I interviewed Kate about her work and the issues with her visa:
MAB: Kate, Thanks for visiting with us today. First, I'd like to apologize for the US Embassy's behavior. It's hard for me to be an American these days, I want to say "I'm sorry" to every international person I meet. In fact I used to wear a T-shirt when I traveled which sported apologies in six languages!
This turn of events seems so silly and confusing, and unbelievable, really. I've written a number of articles on Opednews about the current recognition of quilting and fiber arts as professional art forms (listed below). Nontraditional "art" quilts have been around since at least the 1960s, and many American art museums have exhibited art quilts and/or have examples in their collections. Robert Shaw's coffee-table book, The Art Quilt (2007) includes over 300 photos of art quilts and provided groundbreaking education about this art form. Maybe the U.S. Embassy needs a copy since its stance seems quite odd and, well, primitive. Can you tell us how this strange situation started?
KC: Yes, I was first granted an O-1 visa in January 2005. My Denver lawyer, Tim Bakken helped me with the application and I was thrilled to be able to come to the USA. The first visa was for 3 years. I was finally able to move in July 2005 after we had sold our house in London.
My husband, who was retired, came with me. He had had an illustrious career in education, being given an Order of the British Empire award by the Queen for services to education, and authored a book on education, also. He was only in the US a few weeks when he received a cancer diagnosis and had surgery. A couple of years later the cancer returned and he passed away in 2009.
MAB: Oh, Kate, what a stressful time you must have gone through! Can you explain to us what an O-1 Visa is?
KC: Yes, an O-1 Visa is for "Aliens of Extraordinary Ability," which is what they decided I was when I applied for it.
MAB: "Aliens of Extraordinary Ability" - that makes me think of the wise and charming Yoda! He said, "Always pass on what you have learned," which is exactly what you are doing in your classes. OK, so what happened next?
KC: By December 2006 I had been back to the UK twice, once to accompany my husband who was unable to travel alone. The second time I went to support my daughter and two-year old granddaughter who had had been diagnosed with leukemia. (She recovered.)
After that I did not return to the UK again until the summer of 2013.
After the initial 3-year visa expired, because I had not left US soil, my lawyer simply renewed my visa each year without incident. This past summer, because I left the country, that meant I had to actually go to the U.S. Embassy in London to have an interview and renew the visa in person.
MAB: OK, Kate, so I know that this is the part of the story where it gets a little sticky, right?
KC: Yes, Tim prepared everything for me ahead of time, and the day after I arrived in London I went to the Embassy for my interview. There is always a long wait but finally I was called.
The first thing the woman at the window said to me was, "What do you do?"
"I'm a fiber artist."
"What's that?"
"A textile artist. I create art and my medium is fabrics, fibers, textiles, and an assortment of other materials."
After a pause, she said with a sneer, "You mean 'quilting'?"
She looked at me as if I were a naughty child, shuffled her papers, and I heard a quiet hhhhmmmmffff. I knew I was in trouble.
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