Greetings all – I’m Joan Major Ciolino and I’m pleased to introduce myself as the new Program Coordinator for Why Quilts Matter project. I live in the coastal community of Gloucester, Massachusetts, but have strong Midwest roots and still consider Nebraska home. I began sewing back in the seventh grade, mostly useful things for a […]
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Our most recent media coverage is abroad – Why Quilts Matter: History, Art & Politics was reviewed in Quilter’s Connection (Canada) and Popular Patchwork (United Kingdom). Quilter’s Connection – Canada Click on the image below to read the article in PDF format. Popular Patchwork – United Kingdom Click on the image below to read […]
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The information age is loosely defined as a period that began in the 1970s. This age is marked by the massive proliferation of information, particularly the publication, consumption, and manipulation of information via computers and computer networks. We are hardly immune to effects of the information age, even those of us who don’t spend a […]
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I am back from an exhilarating time at the AQSG seminar in Lincoln, Nebraska. The study center co-chaired with Karen Alexander was full of great people including Lynne Bassett and Marianne Fons and Margaret McDonald from Australia. They loved the series and are all really excited about the Discussion Guides. We were brainstorming how to […]
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It’s back to school time! In the ninth episode of Why Quilts Matter, Shelly Zegart talks about quilt scholarship. “Quilts are icons of American culture,” said Zegart. “Scholars have recognized their centrality to folklore, folk art, art history, sociology, women’s studies, American history and the decorative arts. Yet quilt study retains its own unique character.” […]
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In 1971, quilts gained international attention when the Abstract Design in American Quilts exhibition opened at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The exhibition signaled the arrival of a new appreciation for quilts. People who were accustomed to seeing quilts on beds saw them displayed on the walls of a museum, and recognized them as […]
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Piecework, appliqué and quilting together layers of fabric all have roots in ancient cultures, from Asia to the Middle East. The tradition of quilts as bed covers grew in Western Europe. So, where does America come in? None of the basic techniques were developed here. We adopted Western European traditions and whole cloth quilts, simple […]
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In the first episode of “Why Quilts Matter”, Shelly Zegart talks about having a good eye for quilts, and asks, “How do we get one of those?” Years ago, when I was just starting to learn about quilts, I visited an antique shop owned by an established dealer who had a large inventory of high-end […]
Read moreWith 63 backers and $6,831 raised, we are thrilled to have not only met but exceeded our goal on Kickstarter. This would not have been possible without your generous support. Thank you for helping us keep this important conversation going and for helping us open others’ eyes, so they too can see that quilts ARE […]
Read moreOnly TWO days left to go with our Kickstarter project! We are at 97% funded with more than 50 backers. With less than $250 to go, we really need your help to reach and cross the finish line. Did you know that Kickstarter fundraising is an “all or nothing” deal? If we don’t raise all […]
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Around 9:00AM on November 19th, 2009, Julie Silber posted a picture of a sensational album quilt on her Facebook page. It had an embroidered name, Hannah J. Swin, and initials and date, 1868, done in cross-stitch. In the center block was a rooster and the word “Hark!” embroidered in red, next to its beak. I […]
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Twenty-five years ago this spring the New England Quilt Museum opened its doors to the public. It’s mission: to collect and preserve quilts and to educate the public about quiltmaking. Why? Because in 1983 a group of women decided that people needed to know why quilts matter. The founding of a regional New England quilt […]
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We’re taking “Why Quilts Matter” to the next level with the creation of a Continuing the Conversation guide! Think of the guide in terms of a “book club,” you watch an episode of the series and then get together with a group to talk about it using questions from the guide. You can use the […]
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Originally published in Generation Q Magazine March 2012 As quilting becomes more mainstream (and yes, it is) it grabs the attention of creative people from other disciplines, like filmmakers. Last year it was Stitched, The Film, produced by our friends Jena and Tom, who set out to capture the dedication, obsession and intermittent in-fighting among different […]
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It’s April in Paducah. Spring has arrived early and everywhere you look lush colorful flowers are abloom in downtown garden areas, beautiful quilts grace the window displays in the shops and cafés, the Quilt City USA banners are hung along Broadway and carpenters and city workers are tending to last minute maintenance. Soon more than […]
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Why Quilts Matter: History, Art & Politics by The Kentucky Quilt Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
