National Quilt Museum keeps traditional art alive
With more than 150 traditional and contemporary quilts, the National Quilt Museum at 215 Jefferson St. provides hours of enjoyment for quilters and non-quilters alike.
The quilting revival that began in the 1980s spawned the idea of a museum to celebrate this art form. Most of the collection consists of quilts that were entries in the American Quilter’s Society Quilt Show & Contest. Others were donated by the founders of the museum and the society, Bill and Meredith Schroeder.
The practice of quilt making was brought to what became the United States by English immigrants. The museum demonstrates how much quilting has changed over time. Some are stitched in traditional patterns such as Wedding Ring, Chained Medley and Evening Star — although usually with an innovative twist — while others are like no quilt you have ever seen before.
Quilts range from the 80-plus quilts created by the award-winning Hungarian immigrant Mary Gasperik in the first half of the 20th century to recently crafted art quilts and miniature quilts, reduced in scale and no more than two foot square. You can see the quilts in the collections of the National Quilt Museum and other museums through the online Quilt Index. However, should you go to the museum in person, there is one very important rule: At the museum, never touch a quilt or photograph one, except for displays in the lobby.
Founded at the edge of western Kentucky in 1991 as the Museum of the American Quilter’s Society, the museum is the world’s foremost collection of quilts and the only museum dedicated to contemporary quilts and modern quilt-making. In 2008, Congress designated the museum the National Quilt Museum of the United States, prompting a name change.
The museum has special events throughout the year. You can find out when with the museum’s online Calendar.
The museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time. From April 1 to Oct. 31, the museum is also open Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There are extended hours during the annual American Quilter’s Society Quilt Show, as well.
Admission costs $5 for students and groups of 10 or more, $8 for those 60 and older and $10 for other adults.
School groups or any prescheduled groups of children get in free. In the guided tour, they will encounter more than 150 quilts and learn not only the fundamentals of quilt-making but concepts from mathematics, art, design and history.
Posted by Bill Wolfe
