Through the display of 30 pieces, the exhibition will illustrate the visual connections between Amish quilts and mid-20th century art and show how variations in the quilts reveal the choices of individual Amish communities. The quilts are drawn from collections at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, each representing distinct Amish communities. The art world took note of the remarkable similarities between quilts and modern art in 1971 when an exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York exhibited pieced quilts on walls normally reserved for works by contemporary artists. Renno/Peachey Amish quilts are similar to midwestern Amish quilts, but are distinguished by their black backgrounds juxtaposed with bright fabrics of golden yellow, blue, purple and green.

Tags: amish, long arm quilting machines, quilting patterns, quilts, quilting patterns, museum