The National Quilt Museum, located in Paducah,

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, is an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although ...

that exhibits

fiber art Fiber (spelled fibre in British English; from ) is a #Natural fibers, natural or Fiber#Artificial fibers, artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The st ...

and

quilting Quilting is the process of joining a minimum of three layers of textile, fabric together either through stitching manually using a Sewing needle, needle and yarn, thread, or mechanically with a sewing machine or specialised longarm quilting ...

from around the world. The museum is recognized by ''

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'' as one of the world's top quilt displays. This textile museum supports local and expert quilters by providing workshops and other educational activities. The National Quilt Museum was established by Bill and Meredith Schroeder of Paducah and opened to the public on April 25, 1991. It is the only museum dedicated to

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

quilts and quiltmakers. The main gallery is devoted to a rotating selection from the museum's collection of over 600 quilts. Its two other galleries exhibit rotating fiber art exhibits throughout the year. Its founding executive director was Victoria Faoro. The museum also features a traveling exhibit that is made up of quilts and fiber art. In addition, the museum also offers educational opportunities for adults and kids at all skill levels. In 1993 the museum hosted the first African American Quilters Forum and in 1995 the museum developed "Gatherings", an exhibit and conference celebrating quilt documentation projects completed across the country. The museum was honored in May 2008 when the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

designated it the National Quilt Museum of the United States. May Louise Zumwalt, former executive director of the museum, said "Though it does not mean we will receive national funding, it does recognize that we are a quilt museum with national significance." This designation brings additional attention and helps increase the number of visitors. The museum averages 40,000 visitors per year. In July 2021, Matt Collinsworth became chief executive officer of the museum.

References

Buildings and structures in Paducah, Kentucky Art museums and galleries established in 1991 Quilt museums in the United States Textile museums in Kentucky Folk art museums and galleries in Kentucky Museums in McCracken County, Kentucky 1991 establishments in Kentucky {{Kentucky-museum-stub

See also

References