‘Two Rivers, Three Sisters’ quilt display coming home

The quilted masterpiece, Two Rivers, Three Sisters, is returning from a three-month exhibition in Portland to display at St. Charles-Bend.

This unique, forty foot long quilt made by eighteen Central Oregon master quilters will hang in the hospital gallery during April and May.

“Hundreds of people saw the quilts in Portland and I had numerous comments and phone calls about the quality of the exhibit,” said Ann Richardson, Executive Director for Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (SOQS).

SOQS commissioned the piece in October 2011; it debuted in June of 2012 and has been traveling ever since. And now, it looks like the piece will have a permanent home in Sisters.

“I had an offer to purchase two of the panels but we are working with the City of Sisters to make the piece a permanent part of the city’s public art collection. What’s particularly poignant is that it will be exhibited on the very wall where we hung the diagrams for the quilters during their orientation session. We’re all very excited that it’s coming home for good.”

But not until it finishes its world travels. After St. Charles the work will be on display at QuiltWorks in Bend in June, at the Sisters Quilt Show in July, back to Portland to the Architectural Heritage Center for August and September and then to the Yokohama Quilt Show in Yokohama, Japan.

A community’s effort to revitalize the two rivers that frame the Sisters Country (Whychus Creek and the Metolius River) inspired the creation of this 40-foot long quilted masterpiece. With a special focus on revitalizing Whychus Creek which runs through Sisters, Two Rivers, Three Sisters is the story of a river and a community coming together. Thanks to the efforts of many partners, water once again flows in Whychus Creek. Native fish are returning to spawn for the first time in 40 years and a community is re-discovering a gem in its own backyard. Two Rivers, Three Sisters celebrates Whychus Creek’s rebirth.

Just as Whychus Creek unites the quilts, the creek connects the many organizations working together for its restoration.

–The U.S. Forest Service and National Forest Foundation are partnering to revitalize Whychus Creek in a Treasured Landscapes conservation campaign known locally as the “Tale of Two Rivers.”

–The Deschutes Land Trust protects and restores private lands to further benefit the Creek.

–The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show initiated Two Rivers, Three Sisters to tell the story of Whychus Creek through the lens of fiber art.

This exhibition is a unique showcase of the strengths of Sisters: rich artistic talent, stunning landscapes and partnerships that truly make a difference.