New England Quilt Museum
Overview
The museum actively collects and preserves antique and contemporary quiltsContact Information
18 Shattuck StreetLowell, Massachusetts 01852
United States
Description
Lowell is uniquely suited for the New England Quilt Museum. It is the historic center of the nation's textile industry as well as the site of the first urban National Park celebrating that history. Since the museum first opened its doors in 1987, it has worked to present the finest examples of traditional and contemporary quilts. The permanent collection today includes some 400 antique and contemporary quilts and tops, plus numerous related textile and sewing items representing the history of American quilt making. The museum's first acquisition, commissioned by the New England Quilters Guild for the IMAGES I quilt show, was Archipelago, a contemporary work made in 1983 by Nancy Halpern. In 1986, a second contemporary piece was commissioned by the Guild. Bloodroot by Ruth McDowell is a two-sided, three-dimensional quilt that was groundbreaking in both concept and execution. During the first four years of the museum's operations, the number of acquisitions ranged from eight to twenty antique quilts per year. The museum also began to collect quilt-related items: patterns, quilt tops and squares, sewing machines and educational materials.