The Oxford Museum is proud to announce two special June programs in addition to its current antique quilt exhibit, The Fabric of History. Quilts are among America’s most traditional forms of creative expression. Once viewed merely as a decorative craft and even dismissed as merely “women’s work,” historic quilts are now appreciated as a highly sophisticated artform, combining intricate patterns, bright colors and extraordinary needlework. These works reveal very personal stories of celebration, community, and identity. Although the makers of many quilts remain unknown to us, their passion and creativity are unforgettable. The museum exhibit is a stunning collection of 30 antique and traditional American quilts, featuring Maryland quilts including local examples from Talbot County Historical Society and the Oxford Museum’s own collection
If you own a quilt and would like to know more about it, you can schedule a 30-minute Documentation Day appointment at the museum with guest curators Kay Butler and Catherine Spence from The Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore. They can give you an approximate age of the quilt, its pattern and other details. This is not an appraisal. Documentation appointments are $25 per quilt and will be available between 10 am and 4 pm on Saturday, June 7. Appointments can be schedule on the museum’s website,
On the weekend of June 21/22 additional quilts will be on display at St. Paul’s Church, 225 S. Morris St., Oxford. On Saturday, June 21 from 10 am – Noon, Kay Butler and Catherine Spence will conduct a quilt-turning program, also known as a bed-turning. Bed-turning is a way to display quilts while telling their story. It originated long ago as a social event. A married woman might hold a bed-turning in her home among family members and friends. Quilts would be piled on top of each other on a bed. The hostess would then turn back each quilt, one by one, as she talked about each quilt. We won’t have a bed, but we will have a full stack of quilts, and Kay and Catherine will explain each one as they are turned. This event is free to Oxford Museum members, and $25 for non-members, attendance is limited to 40 people. Following the turning on Saturday, the St. Paul’s exhibit will be open to the public from Noon-4 pm with free admission. Sunday the exhibit hours will be 10am – 4 pm with free admission.
The Oxford Museum and Shop, 101 S. Morris St, is open to visitors from 10 to 4 PM, Friday through Monday. Admission is free. The Fabric of History exhibit will run through July. For more information on the museum and membership please visit the website at https://oxfordmuseummd.org/
“Square Within a Square”
Annapolis, Maryland, ca. 1875
Courtesy Fabric Arts Center of the Eastern Shore
This Annapolis quilt features a center medallion pieced with early green, yellow and pink fabric. The succession of borders surrounding the center are made of squares, triangles and stars.
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