Kansas City PBS thanks the quilters, quilt collectors and quilt admirers who ventured 195 miles to Lincoln, Nebraska, to experience the International Quilt Study Center & Museum (IQSCM) in April. Inspired by the 9-part PBS series, Why Quilts Matter: History, Art & Politics, the trip brought 22 local residents to IQSCM. For some, it was a new discovery, and for others, a chance to experience its charm again.
The mission and role of IQSCM in promoting the international value of quilting heritage and art — not to mention its architectural design and ongoing collections — is “stitched” in our memories for good.
Our enthusiastic group witnessed precise hand-stitching and regional customs, such as in the Baltimore album quilt, saw well-known quilts, such as “Reconciliation Quilt” by Lucinda Ward Honstain and “The Men” by Faith Ringgold, learned of documentary filmmaker Ken Burns’ love of and use of quilts in his home, and were in awe of the storage methods used by IQSCM.
Known for its “quilted” architectural design, the center is celebrating 10 years in its current building, and can also be celebrated for the persistence of its founders, Robert and Ardis James. In 1997, they found a home in Lincoln for their collection of more than 900 quilts — spanning American quilt-making traditions from antique classic to contemporary — and led the center to its current collection of more than 5,000 quilts.
Our group would agree: Quilts do matter, both here in Kansas City and to our neighbors in Nebraska and beyond.
The mission and role of IQSCM in promoting the international value of quilting heritage and art — not to mention its architectural design and ongoing collections — is “stitched” in our memories for good.
Our enthusiastic group witnessed precise hand-stitching and regional customs, such as in the Baltimore album quilt, saw well-known quilts, such as “Reconciliation Quilt” by Lucinda Ward Honstain and “The Men” by Faith Ringgold, learned of documentary filmmaker Ken Burns’ love of and use of quilts in his home, and were in awe of the storage methods used by IQSCM.
Known for its “quilted” architectural design, the center is celebrating 10 years in its current building, and can also be celebrated for the persistence of its founders, Robert and Ardis James. In 1997, they found a home in Lincoln for their collection of more than 900 quilts — spanning American quilt-making traditions from antique classic to contemporary — and led the center to its current collection of more than 5,000 quilts.
Our group would agree: Quilts do matter, both here in Kansas City and to our neighbors in Nebraska and beyond.
