not Function", New Albany, IN, 2005, 2006.
  • Form Not Function, Houston, TX, two-year traveling small works exhibition. 2006.
  • Chandler Center for the Arts, Art Quilts IX and X, 2004, 2005, Chandler, AZ.
  • International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, 2003 – 2007.
  • APEX Gallery, Tribute to Fiber Art, Wash, D.C., 2004.
  • Art Quilts, Elements, Page-Walker Art and History Center, Cary, NC., 2004. Part of touring exhibit.
  • 26th Annual Contemporary Crafts Exhibit, Mesa Art Center, Mesa, AZ, 2004.
  • Arizona State University, "Hanging by a Thread", Flagstaff, AZ, 2001.
  • Rochester Finger Lakes Exhibition, Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY, 1999, 2001.
    Work in Publications
  • Textiles Now, by Drusilla Cole, Laurence King Publisher, London, England, 2008.
  • Simple Screenprinting: Basic Techniques and Creative Projects, by Annie Stromquist, Lark Books, 2004, Gallery section.
  • American Quilter Magazine," Burnt Offerings," article, 2008.
  • Quilting Today, #84, "Quilts=Art=Quilts."
  • Surface Design Journal, Winter Issue 2004; Gallery Issue, Fall 2006.
  • Surface Design Journal, "Exposure", Winter Issue 2005.
  • Quilting Arts Magazine, issue #23, "Fine Focus," 2006.
  • Quilting Arts Magazine, issue #25, "Textural Surfaces for Stitch," 2007.
  • Quilting Arts Magazine, issue #26,"Small Wonders," 2007.
  • Exploring Visual Imagery by Jane Dunnewold and Claire Benn, 2007.
  • Published articles include American Quilter, FiberArts, Ceramics Monthly, Art Calendar, Quilting Arts, Ladies Circle Patchwork Quilts, Surface Design Journal and the Surface Design Association Newsletter.
    Residencies
  • University of Rochester Art Department, April 2008.
  • Fiber Studio Assistant, Penland School of Crafts, Spring Concentration, 2005.
    Television
  • WXXI Public Television, Rochester, NY, Artist Gallery Profile.
  • HGTV, "Simply Quilts," Episode #1107, Studio Interview, 2006.
         Collections
         University of Rochester, Gleason Library.
    Affiliations
  • Surface Design Association, NYS regional representative
  • SAQA International
  • Rochester Area Fiber Artists
  • Rochester Print Club
All images © by the artist, Jeanne Raffer Beck, and are not to be copied, reproduced or distributed in any manner.
Last update 9/26/08. Website design by Holly Knott.