Alliance For American Quilts Inc

TO PROMOTE THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE QUILT AS AN IMPORTANT AMERICAN GRASSROOTS ART FORM, TO SHARE STORIES AND DOCUMENATION ABOUT QUILTS WITH A BROAD PUBLIC AND TO EDUCATE AMERICANS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF DOCUMENT QUILTS AND QUILTMAKERS.

COMMUNITY QUILT DAYS: THE QUILT ALLIANCE HELD NINE FREE PUBLIC COMMUNITY QUILT DAYS IN FIVE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, EASTERN KENTUCKY AND EASTERN TENNESSEE COMMUNITIES, FROM MARCH 4 THROUGH MAY 27, 2023. APPROXIMATELY 216 PEOPLE ATTENDED. THE QUILT TALKS WERE PRESENTED BY QUILT HISTORIANS AND EDUCATORS WITH EXPERIENCE IDENTIFYING AND DATING QUILTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE MADE IN CENTRAL APPALACHIA. EACH PRESENTER SHOWED ACTUAL QUILTS SELECTED TO DEMONSTRATE SPECIFIC BLOCK PATTERNS, FABRICS, DYES, AND DESIGNS NATIVE TO OUR REGION. QUILTS PRESENTED BY THE SPEAKERS CAME FROM PRIVATE AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS AND RANGED FROM HISTORICAL EXAMPLES OF TRADITIONAL PATTERNS TO UNIQUE EXAMPLES OF QUILTS MADE MORE RECENTLY BY LOCAL ARTISTS. PRESENTERS WORKED WITH RESOURCES AND PARTNERS IN EACH COMMUNITY INCLUDING HISTORY AND ART MUSEUMS, APPALACHIAN STUDY PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY CENTERS TO SOURCE ADDITIONAL QUILTS TO TELL THE STORY OF THAT LOCATION. PRESENTERS ALSO PROVIDED ASSESSMENTS OF QUILTS BROUGHT IN BY COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO DOCUMENT. THE QA HELD WE GOT GRANTS FROM THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS TO SUPPORT THIS PROJECT: NC ARTS COUNCIL, SPARK THE ARTS GRANT PROGRAM AND THE SOUTH ARTS: INTO THESE MOUNTAINS GRANT PROGRAM. . QUILT ALLIANCE 30TH ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM: CURRENT AND PAST QUILT ALLIANCE BOARD MEMBERS, STAFF MEMBERS, MEMBERS, DONORS AND VOLUNTEERS CELEBRATED THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ORGANIZATION IN ASHEVILLE, NC SEPTEMBER 28 AND 29, 2023. PROJECT DEMONSTRATIONS WERE PRESENTED AT THE ASHEVILLE QUILT SHOW AND THE ASHEVILLE ART MUSEUM AND A RECEPTION WAS HELD AT THE GROVE PARK INN. BOARD VICE PRESIDENT MARK DUNN SPONSORED THE RECEPTION AND 67 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE WEEKEND EVENTS. . QUILTERS TAKE A MOMENT: IN OCTOBER 2023 THE QUILT ALLIANCE PRESENTED THE FOURTH ANNUAL QUILTERS TAKE A MOMENT VIRTUAL EVENT. QTM IS THE ONLINE EVENT DEVELOPED AS A COVID-ERA ALTERNATIVE TO THE QUILTERS TAKE MANHATTAN FUNDRAISER, THAT WAS HELD IN THE HEART OF NEW YORK CITY AT THE FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ANNUALLY FROM 2011-17. THE THEME OF QTM 2023 WAS DOCUMENTING YOUR QUILT STORY. APPROXIMATELY 89 ATTENDEES PURCHASED TICKETS TO ATTEND LIVE AND GAIN ACCESS TO THE RECORDED CONTENT FOLLOWING THE EVENT. CORPORATE SPONSORS CONTRIBUTED THE MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME FOR THE EVENT, AND TICKET SALES RAISED ADDITIONAL FUNDS. . QUILTERS S.O.S. - SAVE OUR STORIES (QSOS) CELEBRATED ITS 24TH ANNIVERSARY BY COMPLETING THE GOAL TO MAKE THE ENTIRE QSOS COLLECTION AVAILABLE EITHER AS TEXT OR AUDIO AT QSOS.QUILTALLIANCE.ORG. HAVING ALL OF THE INTERVIEWS ACCESSIBLE IN ONE SPOT ONLINE HAS BEEN A LONGTIME GOAL. INDEXING OF RECORDS CONTINUES (ADDING KEYWORDS, SUMMARIES, SEGMENT TITLES, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SUBJECT HEADINGS, AND AUDIO TIMESTAMPS). THE AMERICAN FOLKLIFE CENTER AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CONTINUES TO HOUSE THE PHYSICAL ARCHIVES OF THE COLLECTION, AND THE LOUIE B. NUNN CENTER FOR ORAL HISTORY CONTINUES TO HOUSE AND HOST THE DIGITAL ARCHIVES OF THE COLLECTION.

GO TELL IT AT THE QUILT SHOW! 2023 MARKED THE 11TH ANNIVERSARY OF THIS PROJECT TO DOCUMENT AND SHARE STORIES OF QUILTS WHERE QUILTMAKERS AND QUILT OWNERS GATHER. THE FORMULA FOR GO TELL IT! IS SIMPLE: ONE PERSON TALKING ABOUT ONE QUILT IN FRONT OF ONE VIDEO CAMERA FOR THREE MINUTES. WE CONTINUED THE VIRTUAL COLLECTION OF GO TELL IT! INTERVIEWS FOR VARIOUS QA PROJECTS AND EVENTS, SOME RECORDED VIA ZOOM AND OTHERS RECORDED AND SUBMITTED BY THE TELLERS. 89 GO TELL IT VIDEOS WERE SHARED VIA YOUTUBE IN 2023 WITH 5,600 TOTAL VIEWS. . TEXTILE TALKS: THE QUILT ALLIANCE PARTICIPATED AS ONE OF FOUR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF THE TEXTILE TALKS LECTURE SERIES. THE QA PRESENTED 10 OF THE 49 TALKS PRESENTED IN THE 2023 SEASON AND 3,439 ATTENDEES PARTICIPATED IN THESE LIVE PROGRAMS. THE RECORDINGS OF EACH PRESENTATION WERE SHARED ON THE QA YOUTUBE CHANNEL WITH 11,713 TOTAL VIEWS TO DATE. . RUNNING STITCH, A QSOS PODCAST: ONE BONUS EPISODE OF THE PODCAST WAS RELEASED AS PART OF SEASON 3 IN 2023. QUILTS BELOW THE RADAR FEATURES AN INTERVIEW WITH RODERICK KIRACOFE, QUILT COLLECTOR AND AUTHOR OF UNCONVENTIONAL & UNEXPECTED: 1950-2000, AND HISTORIAN JANNEKEN SMUCKER ABOUT QUILTS THAT DEFY CONVENTION, THE CREATIVITY OF QUILTMAKERS, AND WHAT MAKES A MUSEUM-QUALITY QUILT. DOWNLOADS ESTIMATED AT 510 TO DATE.

GUILD PRESENTATIONS: ON-SITE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROJECT OFFERING LECTURE AND QUILT/QUILTMAKER DOCUMENTATION DAY SERVICES TO QUILT GUILDS QUILT SHOWS, MUSEUMS AND LIBRARIES INCLUDED PRESENTATIONS FOR THE BURKE QUILTERS GUILD IN MORGANTON, NC AND THE WESTERN NC QUILT GUILD IN HENDERSONVILLE, NC. AMY MILNE ALSO PRESENTED THE KEYNOTE LECTURE AT THE QUILTS OF VALOR NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN PADUCAH, KENTUCKY IN SEPTEMBER 2023. . NATIONAL QUILTING DAY: THE QUILT ALLIANCE CO-SPONSORS NATIONAL QUILTING DAY EACH MARCH AND IN 2023 WE HELD OUR FOURTH VIRTUAL CELEBRATION, ASKING QUILTERS TO HANG QUILTS OUTSIDE THEIR HOME AND POST PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH THE TAG #NATIONALQUILTINGDAY. WE WERE AGAIN TREATED TO A DAY-LONG QUILT SHOW WITH QUILTS HUNG ON HOMES, CLOTHESLINES, BARNS, FENCES, IN ALL KINDS OF SETTINGS.