Beyond the Bed: The American Quilt Evolution traces the dynamic evolution of the North American quilt – in form, fashion, and function – from the beginning of the 19th century to the present day. Over thirty quilt masterpieces are installed according to their originally intended function as bed coverings, articles of clothing, furniture accessories, wall decoration, and three-dimensional sculpture. Six of the quilts are among “The Twentieth Century’s Best 100 American Quilts,” selected in 1999 by a panel of experts from four national quilt organizations.
Quilt Lab (opens February 24)
Explore, experiment, and create your own quilt block in the KMA Quilt Lab. Visitors are invited to make Log Cabin and storybook blocks to contribute to community quilts, including quilts which will be donated to babies born to women in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and families living at My Sister’s Place, a Westchester County shelter for battered women. Participants will also learn about the AIDS Names Quilt; and to how to design a digital quilt on the computer.
Ann Jonas: The Quilt (opens February 24)
A beloved quilt is at the center of Ann Jonas’s story about a young girl’s memory and imagination. Her parents sewed a patchwork quilt using fabric squares from her baby pajamas, her crib sheet, and a shirt she wore on her second birthday. How can she possibly sleep when there is so much to look at, remember, and dream about? Meet Ann Jonas at the Family Quilt Day on May 5.
