| ANIMAL WELFARE: Celebrity quilt
A total of 200 major celebrities including three US Presidents have signed a patchwork quilt on show in New Jersey committed to animal welfare. Other celebrity signatures on the vast quilt include a large number of Hollywood stars including Gregory Peck, Whoopi Goldberg, Charlton Heston, Dustin Hoffman, Stephanie Powers, William Holden, Teri Hatcher, Nick Nolte, Mel Brooks, Sally Field, Susan Sarandon, Vanessa Redgrave, Lauren Bacall, Barbra Streisand, Robin Williams and many more. The former New York art teacher and animal loving sewing fanatic has dedicated herself to helping shelter animals since retiring. Other famous names supporting her pro animal welfare quilt project include Bill Gates, Emmylou Harris, Alicia Silverstone, Harry Connick Jr, Mary Tyler Moore, General Colin Powell, Joan Rivers and Glenn Close. The artist who is continuing to grow the quilt with additional celebrity signatures supporting her campaign is a retired art school teacher and graduate of Adelphi University. Others including Maya Angelou, Lauren Bacall, Joan Baez, Bill Cosby, Glenn Close, Walter Cronkite and Jeff Bridges are immortalised on the epic patchwork quilt by the New York born artist. The vast quilt by the American artist Joan Veneziano-D'Avanzo is on display at the Gail Pierson Gallery in Cape May, New Jersey supporting animal welfare non-profit work, especially dog re-homing charities. Alongside the quilt display is information on animal welfare issues. She started her quilt 13 years ago and asks animal loving celebs for a signature and message of support, and a picture if possible of their beloved pets. Famous names signing the quilt include President Bill Clinton, President George HW Bush and President Gerald Ford. Glenn Close appears along with illustrations of her dogs Bill and Jake. President Bill Clinton and his dog Buddy feature in the quilt. The textile artist, who has studios in New Jersey and Florida, sells fabric art and pet portraits with 100 per cent of the profits from her designs donated to Cape Cod animal welfare causes. She wants her art to raise awareness of animal causes and especially end over animal population which leads to abandonment. Other celebrities backing the incredible quilt over the years include Gloria Steinem, Melanie Griffith, Eartha Kitt, Kathleen Turner, David Hockney, Carol Burnett, Peter Falk, Rosie O Donnell, Rush Limbaugh, Penny Marshall, Robert Prosky, Yogi Berra,Greg Mortenson, Carol Channing, Chubby Checker, John Glenn, Angela Lansbury, Tippi Hedrin, Kim Bassinger and Dean Koonz. |
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
ANIMAL WELFARE: Celebrity quilt
