Yvonne Porcella (May 12, 1936 – February 12, 2016) was an American art quilter.

Life

Yvonne Bechis was born in Watsonville, California, United States on May 12, 1936. She graduated in 1958 with a BS in Public Health and an RN from the University of San Francisco, and worked as an operating room nurse. That same year, she married Robert S. Porcella, a general practice physician. Porcella was a self taught quilter. Her works included paintings, weaving, pieced clothing, and art quilts. Her quilts were known for bold colors, and black and white checkerboards or stripes, and unusual titles such as ''It's About Beets & Perfume'' and ''Non Fat, Low Cholesterol, Chemically Enhanced Frozen Dairy Dessert''. Porcella founded Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. in 1989 and served as its president for 11 years. Porcella's work can be found in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the

National Quilt Museum The National Quilt Museum, located in Paducah, Kentucky, is an art museum that exhibits fiber art and quilting from around the world. The museum is recognized by ''USA Today'' as one of the world's top quilt displays. This textile museum support ...

, and the Museum of Arts and Design. Her quilt ''Keep Both Feet on the Floor'', was exhibited in a major review of 20th century quilts. Porcella was inducted into the

Quilters Hall of Fame The Marie Webster House, also known as George Webster Jr. and Marie Daugherty House, is a historic house at 926 South Washington Street in Marion, Indiana. Built in 1905, it was the home of quilter Marie Webster (1859-1956) from 1909 until 19 ...

( Marion, Indiana) in 1998 and was awarded a Silver Star by the International Quilt Association. In 2012, she had a retrospective as Distinguished Artist, at the Carnegie Arts Center. Porcella died on February 12, 2016, in Modesto. She and her husband had four children.

Published works

*''Yvonne Porcella: a colorful book'', Porcella Studios, 1986, *''Colors changing hue'', C&T Publishing, 1994, *''Six Color World: Color, Cloth, Quilts & Wearables'', C&T Publishing, 1997, *''Art & Inspirations'', C&T Publishing, 1998, *''Magical Four-Patch And Nine-Patch Quilts'', C&T Publishing, 2010,

Exhibits

*''Art Quilts from the Collection of the Museum of Arts & Design'', 2004,

American Textile History Museum The American Textile History Museum (ATHM), located in Lowell, Massachusetts, was founded as the Merrimack Valley Textile Museum (MVTM) in North Andover, Massachusetts in 1960 by Caroline Stevens Rogers. ATHM told America’s story through the art ...

, included Porcella's ''Snow on Mount Fuji'' (1985) *''Women of Taste: A Collaboration Celebrating Quilt Artists and Chefs'', 2000, Oakland Museum,

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, California; Porcella collaborated with

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, '' ...

on the subject of Nicoise salad *''Iconic to Ironic: Fashioning California Identity'', 2003, Oakland Museum,

, California *''Yvonne Porcella: Fifty Years an Artist'', 2016, Visions Art Museum, San Diego, California *''Artwear: Fashion and Anti-Fashion'', 2005
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

References

*''Yvonne Porcella, A Memoir: Defining Why'', Porcella Studios, 2014,

External links

* Go Tell It at the Quilt Show! interview with Yvonne Porcella, () American quilters 1936 births 2016 deaths {{US-artist-stub