Columbia Public Library (MO) Annual Quilt Exhibit

The 70273 Project Quilts #66, 67, 68, 531, and 532 will be on display in the Columbia Public Library’s annual quilt exhibit. This year’s theme is The Social World of Quilting. Quilts in the exhibit feature tops constructed by more than one person. Methods may include friendship/autograph quilts, row-by-row quilts, one or more people piecing and another stitching the top; or one or more appliqué or embroidery artist and another person constructing the top.

Thousands of quilts inscribed with even more thousands of names are some of the most prized quilts held in museums and personal collections. Often made by communities of some and men to honor one of their members, these quilts provide historical documentation of long-forgotten communities and give evidence of the depth of affection, sentiment and solidarity among the group. Signature quilts reflect social history and social change in the U.S. and have connections to westward migration in the 1800s, to reform and religious movements in the years following and to global war and social media in the 2000s. On Saturday, April 21 from 1:30 to 2:30 pm, Jonathan Gregory of the International Quilt Study Center and Museum will cover the origins, development, and adaptability of the signature quilt throughout nearly 200 years of American life.