Practical objects. Art. Commemorations. Quilts are objects with multiple uses and functions. Early quilts were practical objects, meant for warmth. As innovations in fabrics, dyes, and prints emerged, quilts became ways for women to express their artistic talents. 

Quilts are also communal objects. Many are made by more than one woman. Family members would often help each other with their quilts and group efforts such as quilting bees served as ways for women in early colonial America to socialize. Quilts became treasured family possessions with memories and meanings tied to them, connecting people through time.

This temporary exhibition will open in conjunction with the Schweinfurth Art Center’s 2023 Quilts=Art=Quilts show. Explore the history told through fabric.