This quilt has been selected to appear in the Art Quilters Celebrate Independence juried exhibit taking place as part of the America 250 celebrations in Philadelphia. From June 2026-May 2027, the exhibit will travel to four venues in eastern Pennsylvania. The first part of this blog post describes the quilt itself, while the second part of the post provides additional details about the exhibit.
Quilt background
This quilt was completed in March 2025 in honor of the ship appearing in the eyeball, the scientific drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution. This ship had been collecting deep-sea material through continuous cores since the 1980’s but concluded its participation in the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) in 2024. With the loss of this ship from the oceanographic research fleet, there is no other existing ship that performs the same function – sailing across the globe, into all ocean basis, drilling through layers of ocean sediment and crustal material. The core material provides a critical snapshot of geologic history into plate tectonics, paleoceanography, climate records, geohazards, and so much more. Much has been written about the conclusion of IODP and JOIDES Resolution (articles have been collected here). Currently, the ship sits in a Norwegian scrap yard waiting to be dismantled.
Fast-forward to July 2025, when NSF plans abrupt end to lone U.S. Antarctic research icebreaker in October 2025. With the National Science Foundation abruptly terminating the lease of RV Nathaniel B. Palmer, which had been supporting polar research since 1992, the United States no longer has a ship suited to carry scientists around Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Nathaniel B. Palmer is currently sitting at a dock in Louisiana.
With the cancellation of both these significant research vessels, along with others being decomissoned and not replaced with new ship construction, scientific investigations can no longer take place to the extent it has with the exploration of the deep sea, Southern Hemisphere polar region, and other oceanic regions across the globe. An enormous gap now exists in the capacity to collect samples to advance our knowledge of Earth’s systems past and present. The ocean is the most unexplored region of our planet, especially in the deep sea and polar regions. This quilt is in honor of all the ships no longer sailing and the science that is not being conducted – and, in some cases, being lost.
Quilt description
I based the title of this quilt off the maritime phrase “red sky in the morning, sailors take warning” (see explanation from NOAA). In this case, the red sky is the warning for not just the oceanography community but for everyone to be aware that our advancements and knowledge on themes such as paleoclimatology, geohazards, early Earth process, and more will be significantly scaled back. The tears are from scientists no longer having access or the ability to pursue research questions, field opportunities, or funding for oceanographic research that utilized the capabilities of these specialized oceanographic vessels.
My connection to JOIDES Resolution
I had the opportunity to sail on board JOIDES Resolution for two months in 2022, posting images, writing blog posts, and generating quilts about stories of science at sea. There are many others that have authored scientific journal articles, produced videos, and found ways to continue the research from the amazing core collection from prior expeditions. So the research is not completely stopping – it is just the access to new material with new sampling technologies to respond to questions that rely on analyzing samples as soon as they are collected will have to wait until a new ship is built (now that would be a “red sky at night, a sailor’s delight”).
Quilt label
Art Quilters Celebrate Independence exhibit
Description provided by SAQA-PA
Art Quilters Celebrate Independence is a juried, touring exhibition featuring artwork by Studio Art Quilt Associates of Pennsylvania (SAQA-PA) created in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States. The exhibition premieres in Philadelphia — cradle of liberty and birthplace of our democracy — at Moore College of Art & Design during the summer of 2026, and will then travel to three additional prestigious venues in eastern Pennsylvania.
- Moore College of Art & Design, The Galleries at Moore, Philadelphia, PA
- June 13 – August 29, 2026; Monday to Saturday, 9 to 5
- Opening Reception: June 13, 2 to 4
- Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza, Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, Oaks, PA
- September 17-20, 2026; Thursday thru Saturday, 10 to 6, Sunday, 10 to 4
- Phillips’ Mill Community Association, New Hope, PA
- Nov. 14 – Dec. 13, 2026; Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays, 10 to 5
- Reading Public Museum, Reading, PA
- Jan. 30 – May 23, 2027; Open daily, 11 to 5
Thirty-nine innovative art quilts explore the broad meaning of independence and freedom of expression, including reflections on democratic values and human rights in America today. While each work connects to the nation’s storied past, the exhibition also highlights bold conceptual and technical departures from tradition, affirming the art quilt as a dynamic and evolving fine art medium.
This quilt is one of a series of quilts I generated following Election Day 2024. There were so many changes to laws, funding, access – especially related to my discipline and my research – that I used my sewing machine for Processing the Policies. Explore the collection.
Journeys of Dr. G 