Thank You, Benton County Museum!

Yesterday was the final day of "Modern Materials, Quilts of the 1970s" at the Benton County Museum. I am already thinking ahead to what's up next. Before I do that, I'd like to send out a great big thank you to everyone who was part of the experience, especially my friends at the Benton County Museum.

Thank you for inviting me back. I thoroughly enjoyed our second exhibition together at the museum. "Beauty Secrets: 150 Years of History in One Quilt Pattern" in 2011 was the first-ever exhibition of quilts from my collection, and it brought a whole lot of good luck. It was a culminating experience, but at the same time, a whole new chapter.

A lot of things have happened since 2011. When I look back on this amazing journey, which I am still on, I am especially thankful for the role the Benton County Museum played. The 2011 exhibition started a chain reaction of events, which ultimately led to the publication of my first book, "New York Beauty, Quilts from the Volckening Collection" (Quiltmania/France) earlier this year.

When I received the return invitation last year from curator Mark Tolonen, I was in the middle of working on the New York Beauty book. That whole month, I photographing the quilts and editing the photos, a very big project. I would soon head down a whole new path with the 1970s quilts, and the museum that brought me such good luck would be part of it, once again at the beginning.

My next exhibition will open in January at Latimer Quilt & Textile Center in Tillamook, Oregon, and will explore a very special group of scrappy patchwork creations with explosive, tropical color. Stay tuned for more details as we approach the date.