Avant-garde artists celebrate 30th anniversary with new exhibition in York

Dialogues on now until 31 October 2015

York is the only UK stopping point for the European tour of a 30thanniversary exhibition celebrating the work of an acclaimed group of international quilt artists, on now at The Quilt Museum until 31 October.

Quilt Art is known for pushing the boundaries of quilting and the 30 new artworks its members have created for ‘Dialogues’ challenges perceptions of quilts as purely utilitarian objects. This exciting new body of work showcases cutting-edge quilting at its best, using experimental techniques and technology, such as digital stitching and printing and photo-transfer techniques.

“One of our aims is to extend the boundaries of quilting as an artistic medium and achieve wider recognition of the quilt as an art form” said Sara Impey, who has been a member of Quilt Art for over 15 years.

The Quilt Art Dialogues exhibition runs concurrently with Back in Time: British Patchwork and Quilting, which explores the changes in development and approach to patchwork and quilting in Britain over the last three centuries and includes works from The Quilters' Guild Collection not previously exhibited, as well as new acquisitions.

“It’s an exciting and rare opportunity to see such excellent examples of traditional and contemporary quilts sharing the same space. Visitors will be able to see how function, design, materials and techniques have evolved over the last few centuries”, said Museum Manager, Shirley Collier.

Back in Time showcases the range of styles, designs and techniques in the history of British patchwork and quilting from the highly sophisticated fussy cutting of bed hangings; to the folk art of Welsh quilt motifs; the use of furnishing fabrics in the cotton chintz; and the commercial, through ‘Fraserburgh fisherman’s quilt’.

The new acquisitions include one of two pieces of late 18thand early 19thcentury patchwork bed hangings similar to ones in the V&A’s Collection. “These exquisite pieces are rare survivors of 18thcentury needlework. They contain a variety of printed cotton chintzes including a striking owl print making these exceptional additions to our Collection and of great interest to textile enthusiasts. Today’s quilters will also appreciate the clever piecing incorporating hexagons, diamonds and triangles,” says curator Danielle Sprecher.

Patchwork quilts are hugely evocative emblems of our domestic past. With no two quite the same, they hint both at the story of the particular household in which they were produced and at a larger piece of social history. But quilting is by no means only historical, with the craft seeing a great revival in popularity in recent years and items that were once made for purely utilitarian and practical reasons now being produced and appreciated for the connection they afford us to a rich vein of heritage and nostalgia.

This is the last time visitors can view items from The Quilters’ Guild Collection at St Anthony’s Hall as the Museum will be closing its doors on 31 October. The Quilters’ Guild will, however, continue to care for its Collection of historic and contemporary quilts and is concentrating its efforts on finding a location where groups can see a selection of quilts by pre-organised visits. They are also exploring a wide range of opportunities for items from the Collection to be exhibited in other locations.

ENDS

For more information please contact:

The Quilt Museum and Gallery, St Anthony’s Hall, Peasholme Green, York, England YO1 7PW.

Tel: 01904 613 242. Email: admin@quiltersguild.org.uk  Website: http://www.quiltmuseum.org.uk/

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10am–4pm. Admission charges apply.

Notes to Editors

Quilt Art

The group was formed in the UK in 1985 to bring together quilt artists who had few exhibiting opportunities at that time. They wished to explore the potential of the quilt as an art form and achieve wider recognition for their work. Quilt Art was the first group of its kind and remains one of the most prominent exhibiting groups in the UK and Europe. It has 18 members from Britain, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark and Hungary and one member from the United States. Many Quilt Art members are award-winning makers and have their work in public and private collections around the world. Several are also well-known teachers, lecturers or writers.

Quilt Art mounts major touring exhibitions every few years. As well as the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe, the group has exhibited in the United States, Canada, Japan and Russia. Each exhibition is accompanied by a book which is designed, illustrated and published by the members. Quilt Art’s newest publication 'Quilt Art: Dialogues and Small Talk' accompanies the Dialogues exhibition. The group invited the British academic and quilt historian Dr Sue Marks to interview each member individually and her dialogues with them form the basis of the text. 'Quilt Art: Dialogues and Small Talk' is on sale at The Quilt Museum and Gallery, priced £18.00. For more information about Quilt Art visit www.quiltart.eu

The Quilters’ Guild Collection

Since its formation in 1979, The Quilters' Guild has built up a unique collection of antique and contemporary quilts from around the British Isles. The collection has grown through donations and acquisitions and now numbers over 800 items, from the earliest known dated British patchwork the 1718 Silk Patchwork Coverlet to recent pieces by contemporary quilt makers. As well as full size quilts and coverlets, the collection includes miniature pieces, quilted clothing, small domestic items templates, tools and quilting equipment.

The Quilt Museum and Gallery

The Quilt Museum and Gallery is an independent museum operated by The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles. The Guild is a registered in England and Wales as a charity no.1067361 and a company limited by guarantee no. 3447631. The Guild is registered as a charity in Scotland no. SC043174.

The Museum and Gallery has been awarded: Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2015, Finalist in the Visit York Tourism Awards for Visitor Attraction of the year (under 50,000) 2014, Arts Council England Accredited Museum 2013, Visit England Quality Assured Visitor Attraction and ‘Hidden Gem’ 2014.