The tragic loss of the Georgia Theatre saddened an entire community. Among the many benefit concerts and fundraisers for the Theatre, one local artist is doing her part to help rebuild the famed concert hall, one square at a time.

Jennifer Schildknecht, a multimedia artist from Athens, is calling together artists, musicians and anyone else who wants to be a part of the Georgia Theatre Art Quilt to honor and raise money for the Theatre.

“The first thing that happened as soon as the theatre burned was that all the fans just came out of the woodwork and started doing benefits,” Schildknecht said. “Athens is an artsy town, and I kept wondering where the artists were and why they hadn’t jumped in to help.” Schildknecht wants anyone interested in helping to submit their own squares.

Any material – spare canvas, cardboard, plastic – can be used, and the squares can be decorated in any manner. The only guideline is to not make the square too heavy since the quilt will be hanging up flat.

“Bands could turn in T-shirts,” Schildknecht said. “They could sign a block [of fabric]. The first thing I heard was ‘I don’t sew’. You don’t have to sew. You can glue stuff on there. You could scan ticket stubs and CD covers and print them on fabric.” People submitting squares are asked to make two identical 12-inch-by-12-inch squares with about a half inch left around the edges.

Jamie Calkin, a local ink and watercolor artist, submitted a painting of the Georgia Theatre. “I decided to render the Georgia Theatre with its marquee as if it was the day of the fire,” Calkin said.

Calkin donated his art to the quilt because, like Jennifer, he thinks the quilt is a great way to bring the arts community together to help during a time of need. Also, since Calkin paints the theatre so often for profit, he wanted to find a way to help the theatre and its employees.

“Anytime someone…gets artists to collaborate on a community issue or need, I think it’s a good idea,” Calkin said. “This is one way of connecting the visual arts to the music scene. It’s always fun to see those two connected, whether it be album covers, photos and renderings of live music, and even doing a painting while a band plays on stage.”