BLYTHEWOOD – A unique art quilt show featuring the work of textile artist Susan Lenz drew a large crowd on Saturday at the Blythewood Historical Society and Museum. Lenz, who lives and works out of an historic renovated Cateechee textile mill church outside Central, SC, displayed and discussed a number of her art pieces.
“During the pandemic I began using found objects and combining them with scraps of fabric and quilt pieces to make mandalas,” Lenz told the audience. “I give new life to old things. I don’t buy new to create my artwork.”
She has created 150 mandalas, geometric configurations of symbols, from found objects such as wooden clothes pins, bottle caps and screws. Some of her work has appeared in national publications, numerous juried exhibitions, and at fine art craft shows including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Smithsonian Craft Shows. Her work has been featured on art quilting television programs, on South Carolina ETV’s Palmetto Scene, and is in the permanent collection of the Textile Museum in Washington, DC and the McKissick Museum in South Carolina.
“I continue making them, giving second life to old quilts that for some reason are no longer useful as quilts,” she said, sharing finished work as well as work in progress.
Lenz’s sanctuary-sized fiber arts studio in Central is open by appointment which can be made by calling (803) 254-0842.
Other quilts and quilt art pieces provided by members of the community were also on display during the event.
Janet Brakefield 
Suzie Clinard
