Roland Freeman Honored by National Endowment for the Arts!

Congratulations to Roland Freeman, one of 12 recipients of the National Endowment of the Arts - National Heritage Fellowships. According to the NEA:

"Roland Freeman, recommended as the Bess Lomax Hawes Award recipient, was inspired by the socially conscious Depression-era photography of Gordon Parks and Roy DeCarava as well as the Farm Security Administration photographers. At age 14, he met the author/folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, who also greatly influenced his life's work. A native of Baltimore, he began photographing in the DC area in the late 1960s. In 1968, he participated in and documented the Poor People's Campaign and the Mule Train trip from Marks, MS, to the nation's capital. Even while working as a stringer for Time and Magnum Photos, including coverage as a White House photographer, his real passion throughout his career has been the documentation of Southern folk culture."

Freeman is a pillar in preserving African American quilt and quilting history! He has documented sistah and brother quilters since his landmark Something to Keep You Warm: The Roland Freeman Collection of Black American Quilts from the Mississippi Heartland (1981). Raise your hand if you're one of the many quilters Roland Freeman photographed over a twenty year period and captured in the must-have book and must-see exhibit A Communion of the Spirits: African American Quilters, Preservers, and Their Stories. Freeman photographed quilters in more than 38 US states. Friends thought I was crazy when I invited Mr. Freeman to stay at my home in Kansas City when he made his cross-country trip to capture quilters in the Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska area.... I had never met him, but was amazed by his National Geographic photographs. A collection of Mr. Freeman's quilts are at the Smith Robertson Museum in Jackson, MS. Blessings to Roland Freeman for the NEA honor! (Photo: Self-portrait of Roland L. Freeman with nine of his quilts.)

NEA National Heritage Fellows - Quilters

The National Endowment for the Arts - National Heritage Fellowship is one of the highest honors the U.S. Government bestows on a traditional artist. Over 300 artists have been honored since the first year in 1982. Carver and painter Elijah Pierce of Columbus, OH received an award in 1982. Honored African American quilters and those who have so lovingly preserve our quilt heritage are listed below. Click on each name to read NEA bio.

• Roland Freeman, author of A Communion of the Spirits - 2007
• Mozell Benson, quilter from Opelika, AL - 2001
• Hystercine Rankin, quilter from Lorman, MS - 1997
• Nora Ezell, quilter from Eutaw, AL - 1992
• Gussie Wells, quilter from Oakland, CA - 1991
• Arbie Williams, quilter from Oakland, CA - 1991
• Lucinda Toomer, quilter from Columbus, GA - 1983

Crossroads Quilters of Mississippi

........................Earlier this month I had the pleasure of meeting Patricia Crosby, Director of the Mississippi Cultural Crossroads, a local arts agency, in Port Gibson, MS. The community program began in 1978. The cooperative quilting group, Crossroads Quilters, is an outgrowth of the arts program. The collectives shares their quilting skills within the community as well as sponsors an annual quilt contest and show, "Pieces and Strings," which is open to all Mississippi quilters. In addition, Crossroads Quilters has four traveling exhibits available for booking, The collective also offers its quilts for sale and accepts commissions. Do you have a copy of "Quilts and Quilting in Clairborne County" in your library? This 32-page full-color booklet includes a profile of the collective as well as quilts by Geraldine Nash, Sarah Carpenter, Artemeasie Brandon, Gustina Atlas, Darlene Jones, Hystercine Rankin and others. The booklet is $10. To contact the collective, call 1-601-437-8905. Enjoy!

Three Quilts Returned - Gee's Bend Case

Alabama Press-Register reporter Ben Raines's article today, "Quilts returned after suit filed," shares that three quilts loaned to Matt Arnett by Lucinda Pettway Franklin were returned yesterday to her lawyers - two years after the loan and just days after Franklin filed suit and hours after a Birmingham press conference where the Arnett lawyers challenged Franklin's claims. During the press conference, recently conducted appraisals of Franklin's family quilts suggested the "priceless" quilts were worth less than $500.

According to yesterday's Tinwood blog and press release:

"Now that these quilts [quilts made in the Gee's Bend area] are well known -- and some possess great value -- it is important to protect the integrity of Gee’s Bend Quilts. To misrepresent the age of a Gee’s Bend Quilt, or the creator of a Gee’s Bend Quilt, is just as reprehensible as promoting a counterfeit as an original Picasso. Some of these allegations in these lawsuits undermine the good name and good will of the Quilts of Gee’s Bend, to the detriment of the quilt makers, who earn a living through this art. "

According to Raines's article today, Franklin's lawyers question why Franklin's quilts were in California.

"Isn't it interesting that two of the people who examined them were in California?" asked Peter Burke, one of the lawyers representing Franklin. "The lawsuit was only filed on June 19. Did they fly them out to California in the last weeks to have them examined? These quilts may have been in a museum out there or in somebody's house in California. Matt Arnett had them two years, but it took the filing of a lawsuit to get him to do the right thing."

Gee's Bend - Press Conference Response to Franklin Suit

1pm Wednesday the attorneys for the Arnetts held a press conference in Birmingham, AL to respond to the lawsuit filed by Lucinda Pettway Franklin. A Florida Times-Union online news report "last updated at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27, 2007" said:

"[the] lawsuit accusing the Atlanta collectors of taking quilts more than 100 years old is baseless because the quilt fabric is half that age.

"Experts who evaluated the quilts in dispute said they were made in the 1950s and '60s, attorneys Greg Hawley and Gary Coulter said at a news conference in Birmingham.

"Peter Burke, attorney for plaintiff Lucinda Pettway Franklin of Mobile, responded by pointing out the written evaluations weren't done until after his client filed suit, even though the promoters had the quilts for more than two years."

There is a press release on the Tinwood blog which provides more details about the Tinwood response, including the quilt appraisals. From the press release:

"We have had these quilts appraised by certified appraisers from Georgia and California. The Georgia appraiser, Holly Anderson, appraised the two older quilts as created in 1965. Julie Silber, an appraiser in Albion, California, dated one of the quilts as made between 1950 and 1960, with a value of $250 - $450. Ms. Silber appraised the second quilt as made between 1950 and 1960, and valued at $100 to $250. (Copies of these appraisals are available upon request)."

Presumably the appraisals are available from Dindy Yokel (305) 632-455 dindy@dindycopr.com at the Miami Beach, Florida PR firm, Dindy Co, which issued the press release.

The press release goes on to explain that:

"Finally, these experts in the field of fabric and quilts indicate that these quilts are worth, at most several hundred dollars. They are not “priceless” as plaintiff claims, or worth $100,000 as was reported in one newspaper story.

"Because Ms. Franklin’s claims may have the effect of undermining the integrity and goodwill of Gee’s Bend Quilts, a motion was filed today by the Arnetts’ attorneys for the federal court to appoint its own expert in the field of quilts and fabrics so that these sensational allegations can stop before further damage is done.When public confidence in the integrity of this art is undermined, the ultimate losers are the women of Gee’s Bend who create these quilts.

"When the integrity is called into question, art galleries are less likely to represent the women and their quilts. Art museums are less inclined to promote tours of the quilts. Ultimately, the value of these art forms could decline and the demand for them will diminish. This is to the detriment of everyone involved with Gee’s Bend Quilts."

The press release was posted as a comment on one of the Black Threads blog posts at 3pm - just two hours after the press conference. I read that another blogger - Extreme Crafts - also had the press release posted on that blog. QuiltersMuse blog has the release - with photos.

Gee's Bend Cases - You Read the Documents

For those interested in following the legal proceedings of the various Gee's Bend quilt cases, you might want to read more directly about the cases in the US District Court for the Southern District of Alabama:

• Annie Mae Young v. Tinwood Ventures et al Civil Action No. 07-317
• Loretta Pettway v. Tinwood Ventures et al Civil Action No. 07-423
• Lucinda Pettway Franklin v. Tinwood Ventures et al Civil Action No. 07-438

You can visit your local library to see if the library has access to public court documents. Or you can register with PACER - "Public Access to Court Electronic Records ... an electronic public access service that allows users to obtain case and docket information from Federal Appellate, District and Bankruptcy courts, and the U.S. Party/Case Index via the Internet." There's a fee of about 8 cents per page to access the records.

Gwen Slams with Textile Arts Resource Guide Blog!

Gwen Magee SLAMS with her new blog - Textile Arts Resource Guide - the invaluable reference to online resources for artists like us who LOVE fabrics and textiles. A few blog topics include:

* Regional Art Councils - comprehensive list, including fellowships!
* State Art Councils - state-by-state URL listing!

Gwen Magee's own narrative and abstract quilts are featured on the full-length book, Journey Of The Spirit: The Art Of Gwendolyn A. Magee. Or, you can visit her website at GwenMagee.com. Enjoy!

Harlem Girls Quilt Circle - Exhibit

If you're in New York, visit the Countee Cullen Branch Library June 20th - August 28th 2007 for an exhibit of 16 colorful quilts by the Harlem Girls Quilt Circle. Works by students from: the Mahalia Jackson School, PS 123 Manhattan, the Adam Clayton Powell School, IS 172 Manhattan, and the Richard Rodgers School, PS 96 Bronx are included in this exhibit titled, "Stitching Our Stories: Quilt Art by Our Community’s Children." Michelle Bishop and Laura R. Gadson have curated this project, which was led by Laura R. Gadson, Robyn Mahone-Lonesome, and Valerie Deas. Thanks for SistahCraft and Uptown Flavor blogs for sharing news about the exhibit! You can read more about the Harlem Girls Quilt Circle by clicking here. Enjoy!

Quilt fabric storage idea

More fun photos for the fanciful files! What do you think about these stairs that are actually drawers? What a way to stash one's fabric! Thanks to Libby at the Fig Newtons and Scotch blog who pointed out the stairs, which are also on Tina Roth Eisenberg's blog.

3rd Gee's Bend lawsuit filed

Alabama Press-Register reporter Ben Raines reported that Lucinda Pettway Franklin has filed suit against the Arnetts charging "the Arnetts stole the two oldest quilts known to come from Gee's Bend." Ms. Franklin claims the quilts were made by her great-grandmother, Sally Pettway when she was a slave. According the Raines' article:

"Franklin said Matt Arnett came to her home in Mobile and asked to borrow the quilts for one month so they could be photographed and included in a book about quilts. She remembered he became very excited when he saw the quilts for the first time.

That was two years ago. Since that time, Franklin said, Arnett has told her the quilts were destroyed in a fire, accidentally thrown away, ruined in a flood, lost or on his desk ready to be mailed to her."

Also from the the Raines' article:

"[Gary] Coulter, already representing the Arnetts in two other suits filed by Gee's Bend quilters in recent weeks, described the three complaints as "frivolous" and refused to say whether the Arnetts still had possession of Franklin's quilts."

[Source: Al.com, Press-Register, Saturday, June 23, 2007.]

Kathy Ireland Worldwide - Public Statement

The KathyIreland.com website has a public statement about the Gee's Bend legal cases, which reads in part:

“It is heartbreaking to learn that there is litigation involving The Quilts of Gee’s Bend and the talented quilters. This is especially distressing, to me personally and to everyone at Kathy Ireland Worldwide. I have met and spent time with these artists, who we love, respect and honor. I value their humanity as well as their art. The well being of each quilter is critical.

Our agreement assures us that the quilter’s representatives are the proper place to send all quilt related earnings. This week a careful review of our files indicates that Kathy Ireland Worldwide has paid more to these representatives than our company has earned from the quilts project.

In light of these developments, I have directed our legal team to review these serious allegations."

Gee's Bend - Can't Be Real products!

My coffee got lukewarm this morning as I read the Gee's Bend posts on the Extreme Craft blog and then went on to read about 6 months of past extraordinary crafts posts. Well - about Gee's Bend. I laughed so hard with Extreme Craft's Kathy Ireland Gee's Bend swim suit line post (I'm sure there is no line of swim suits for sale - though I did hundreds of Google searches just in case!) If you are following the Gee's Bend legal cases, be sure to read Extreme Craft's commentary titled Gee Money. Enjoy!

Scrabble Pillows & Furniture

Thanks to blogger Extreme Craft for showcasing Stephen Reed's Industrial Design firm's 2004 Wordplay Installation - interactive furniture based on the popular board game, Scrabble. Cool!

I'm Not a Plastic Bag

I understand the current RAGE is the UK reusable tote bags - I'm Not a Plastic Bag by British designer Anya Hindmarch. The bags have been exported across the pond and are available in selected stores in Los Angeles, NY and NJ for $15. Or, if you can't wait in the long lines (as this crowd did in NY), you can make your own fabric tote. Visit the Make It Easy site for the free Classic Open Tote pattern. Enjoy!

Suzan-Lori Parks 365 Days 365 Plays

Suzan-Lori Parks, who won 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Topdog/Underdog, wrote a play a day for one year. She says (from Amazon.com):

"The plan was that no matter what I did, how busy I was, what other commitments I had, I would write a play a day, every single day for a year. It would be about being present and being committed to the artistic process every single day, regardless of the 'weather.' It became a daily meditation, a daily prayer celebrating the rich and strange process of a writing life."

Check out the plays in the book, 365 Days - 365 Plays. Play #26 is titled Mrs. Keckley & Mrs. Lincoln. Mrs. Keckley was the Sistah dressmaker to the President's wife. The 3-page piece involves a conversation between the two women - I won't give away the surprise ending!

African American Quilting & Dollmaking Guild - Ohio

I'm always excited to learn about another quilting guild! Meet the African American Quilting & Dollmaking Guild! Mrs. Janice Maze is the current president. She shared with me that the guild was founded in May 2006 and currently has 45 members - Sistah and Brother quilters! The guild is open to the public and meets every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, year round. There will be a guild show this July 7 at the Warrensville Senior & Civic Community Center, 4567 Green Road, Warrensville Heights, Ohio 44128 (photo). All are welcomed!

+10,000 visits to Black Threads blog!

Wow! Many thanks to each of you who have visited the Black Threads blog. Earlier this week, this blog surpassed 10,000 cumulative visits! You can click on the map in the right-side column and see the cumulative count of visits. Many thanks!

Gee's Bend Quilter Loretta Pettway files suit

Alabama Press-Register reporter Ben Raines wrote on Friday, June 15 that Gee's Bend quilter Loretta Pettway (65 years old) has filed suit against the Arnetts and others.

You can read Raines' article "Gee's Bend: A Fight for Righs" at al.com.

You can also click to the Tinwood blog for the Arnett Family's response to Annie Mae Young's law suit.

Turning a Page of a Story Quilt

What do you think about THIS story quilt?!

The Design Products department at the Royal College of Art (UK) created various pieces to illustrate an enhanced hotel experience. One of the pieces was an innovated twist to hotel bed covers. Design student Tiago da Fonseca created this Bedtime Story bedcover that has several printed sheets. You keep warm in bed by turning the pages for added covers and warmth. You also get to actually read a story!

Thanks to Fuse#8 and CubeMe for sharing the story!

Gee's Bend Quilts in Baltimore, Activities

If you're in the Baltimore - Washington DC area, be sure to visit Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt at the Walters Art Museum. The exhibit features about 40 quilts and is open to the public from June 15 - August 26, 2007. FREE admissions.

A few of the upcoming museum events: June 15 - 7pm Panel discussion with eight of the Gee's Bend quilters and moderated by William Arnett. $10 + registration. June 16 - from 11am - 4pm - Gee's Bend Community Day!

• Booksigning by the Gee’s Bend quilters
• Storytellers and musical performers
• The African American Quilters of Baltimore quilt demos, interactive activities, and more!
• Kyra Hicks, author of Martha Ann’s Quilt for Queen Victoria - reading and booksigning
• Sparky & Rhonda Rucker's musical performance

June 22 6:30pm - 8:30pm. "If This Quilt Could Talk," play inspired by the Gee's Bend quilts featuring the Morgan State University theatre department. Free performance.

For more information call 410-547-9000, ext. 300.

US Textile Museums on Google Maps

Quilter Liz Plummer has created a Google mashed-up map featuring US Textile Museums! You can visit the map or email Liz with other suggestions at this link to Google Maps. Thanks Liz!

You can find other US museums at: www.museumsusa.org/museums/

Paris Hilton, Black Women in Prison, & Quilts

Paris Hilton is back in jail today shouting, "It's not right!"

The Bureau of Justice statistics reports that 2.186 million persons are being held in Federal or State prisons or in local jails in 2005. The latest figure I can find show that 38,817 Black Women were held in Federal or State prisons or 46% of the female population vs. 44.7% for white women.

In some prisons or correctional facilities across the US, volunteers teach quilting to inmates. Do the math, that's a lot of Sistah quilters and crafters behind bars. A few facilities that have or had quilting programs included:

• Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Alaska
• Patuxent Institution for Women in Jessup, MD
• Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex in Morgan County, TN

Even male inmates are quilting. Katherine Mills reports about Quilting Convicts (WCC, page 20, 2003) at the Lea County Correctional Facility in Hobbs, New Mexico. Inmates can earn Good Works credits (and minimum $0.40 per hour) for taking part in the hand-quilting program.

Thanks to blogger, JenClaire of Bayou Quilts, for letting us know about Fine Cell Works, a British charity that promotes needlearts in prisons and sells their products, including quilts, online. WhipUp blogger talks about her experience with Fine Cell Works with the quilt teachers and the prisoners. (Photo from www.WomenandPrison.org - Beyondmedia's Prison Installation Voices in Time: Lives in Limbo)

Gee's Bend quilter Annie Mae Young files lawsuit

Annie Mae Young of Gee's Bend, AL has filed suit against William Arnett and Tinwood Ventures of Atlanta, according to the Associated Press and other online sources, claiming she was "cheated financially by her promoters and corporate clients." Also named in the suit are Kathy Ireland Worldwide, Shaw Living, and Visa.

The wildly popular Gee's Bend quilts - a collection of quilts created over the last several decades by black women from the Gee's Bend, AL area - have been exhibited in museums nationally for the last four years. Several of the distinctive quilt designs have been used on items such as Kathy Ireland Home Collection in 2004 and "The Quilts of Gee's Bend" rugs. There was even a Gee's Bend debit card from Visa.

From Ben Raines AL.com June 5th report:

According to the suit, Tinwood claims to own the intellectual property rights to the quilts produced in Gee's Bend prior to 1984, and, in turn, the company has leased those rights to manufacturers.

While several of the companies involved in marketing products based on Gee's Bend quilts state in promotional literature that the quilters "receive a royalty" for every item sold, Young's lawsuit states she has never received "one penny from these enterprises."

In fact, Young said, she had no idea her quilt designs were being used for anything beyond a book, much less a line of rugs selling for $5,000 a piece. The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for "commercial misappropriation of her work and likeness."

"I don't know nothing about them making all those rugs. Most of them are made out of my quilts. They've got them all over the world and I didn't even know they were doing that," Young said. "They didn't explain nothing to me about rugs and bedspreads and coffee pots. All I know was that they were selling my quilts and giving me a little something for them."

The Associated Press article says "attorneys for the Arnetts and Tinwood den[y] the allegations and says the lawsuit was filed to "harass" and extort money..."

We're sure to hear more about this case in the weeks and months to come. The debate will continue .... Is the fame the quilters of Gee's Bend have received compensation enough? Give credit to the Arnetts for promoting the quilts to a worldwide audience and increasing the market value of the quilts? Were any of the Gee's Bend quilters unfairly compensated? Did the quilters really agree to give up their quilt designs to be licensed by others? I'm sure you can list a dozen other debatable questions around race, gender, educational level, income and "ownership" of art. Feel free to leave a comment here.

In the meantime, below are a few posts highlighting an array of Gee's Bend products, experiences, and research. (AP Photo of Mrs. Young by Chitose Suzuki.)

Gee's Bend Quilters on YouTube videos

Have you seen a few of the Gee's Bend quilters on YouTube? Check out:

• The Quilters of Gee's Bend, Alabama Clip 1 featuring Revil Mosely tells how her grandmother taught her to quilt. "Now I don't say Can't!" This 1 min 32 second video has had nearly 530 views!
• Year of Alabama Arts - Gee's Bend Quilters video starts off with a quilt on a clothes line - and the quilt blocks start to sing! This 30 second video has been seen nearly 600 times!
• The Quilters of Gee's Bend, Alabama Clip 3 is a 30 second interview with Louisiana Bendolph. She speaks about quilting as an inheritance. This video reminds me of the Orlando Sentinel columnist, Tammy L. Carter, who wrote in her column A Touch of TLC, about how seeing the Gee's Bend quilters reminded her of her quilter grandmother. Read the touching article titled, "This traditional art form warms us with loving memories."

Gee's Bend - eCards, online quilt puzzles

The Women's Studies program at Auburn University in Alabama has developed "an ongoing interdisciplinary project to study the Quilts of Gee's Bend and develop strategies and materials for making them a part of the cultural education of Alabama’s – and America’s – children." Do take a moment to visit and interact with the site!

• Send an eCard featuring one of four Gee's Bend quilts by Lucy Mooney, Annie Mae Young, Loretta Pettway, Amelia Bennett
• Complete one of four delightful online jigsaw puzzles featuring Gee's Bend quilt images. There's a timer to measure how fast you can complete the 6 pieces, 12 pieces, 20 pieces, or 48 piece puzzle!
• You be the curator! Create your own Gee's Bend museum display - select two quilts to display and write the artwork captions.

Gee's Bend Quilts - Postage Stamps & Gift Card

The US Postal American Treasures series continued in 2006 with "American Treasures: Gee's Bend Quilts," stamps featuring quilts stitched by Black women of Gee's Bend, AL. The booklet of twenty stamps included TEN different quilt designs. The print run estimate - five hundred (500) million stamps!

Mrs. Annie Mae Young's corduroy quilt is featured on a VISA debit card (which was available in increments of $25, $50, $75, $100, or $200. Click here to see image of the gift card.

Gee's Bend Quilts - Books & Research

Here a quick list of books featuring Gee's Bend Quilts and Quilters:

Beardsley, John. Gee's Bend: The Women and Their Quilts. Atlanta, Ga: Tinwood Books, 2002.

Satchwell, Margaret Beth. Beyond Aesthetics: The Quilts of Gee's Bend and Public Experience of American Folk Culture. Project (B.A.)--James Madison University, 2005

Cubbs, Joanne, et al. Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee's Bend Quilts, and Beyond. Atlanta, Georgia: Tinwood Books, 2006.

Arnett, William, et al. Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt. Atlanta, GA: Tinwood Books, 2006.

Callahan, Nancy. The Freedom Quilting Bee. Tuscaloosa, Ala: University of Alabama Press, 1987. (Fire Ant Books; new edition, 2005)

Auburn University's Women's Studies program (in Alabama) "undertook an ongoing interdisciplinary project to study the Quilts of Gee's Bend and develop strategies and materials for making them a part of the cultural education of Alabama’s – and America’s – children." Excellent reference website.

Louise Hamm - Detroit Quilter

Have you met Louise Hamm? She's a third generation quilter. She's also the founder of the Detroit quilting guild The Needle Rules! Society (I love that guild name!).

A few days ago reporter Jocelynn Brown of the Detroit News interviewed her and provided her instructions for making a log cabin quilt. Do click to the article to see the great photographs by Detroit News photographer Ricardo Thomas. Enjoy!

Inspiring Americans - Your Vote by June 15

The Smithsonian is looking for Inspiring Americans - and your vote counts! Here's your chance to share your thoughts with the Smithsonian, nominate your favorite historical or contemporary quilter, your quilting teacher, your mentor, or any person who motivated you to do better!

Below are the quick contest rules from the Smithsonian web site:

• Tell us who inspires you and why in 250 words or less.

  Send in your entry before the Friday, June 15th noon EST deadline.

  A panel of Smithsonian judges will pick the top five finalists with the
  most inspiring stories.

  We'll post the five finalists' stories on our Contest voting page where YOU
  can vote to decide the winner from June 22 – 28th.

  We'll announce the winner on June 29th and feature him or her in the July
  issue of Smithsonian Focus.

You can also sign up for the FREE, Smithsonian monthly e-newsletter, Smithsonian Focus, to learn about exhibits and events at the Smithsonian here in Washington DC or in one of the 146 affiliate museums. Thank you Vanessa Harbin, Smithsonian Focus Editor for letting us know about the contest!

Winterthur Museum, DE - June 9 Quilt Lecture

Will you be in Delaware this coming weekend? Take a trip to the gorgeous Winterthur Museum & Country Estate in Winterthur, Delaware. Phone: 800.448.3883.

I'll be there to share my research insights in Martha Ann Ricks: From Tennessee to Liberia and Windsor Castle as part of the Winterthur Quilt Lecture Series. Ricks, who spent 50 years saving money to pursue her dream of meeting Queen Victoria, was one of few 19th century women to have her needlework documented on three different continents—Africa, Europe, and North America. Join us Saturday, June 9 at 3pm. A book signing follows.

I had a ball at the Winterthur Library when researching Martha Ann's story. The Library includes one of the BEST textile and World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago, 1893) collections. I wanted to find books which may show images of Martha Ann's Coffee Tree Quilt for Queen Victoria on display at the World's Fair. If you join us on Saturday, you can also take in the Quilts in a Material World exhibit and see this lovely toile bedroom set! [Portrait of Martha Ricks by Nancy Devard, Collection of Kyra Hicks.]

Quilt Museums - Lists and Links

With summer approaching, you might want to visit one of these USA quilt museums!

1. American Museum of Quilts & Textiles of San Jose, 60 S. Market Street, San Jose, CA 95113. (408) 971-0323. info@sjquiltmuseum.org Jane Przybysz, Ph.D, Executive Director. The first museum to focus on quilts is now celebrating its 30th year! Its mission “is to promote the art, craft and history of quilts and textiles.” Visit http://www.sjquiltmuseum.org

2. International Quilt Study Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0838. (402) 472-6549. Dr. Patricia Crews, Director. Founded in 1997 with the donation of more than 900 quilts from the Ardis and Robert James Collection. IQSC now has nearly 2,000 quilts, the world’s largest, from all eras, antique to contemporary and currently representing fourteen nations. Search the museum’s quilt collection online. Visit http://www.quiltstudy.org/

3. Kalona Quilt & Textile Museum, 415 B Avenue, Kalona, Iowa. PO Box 340, Kalona, Iowa 52247-0340. (319) 656-2240. Antique and Amish quilts.

4. La Conner Quilt Museum, 703 S. 2nd Street, P.O. Box 1270, La Conner, WA 98257, (360) 466-4288. lacquiltm@aol.com Marie Kirkman, Director. Opened in 1997. Museum quilt exhibits change every eight weeks. Visit: http://www.laconnerquilts.com/.

5. Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum, 13 West King Street, Lancaster, PA 17603. (717) 299-6440. info@lancasterheritage.com Peter S. Seibert , President/CEO. Wendell Zercher, Curator. The museum, which opened in 2004, focuses on textiles and quilts from Lancaster County and south-central Pennsylvania, primarily 19th & 20th century Amish Quilts. The former “Esprit Collection,” from Douglas Tompkins, founder of major clothing labels Esprit Corporation and the North Face, forms the core of the museum’s permanent collection. The museum is closed through Nov 2007 for renovations. Visit http://www.quiltandtextilemuseum.com.

6. Museum of the American Quilter’s Society, 215 Jefferson Street, Paducah, Kentucky 42001, (270) 442-8856. info@quiltmuseum.org The museum “is a non-profit institution established to educate, promote, and honor today's quiltmaker.” Bill and Meredith Schroeder are the museum founders. The MAQS opened in 1991 and now includes more than 200 quilts in its permanent collection. Visit http://www.quiltmuseum.org/

7. New England Quilt Museum, 18 Shattuck Street, Lowell, Massachusetts 01852. (978) 452-4207 Ext.15, Marie Geary, Acting Director. Founded in 1987. Happy 20th anniversary! There is a Museum Library with over 2,000 reference books, adult and children’s quilt fiction, videos and quilt magazines. Volunteers are available to answer your questions. Visit http://www.nequiltmuseum.org/

8. The People’s Place Quilt Museum, 3510 Old Philadelphia Pike, PO Box 419, Intercourse, PA 17534. (800) 828-8218. Phyllis Pellman Good and Merle Good, curators and directors. Visit http://ppquiltmuseum.com/

9. The Quilters Hall of Fame, 926 S. Washington Street, Marion, Indiana 46953. (765) 664-9333 quiltershalloffame@sbcglobal.net. Karen B. Alexander, President. QHF is dedicated to honoring outstanding contributions to the quilt world. Founded in 1979 by Hazel Carter. Visit http://www.quiltershalloffame.org/ to read bios of the annual QHF Honorees.

10. Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, 1111 Washington Ave., Golden, CO 80401-1162. (303) 277-0377. Paula Pahl, Executive Director. Golden, CO quilter Eugenia Mitchell, who wanted to preserve 100 quilts in her collection and share it with the public, was the driving force for what would become the museum, which opened in 1981. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of American quilts and to the continuation of quiltmaking. There are over 300 quilts in its permanent collection. http://www.rmqm.org/

11. Virginia Quilt Museum, 301 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, (540) 433-3818. Founded 1995. Its Permanent Collection contains over 150 quilts dating from 1810 to the present. The museum offers a hands-on Children’s Room where kids can touch quilts, play quilt puzzles, read quilt-related books, and have fun! Visit http://www.vaquiltmuseum.org/

12. Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts, P.O. Box 562, Cedarburg, WI 53012. (262) 546-0300. wiswool@execpc.com Kay Walters, President. Anne Books, VP. The museum, sponsored by the Wisconsin Quilt History Project, opened in September 2005. http://www.wiquiltmuseum.com/

Have I missed any? Do you have a favorite museum for seeing quilt exhibits? Be sure to leave a comment! Enjoy!