International Quilt Museum

by Julie Nichols
Quilts are a paradox: at once common and extraordinary, emblems of frugality or opulence. Whether decorative, useful, symbolic or ceremonial, quilts and quilting traditions have existed for thousands of years on every continent. In early ages, quilts might have been an ornate sign of wealth; more often they were born of thrift or scarcity. We know them as household objects and practical garments, yet quilts possess layers of meaning: they tell stories, transfer messages, record events, celebrate new beginnings, give voice to the voiceless. In many traditions, quilts literally embody generations, the physical remnants of multiple lives — a fragmented document of those whose garments went to scraps — preserved in a decorative bedcover.
The ubiquitous nature of quilts throughout cultures and generations draws a spectrum of visitors to this excellent museum: collectors, makers and guilds, students and teachers, scholars, textile artists, and many who simply cherish quilts as heirlooms or artwork. Binding tradition, history, visual art, utility and material culture in complex relationship, quilts seem to hold fathomless possibilities for study, innovation and expression. Quilting has long been recognized as a key facet of American history, and individual quilts have themselves been sought out as important historical documents.
A remarkable personal collection of over 1,000 quilts spawned the International Quilt Museum. For decades, Ardis James and her husband Robert traveled the world, gathering textiles as they went. Realizing the need to preserve their quilts was greater than they could provide, they sought a home for them. Both native Nebraskans, the Jameses considered several locations. Enthusiastic collaboration with textile professor Dr. Patricia Crews, who became a founder of the IQM, and Sara Rhodes Dillow, an internationally recognized quiltmaker, drew the Jameses to the University of Nebraska.
Established in 1997 as the Ardis and Robert James Collection of Antique and Contemporary Quilts, the collection was first stored in a climate-controlled space in the Home Economics building which became a study center for various departments, especially fiber arts and textile design. Campus galleries displayed quilt shows; others traveled to international exhibitions. The center continued to receive and catalog donations. In 2008, the center moved to the 37,000-square-foot building you see today, built with private funding through the University of Nebraska Foundation, including a lead gift from the James family. More than 130 quilt guilds and organizations in three other nations donated to the building’s construction. The museum received a LEED rating for sustainability the following year. In 2015, an addition expanded the museum by 13,000 square feet, expanding the galleries, storage, and conservation facilities.
This quietly elegant three-story museum at 33rd and Holdrege on UNL’s East Campus echoes the elements of quilt making. Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, its structure is a metaphor: the façade’s large-scale glass panels sewn together with “stitches” of metal grid form the pattern of a quilt-top, the galleries and conservation rooms serve as the batting, staff offices and facilities make up the quilt back. Above the plaza outside the entrance, the bowed glass traces the shape of a needle’s eye, its tip jutting over the courtyard below, where native flowers and plants form blocks of color like patchwork. Geometric exterior brickwork suggests quilt blocks. The uniform glass panels rising to the second floor fill the spacious second floor with light, softened inside by cloth-like metal screen. Hallway entrances further minimize light as visitors enter the protective environment of the galleries. The enormous needle’s eye, formed by the curved walls of the reception hall, provides open space for events and guild activities.
Quilts teach math, chemistry, history, marketing, design. Studying quilts — their construction, history, uses and preservation — is central to the museum’s mission. With its active role in preservation and its accessible collections, the International Quilt Museum leads the growing field of quilt studies. The University of Nebraska offers the world’s only master’s degree with emphasis on quilt studies.
Research focused on quilts illuminates the
complex ways gender, class, ethnicity, aesthetics, politics, religion and technology find expression in the textile arts, and the IQM brings learning to all ages. Dedicated spaces for children and school groups, hands-on materials and meeting areas expand visitors’ knowledge and solidify the future of quilt preservation, appreciation, and new contexts for textile arts. A full schedule of workshops, presentations, activities and events and, the museum offers both casual and formal education. Comprehensive virtual tools open research opportunities, teaching materials and tours. Partnering with various departments, particularly Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, the IQM’s leadership in quilt studies continues to untangle the myriad ways quilts provide insight into ethnicity, religion, tradition, social and political history, industry and technology, and art and design.
The museum excels at demonstrating the diversity of its collections. Thousands of historical and contemporary quilts have been displayed at the quilt museum and its exhibitions requested in the U.S and throughout the world. The IQM does not disappoint in quality or content. You might see a private collection of 1970s polyester quilts, a survey of Southeast Asian traditions, contemporary artists’ quilts of paper, plastic, wire, wood. Or perhaps doll quilts, abstract sculptural quilts, a room full of Turkish stamped quilts or quilted Japanese clothing. The museum’s mission is to connect visitors to the artistic and social value of quilts, stimulate learning about other cultures and self-reflection about how we interact with quilts.
Exhibition planning, development and presentation distinguishes the IQM with a sweeping variety of fascinating shows. Some feature types or patterns (memorial quilts, feed sack quilts, log cabin quilts) or cultural traditions of representative groups (Amish quilts, African American work). Others feature quilts and techniques from distant cultures. Others are organized around historical periods, social themes or industry. Solo exhibitions of prominent studio artists offer the nontraditional side of quilts: innovative interpretations, abstract patterns, sculptural pieces and mixed media illustrate how quilting motifs are extrapolated upon in contemporary art.
Quiltmaking is often communal and multigenerational. Traditionally the domain of women, the production of quilts has also been a craft among men: sailors, soldiers, merchants all produced quilts. Tribes like the Lakota had men’s quilting societies, distinct from women. Enslaved women enshrined individual and collective experiences—not in words on paper, but in stitches, patterns, color. This collectivity became a unique American institution: the quilting bee. Women shared news, recipes, and entertained advice. Yet controversial topics of the day entered the conversation. Susan B. Anthony’s first suffrage speech advocating women’s voting rights was given at a quilting bee. Throughout history, social issues like lynching, child labor, and women’s rights have been expressed in quilts. Political positions and dissent during periods of disunity speak through quilts. Contemporary artists continue to use quilts as a platform to highlight injustices which are still relevant: civil rights, economic oppression, racial injustice.
Including quilts that address social, historic or political events unite largely unknown work and emphasize the expressive nature of quilts. Memorial quilts rife with commentary on social challenges like suicide, gun violence, 9/11, migrant deaths, the AIDS crisis or the COVID-19 pandemic show the rhetorical power of quilts: to mourn, commemorate, swear allegiance, demand justice. To curate exhibitions of quilts such as these goes beyond decorative art to provoke reflections on identity. It shows the depth of the IQM’s collection, and its world-class status.
As steward of the largest publicly-held quilt collection in the world, the IQM’s goal to cultivate cultural connections, build communities and devise ways to further celebrate and reveal the significance of quilts, opening doors to the role quilts may play for future generations.
The IQM is an accredited member of the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, the highest recognition a museum of any kind can receive, and partners with the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM) and Blue Star Museums, honoring active members of our military and their families with free admission between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Admission is free for anyone receiving SNAP benefits as part of Museums for All. The IQM and 600 other US museums offer free or reduced admission by presenting a SNAP EBT (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Electronic Benefit Transfer) card.
The museum is closed Sundays, Mondays, and all university holidays, including winter break. Parking is available behind the museum, and there is a bus drop-off lane at the front.
For hours and information, a calendar of activities and events, previews of exhibits and resources, visit www.internationalquiltmuseum.org.
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