Like many quilters working today, Janet Catherine Berlo is influenced by a host of cultural and environmental sources in her work. In her newest quilts, she uses a mixture of Japanese, Japanese-inspired, and other ethnic textiles. She is clearly inspired by the shapes and aesthetic dimensions of historic Japanese and kimono and obi sashes.
Both Japanese and Guatemalan weavers make fabric known as kasuri or ikat, in which lengths of thread are dyed in particular patterns before weaving, and then carefully strung on the loom so that these patterns will emerge in the weaving. Using such fabric, one of the works plays with the Japanese concept of ranru, which literally means "rags." It refers to the unintentional art created by patching old and worn garments. For further information, contact the Art and Music Gallery at (585) 275-4476.
Berlo is a professor of art history and visual and cultural studies at the University of Rochester's River Campus. She is also the author of a memoir entitled Quilting Lessons, and co-curator of Wild By Design: 200 Years of Innovation and Artistry in American Quilts, an exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery from Jan. 20 – Mar. 16, 2008.