About the Artist:

Beverly St. Clair is a practicing psychiatrist who has explored the aesthetic and discipline of quilting for many years. Her unique focus is on the “genome quilt,” which she has developed using quilt blocks to encode the nucleotide-base sequences of DNA. The resulting quilts are visually exciting and carry the deeper meaning of the code for the particular gene being represented. She also creates celebration and commemorative quilts and liturgical stoles and banners. Her goal is to make beautiful, interesting, functional quilts which carry special meaning for the recipients.

After majoring in Visual and Environmental Studies at Radcliffe College, she went on the medical school and her ongoing career as a psychiatrist. In medical school her anatomy partner introduced her to quilts on a trip to Amish country in Charm, Ohio. She started by making quilted potholders (a skill she continues to teach at the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church), and over the years has made many quilts for friends and family. She created the genome quilt concept in 2001, inspired by the work of Anni Albers and the Human Genome Project.

Dr. St. Clair’s quilts have been exhibited at the Quilters’ Gathering 2003 and 2007 in Nashua, NH, the Lowell Quilt Festival 2004 in Lowell, MA, and the International Quilt Festival 2005 in Houston, TX. She recently completed a commissioned quilt for Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA.

Her exhibit, “Beautiful Genome”, at the First Parish Church in Weston from September 19 – October 30, 2008 will feature several genome quilts and liturgical stoles. For more information about Beverly St. Clair’s work, visit her website at www.genomequilts.com

About The Gallery At First Parish

The Gallery At First Parish opened September 17, 2000.

Its purpose, as described by the founders:

The mission of The Gallery At First Parish is to add another dimension
to the spiritual fabric of our lives by exhibiting the work of visual artists
who seek to contribute to a deeper understanding of the human condition.

The Gallery is intended to be a service to the parish, the artist and the wider community.
It is open to the public without charge 9 AM – 4 PM weekdays, and 9 AM – 12:30 PM Sundays.
Interested parties may also call the Church Office (781-893-7798) for other possible viewing times.

Gallery exhibits are listed in the First Parish Event Calendar.

Gallery Exhibits

Gallery Committee

Diana Bonner
Richard Floyd
Virginia Hibbard
Karen MacDuffie
Winky Merrill
Mary Jo Rines
Ellen Touart-Grob
Sylvia Whitman
Wendy Wrean