Quilting can too often be seen as a traditional and decorative form, but contemporary fiber artists have long-used this medium to deliver bold, complex, and even political messages. Join exhibiting artists Cynthia Busic-Snyder, Pat Pauly, and Ellaree Pray for a conversation about meaning-making in contemporary quilt art. This panel will explore the evolving role of fiber in the art world, the power of abstraction and symbolism, and how personal and political narratives are stitched into each work.

This talk will be moderated by artist and SAQA member Jean McCreary and is presented in conjunction with Apparent Contradictions, a juried exhibition organized by the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA).

IMAGE: "Look, alternative facts are not facts" by Cynthia Busic-Snyder 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Cynthia Busic-Snyder was born in central Ohio, where she was raised with two brothers by depression-era working class parents. She studied Visual Communication Design in the Department of Industrial Design at the Ohio State University where she developed an interest in both practicing and teaching graphic design. After working as a graphic designer and art director (identity, point of purchase, signage systems and print for both retail and business to business clients internationally) she shifted her focus to higher education and instructional design. Following a teaching career of nearly 20 years in higher education, she now works as a textile artist, printmaker and chicken wrangler in rural upstate New York. @cynthiabusicsnyder

Jean McCreary is a retired energy and environmental attorney who creates pictorial collage art quilts, primarily inspired by her travels and the natural environment.  Her work has been included in a published collection of fiber art birds, and her elephant, gorilla and giraffe quilts have won ribbons at regional shows. She has been invited by various local guilds and the Schweinfurth Museum to speak about her art quilt techniques, and she has been co-curator for two year-long contemporary art quilt exhibitions (byCONTRAST [2023-2024] and byCONTRAST Apparent Contradictions [2025-2026]) mounted by the New York and New Jersey regional group of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA).

Pat Pauly is a Rochester treasure whose unique artistic voice is recognized world-wide. She designs contemporary art quilts with strong composition and modern interpretation. She extends her design to creating printed fabrics as stand-alone pieces or as used in her quilts. Pat’s solo show, Unfolding Years, is currently on view at the New England Quilt Museum. But her work in fiber art began in the 1980s, stemming from a background and love of art and design. She has won numerous awards and accolades for her work over three decades, and she has been featured in prominent fiber art magazines and publications. When not hard at work in her Rochester, New York studio, she travels to give lectures and lead workshops all over the world. Pat has just returned from exhibiting ‘Pieces and Resistance’ at The Festival of Quilts 2025 in Birmingham, England. From a distance, her works resemble paintings, but up close, it becomes clear—they are textiles. Drawn equally to construction and painting, Pat finds art quilting to be the perfect medium for expressing abstract interpretations of nature, landscape, and shared human experience. Her artwork is also inspired by the vibrant local art community and the natural beauty of the Finger Lakes region. Pat will speak about contemporary quilts as an art form and that fits within the larger art community, and her own piece.

Ellaree Pray, a New Jersey based fiber artist and quilter, primarily rooted in traditional quilt making, combines a more modern aesthetic in her artwork using culture, family, and current events as inspiration. Her favorite fabrics are made by the artisans in African countries. She is a member of quilt organizations, including SAQA, Garden State, and the North Jersey Modern, and holds awards from juried and non-juried exhibitions. Novartis Pharmaceutical, Westminster Presbyterian Church, MN, and Art in the Atrium, have added her artwork to their private collections. In addition to local press releases, she was featured in Quiltmaker Magazine, appeared in a Brother International new product video, and Ellaree’s quilt “Urban Jungle”, was juried into Carolyn L. Mazloomi, “We Are the Story, A Visual Response to Racism”, exhibition and print publication, 2021.