New England Quilt Museum

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New England Quilt Museum
New England Quilt Museum, Lowell MA.jpg
New England Quilt Museum
EstablishedJune 1987
Location Lowell, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°38′43″N71°18′44″W / 42.6454°N 71.3121°W / 42.6454; -71.3121
Type Art museum
Key holdingsLate 18th century to contemporary art quilts
Collections Textile arts
Collection size500
Visitors6,000 / year [1]
Public transit access Lowell MBTA Station
Nearest parkingNational Historic Park lot (no charge)
Website www.nequiltmuseum.org

The New England Quilt Museum, founded in 1987, is located in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts and is the only institute in the Northeastern United States solely dedicated to the art and craft of quilting. It is the second-oldest quilt museum in the United States. [2] It houses special and permanent exhibits, a library, a museum shop, and classrooms. Collections are strong in 19th century quilts, with a geographic focus on New England. [3]

Contents

History

The museum opened in 1987, and was founded and staffed by quiltmakers. It has been since its start committed to both craft and fine arts quilts, with exhibits and classes incorporating contemporary as well as traditional fiber arts approaches. [4]

The museum moved into its current space in 1994, after a flood in its previous building.[ where? ] The new space, the historic Lowell Institute for Savings building, gave the museum more room for exhibits, collection storage and preparation, classrooms, a museum shop, and events. [5] It is located near the Lowell National Historical Park, which highlights Lowell's centrality to the 19th century textile trade and Industrial Revolution in the United States. [6]

Activities

In 2000, the museum founded the Lowell Quilt Festival, which has expanded to involve multiple partners across the city and region. IMAGES, a top juried show that began in 1983, is also part of the festival; entries are from across the United States and Canada. [7] The Lowell Quilt Festival was held for the last time in 2014.[ needs update ]

MassQuilts, a volunteer-led statewide project to document the history of quilts, holds sessions at the museum the second Thursday of every month. [8] The organization was started in 1994, and has documented more than 8,000 quilts.[ citation needed ] MassQuilts has also developed traveling shows, exhibits for the museum, and Massachusetts Quilts, Our Common Wealth [usurped] a university press book on the history of Massachusetts quilts and exhibits for the museum. [9] [10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kost, Joel (July 13, 2013). "Stitching together a new life for the New England Quilt Museum". Lowell Sun. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  2. ↑ Roberts, Elise Schebler (2007). The Quilt: a History and Celebration of an American Art. Minneapolis, MN: Voyageur Press. ISBN   978-0-7603-3785-1.
  3. ↑ Danilov, V. J. (2005). Women and museums: A comprehensive guide. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press.
  4. ↑ Lyon, David (1989). "The New England Quilt Museum". Fiberarts. Vol. 16, no. 3. Interweave Press. pp. 34–35.
  5. ↑ "New England Quilt Museum set to open in new, larger space". Boston Globe. Boston, Mass., United States. July 11, 1993. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Lowell National Historical Park: Massachusetts". National Park Service. United States National Park Service. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  7. ↑ Tuttle, Nancye (August 5, 2013). "Quilt Festival blankets Lowell with colorful fabric creations". Lowell Sun.
  8. ↑ "MassQuilts Documentation". New England Quilt Museum. New England Quilt Museum. Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  9. ↑ McQuaid, Cate (March 18, 1999). "Piecing a story together In old quilts, The Massachusetts Quilt Documentation Project finds the fabric of families' lives". Boston Globe. Boston, Mass., United States. ProQuest   405287190.
  10. ↑ "The Project". Massachusetts Quilt Documentation Project. MassQuilts. Retrieved December 7, 2014.

Further reading

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