The Quarantine Quilt Exhibition was on display August 7 - November 15, 2020
In early March 2020 WMQFA launched a collaborative art project meant to encourage artists staying at home to keep creating. This open call invited participants from throughout the world to submit a 12 x 12-inch quilt block documenting their individual and collective experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic.
By mid June the museum had already received over 300 blocks from artists throughout Wisconsin, as well as many other states, and as far away as the Netherlands and Israel. Each block tells the story of family, friends, love, community, support, inward and outward reflections, new hobbies and seasoned expertise, joy, sadness, and shared experiences all through the medium of fiber.
The quilt blocks demonstrate an enormous amount of diversity in technique: embroidery, collage, felt, weaving, and rug hooking are just a few of the processes on display. Beginning in June 2020 the museum started to make these blocks into quilts with the help of 17 quilters and piecers. They completed 27 quilts in 30 days to produce the 2020 Quarantine Quilt Exhibition.
This exhibition was made possible by the generous support of Ellie and Julian De Lia.
Quarantine Quilt Exhibit Catalog Still Available!
This lavishly illustrated 48-page catalog includes the 27 quarantine quilts along with selected stories submitted by Quarantine Quilt artists.
In March of 2020, when the world (along with Wisconsin and the United States) went into quarantine, to help stop the spread of Covid-19, the museum put out a call for artists to submit 12 x 12-inch blocks that reflected their experiences, thoughts, and feelings about the pandemic. Intended to encourage individuals to keep creating while staying safely at home, the call received an overwhelming response: over 500 blocks were submitted from more than 400 artists.
Purchase an exhibit catalog at https://www.blurb.com/b/10363474-the-quarantine-quilt.
Exhibition Photos from the August 7 - November 15, 2020 exhibition
Individual Quarantine Quilt Photos
Volunteer Quarantine Quilt Assemblers
Thank you to the quilters and piercers of the quarantine quilts: Anne Books, Mary Corrigan, Ellie De Lia, Janet Demerath, Pat Goeden, Grace Kragness, Linda Marcus, Mary Mauer, Lucille Pagel, Angie Paniagua (BigBear Quilting), Heidi Parkes, Sonja Pavlik, Joanne Prom, Kay Schroeder, Myra Van Uxem , Nancy Ware, Marilynn Wilke, Linn Woodard
Thank you to everyone who took part in this project, shared the project or visited the exhibition! We couldn’t have made it happen without you!
The Quarantine Quilt Exhibition is available for rental to institutions. Please fill out the form below if you are interested in rental (including the proposed rental dates).