Quilts by local artist stitch together pieces of Miami

Quilts are now also connecting people with places at Miami International Airport, thanks to Curious Geometries, the airport’s newest art exhibition at the Gate D31 Gallery. The exhibition by local artist Regina Durante Jestrow, now on display until March 9, 2026, features large-scale, sewn and quilted artwork crafted with Jestrow’s innovative use of repurposed fabrics from various locations in Miami, including MIA.

Curious Geometries showcases a series of textile works, including stretched compositions and free-form art quilts. The pieces explore the irregular, organic, and often playful relationships between geometry and gesture, drawing inspiration from Miami's diverse and layered ecologies. The exhibition serves as a reflective space for travelers, where handmade patterns echo aerial views, fibers mimic paint, and the boundaries between craft and fine art quietly unravel. It invites viewers to enter a world where pattern, material, and memory collide, inspiring contemplation and curiosity.

“These materials speak to the urgency of textile waste and connect my work to the material culture of my Miami surroundings,” said Jestrow. “Drawing from the vibrant local landscape, I blend organic geometry with bold, tropical color palettes to create visual rhythm and a sense of transformation.”

Jestrow employs improvisational dyeing and piecing techniques that pay homage to the history of quilting while beautifully subverting its traditional expectations. She imbues each piece with personal and collective narratives. “For example, in Spiderweb 3 – MIA (2025), the artist draws inspiration from the spiderweb quilt pattern and incorporates sourced materials collected from various locations, including MIA’s Interior Design section. 

The artist constructs her textile-based artwork through the meticulous stitching of elongated fabric strips and numerous triangular shapes, employing repetition, precision, and improvisation as foundational principles. Jestrow’s artistic journey is rooted in a deep respect for American folk-art quilts and an admiration for geometric abstraction prevalent in the mid-to-late twentieth century. Inspiration is drawn from visionaries such as the Gee's Bend quilters, Anni Albers, Rosie Lee Tompkins, and Gego, whose works seamlessly connect the realms of craft and abstraction.

Jestrow is an Italian American textile artist who grew up in Queens, NY, and now lives and works in Miami. Her artistic journey began in her formative years, as she learned sewing and crocheting from her mother, igniting a passion that would become a lifelong force. This connection to textiles is the bedrock of her artistic practice, stretching and challenging quilt forms and structures while considering the activist values that shaped historic quilt-making traditions. Relocating to Miami allowed Jestrow to delve into quilting, becoming a source of solace and creative expression. In her Miami home studio, the sewing machine, a symbol of comfort and creativity, continues to take center stage.

Public and private collections include the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Miami International Airport, MIA Galleries. Public art commissions include The Shelborne by Proper Hotels. Jestrow has been awarded artist residencies at The Sam and Adele Golden Foundation (2024), The Jentel Foundation (2022), and National Park Service Artist in Residence in the Everglades (AIRIE) (2014). Awarded grants include the South Florida Cultural Consortium (SFCC, 2023), Miami Individual Artists (MIA) Grant (2022 - 2025), The Ellies, Miami’s Visual Arts Awards, Oolite Arts (2021), and the Artist Access Grant, Miami-Dade County and FUNdarte (2021 - 2024).

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