Wisconsin Quilts: Stories in the Stitches on Exhibit April 29–August 29, 2021
Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts Celebrates Museum’s 10th Anniversary with Breathtaking Exhibition
Cedarburg, Wis. – This summer the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts (WMQFA) celebrates the museum’s 10th anniversary with the ambitious exhibition, Wisconsin Quilts: Stories in the Stitches (April 29–August 29, 2021).
Twenty years ago, in 2001, a group of women researchers published the seminal book Wisconsin Quilts: Stories in the Stitches based on their documentation of quilts from throughout Wisconsin. Called the Wisconsin Quilt History Project, this longstanding project began in the 1980s and continues to today. WMQFA’s history is intimately entwined with the Wisconsin Quilt History Project. Many of the documenters became the museum’s founding mothers. On the 20th anniversary of the book and the 10th anniversary of the museum, this striking exhibition brings together 30 historic quilts from the book Stories in the Stitches, exhibited at the museum as a collective for the first time.
The quilts in the exhibition represent detailed personal histories of the quilts’ makers and the incredible stories that surround these quilts, including stories of women’s lives during the Civil War and the Great Depression, individual triumphs and tragedies, connections to the 1933 World’s Fair, and quilts from the Works Progress Administration in Wisconsin, among many others. The result of deep research into the whereabouts of the quilts and the current owners, many of whom are descendants of the artists themselves, this exhibition breaks new ground, telling the stories of the quilts and their artists, as well as the rich history of quilt making in Wisconsin.
Many of the quilts come from private collections as well as the collections of the Burlington Historical Society, Kenosha County Historical Society, Milton Historical Society/Milton House Museum, Necedah United Methodist Church, Oshkosh Public Museum, Wauwatosa Historical Society, West Allis Historical Society, and Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts.
This exhibition is generously supported by a grant from the American Quilt Study Group and funding provided by Hilgendorf Memorials: Rock of Ages. Programming at WMQFA is supported by the Wisconsin Arts Board, National Endowment for the Arts and the Kohler Foundation Inc. A free virtual opening will take place during the run of the exhibition, and the museum’s 10th birthday celebration will take place on August 5, 2021.
Exhibition Highlights
1) Mary Bell Shawvan, Civil War Eagle and Flowers, early 1860s; cotton; 82 1/2 x 81 1/2 in. Private Collection of Dr. Jean-Marie Biebuyck.
Wisconsin Quilts: Stories in the S1tches WMQFA Page 1 of 2
The stunning Civil War Eagle and Flowers is a totally original pattern quilted by Mary Bell Shawvan in anticipation for her husband’s return from active duty. Unfortunately, John Shawvan passed from complications of battle at the battle of Chickamunga in 1863, and Mary Bell (“Polly”) was left a widow with six children.
2) Catherine Weekes, Aunt Kitty’s Fantasy (Center Medallion), c. 1840–1845; velvet; 55 3/4 x 67 in. Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts Collection.
Catherine “Kitty” Weekes served as a milliner to the queen of England and created this quilt out of velvet scraps from bonnets she made for Queen Victoria.
3) Pearl Pauline Berton Konitzer, World’s Fair Wreath—Chicago World’s Fair, Sears “Century Progress” Quilt Contest, 1933; 78 x 91 in. Private Collection, Appleton, WI.
Pearl Konitzer won a merit award for her World’s Fair Wreath entry.
About the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts
The Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts (WMQFA), located just east of historic downtown Cedarburg, Wisconsin, is dedicated to creating, preserving, and displaying cultural treasures and educating the public about the artistic, cultural, historic, and social importance of quilts and fiber arts. A primary mission is to teach people of all ages and abilities the time-honored traditions of fiber arts such as quilting, weaving, embroidery and knitting. Our 1850s farmstead setting has allowed us to combine preservation of craft with preservation of historical agriculture buildings, offering a unique setting for enjoying an afternoon, taking a class, attending a lecture, or playing in a farm setting. The WMQFA is a 501(c)3 non-profit. For more information go to www.wiquiltmuseum.com.