‘Whisper quilts’ fill Second Story Gallery

A two-month art show at Second Story Gallery in downtown Camas takes its cue from a classic children’s game known as “Whispers” or “Telephone,” in which players pass a message from one to another via whispering — with the final message often varying hilariously from the original.

The game was central to the “Whispers in the Wind” show by the Vagabonds quilting group, explained quilter and Vagabonds member Joanne Adams Roth in her quilting blog, SheQuiltsIt.com.

“My small quilt group decided to do this whisper challenge, starting with a photo. The starting person made a 12-inch-by-12-inch quilt based on their photo, then passed that quilt to the next person, who then made a 12-inch-by-12-inch quilt based on the quilt they got,” Roth explained in her blog in early 2018.

The 10 Vagabonds quilters kept passing the quilt pieces through their circle for several months, until everyone had made a small quilt based on another they’d been given.

The resulting show, “Whispers in the Wind,” opened Dec. 6 at the gallery, located on the second floor of the Camas Public Library, at 625 N.E. Fourth Ave., and runs through January.

Roth said the Vagabonds, an offshoot of the Clark County Quilters Guild, consists of experienced quilters who range in age from 60 to 79.

“Most of us have been quilting for over 30 years,” Roth said. “Some of us have been at it for 60 years.”

Three of the members have won major awards at national quilt shows. Others have had their work published in magazines and newspapers, and several have had solo art shows. Roth writes a quilting blog. Other members teach and some are competition quilters who earn prize money at larger quilt shows for their artistic entries.

“We formed in order to give each other challenges to stretch our artistic talent,” Roth said, adding that the group is in the midst of its next challenge and already planning for 2020.

The Second Story show features a range of styles and visions — all taken from the seed of an idea in a photograph. To see the Vagabonds’ “Whispers in the Wind,” visit Second Story Gallery during its regular business hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. For more information, visit secondstorygallery.net.