Three exhibits in the works for 2013-2014

New York Beauty, aka Rocky Mountain Road, c. 1865, Kentucky

Now that the American Quilt Study Group Seminar has concluded and I'm back home from Nebraska, I'm turning my attention toward several important projects. The collection has grown to approximately 250 quilts, and that scares me a little because I really have lost count of how many quilts I've got. But there are plans, and I thought I'd share them in one place.

New York Beauty, 2010, Nancy Tanguay, Warren, Connecticut

First, in 2013, I will be exhibiting the New York Beauty quilts at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles in San Jose, California. The exhibit will occupy the whole space, all three galleries, and will include approximately 35-40 quilts representing the time period from 1850 to present. Essentially, it is the life story of this classic, American quilt pattern. The exhibit will run from July 30 through mid-October.

In 2014, I'm planning two exhibits, both early in the year. One will be a small exhibit of very old quilts made between 1780 and 1850 at the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center in Tillamook, Oregon; and the other will be a large exhibit of 40 quilts from the second half of the 20th century, mostly 1970s, at the Oregon Historical Society in downtown Portland.

Hexagon Diamonds, c. 1970, Oregon

It's been interesting working with three such distinct groups of quilts, and there are other exhibit opportunities in the works. As soon as I have dates and other pertinent information, I'll post it here and on my web site. Aside from all the exhibits, which will be accompanied by print catalogs and eBooks, I'm about to begin documenting the whole collection. My application for The Quilt Index has been submitted, and I hope to soon start adding my collection to the largest database of historic quilts in the world. Life's good. A lot going on, and I wouldn't have it any other way.