Quilts: A Rural Tradition

Installation view. Quilts: A Rural Tradition, May 17 - October 14, 2014, BRAHM.

May 17 - October 14, 2014

This exhibition shares numerous quilts dating as far back as the 1800s and as contemporary as the early 2000s, taking a look at a traditional pastime of the mountains and the significance behind every stitch.

While quilting has been practiced since ancient times and in many parts of the world, the art was likely brought to America by the early English and Dutch colonists. It flourished in regions of the New World like New England and the southern mountains, where the weather was cold enough that people needed quilts, but not so cold that furs were needed in their stead.

Historically, quilting in the western world was a pastime of the upper classes, and quilts were created from fine fabrics for decorative rather than utilitarian purposes. However, as cloth became more widely available with the expansion of mills and manufacturing and later the railroad system, more women were able to obtain fabric with which to make quilts.

The earliest quilts documented in North Carolina date from around the turn of the nineteenth century, though earlier examples surely existed. Quilt-making flourished in the South throughout the nineteenth and into the early twentieth century. The tradition continues today, with many modern quilters recreating traditional quilts as well as creating new pieces of art.