Bonjour
This introduction comes to you from Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines in France. We have been here for the last six days, setting up the Aotearoa Quilters exhibition at Carrefour, and then manning the stand for the four days of the show.
Our exhibition was very well received with many glowing comments about our quilts. We were one of the few groups with an exhibition which meant we were able to exhibit a wide variety of quilts showcasing many different techniques, styles of quilting and subject matter. After viewing other exhibitions at Carrefour, we know our quilts are of a world class standard.
We received many comments about how far we had travelled and how delighted people were to see something from New Zealand. The regional quilts were invaluable for telling viewers about New Zealand and the special features of each region and our country. A number of visitors had connections to NZ, having travelled to the country, or having friends or family in NZ, and many said they would love to visit our country.
Several of us were interviewed about the Aotearoa Quilters and our exhibition. We also had a visit from a school group on the setup day, and Valda spent about an hour answering their questions. There was also an artist’s talk about the quilts in the exhibition each day and Valda did a great job managing this via a French interpreter.
The French take their dogs everywhere, including to quilt shows. We have discovered that dog minding is included in the job description for those on duty at quilts shows – Nita was handed the lead of a small dog without so much as an explanation and spent about 15 minutes ‘minding’ while the owners admired the quilts.
None of us spoke French, so communication both to visitors at the exhibition, and for such things as ordering meals in a restaurant resulted in some amusing moments. Cindy and Valda were delighted to find gin and tonic as a drink option at a restaurant, so ordered their drinks. Two empty glasses and two bottles of tonic arrived, and when the waitress was questioned about the whereabouts of the gin discovered that gin was not available.
We had some interesting accommodation in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines. The building had once upon a time been a bank, so the living area was vast – three dining room tables, three lounge sitting areas, a piano, three large dressers and a vast array of nick-nacks. One afternoon Nita returned to find the landlady, three grandmothers, a grandfather, and a friend enjoying homemade apple pie and tea in the living area. We also had five French ladies sharing the kitchen and bathroom facilities for two days, so cooperation was essential.
Despite all the challenges of this ‘adventure’ we had a great time, and we are all still talking after eight days together.
Valda, Sheryl, Cindy, Heather and Nita
