A Fresh Look

If you have been to Quilt House during the past couple of months, then you already know that our main galleries have been closed for maintenance and repainting in advance of the grand opening of our new building expansion. The new expansion will double the size of our gallery and collections storage area and include a new digital gallery. We are excited about our museum's next phase, and we wanted to spruce up our existing space to make sure visitors have the best experience possible when they come this summer.

In December, our exhibitions team and volunteers removed the three exhibitions on display in our galleries. It left us with a lot of bare walls, which was a little sad, but also neat, because our galleries are truly beautiful.

During January, a painting crew painted the walls and ceiling. We decided to try a different shade of paint for our center gallery. In the past, we have typically displayed our quilts and pieces on white walls or fabric mounts. We wanted to see what our space would look like with some diversity.

And is it a big difference!

The center gallery currently features the exhibition Signature Cloths, guest-curated by Lynn Setterington, a UK artist who also created several of the pieces on display. This particular show features several white pieces, and they really pop against the darker walls.

Exhibitions team members and volunteers prepare to install Signature Cloths.

We are in the process of introducing new LED lights into our galleries. These LED lights are expected to last longer and produce less heat, which is important to us as we protect our collection and borrowed items while they are on display.

We also installed new lighting over the grand staircase, which can be seen from our front windows. These LEDs are also longer lasting and more energy efficient, which is important for our LEED-certified building.

And the building looks gorgeous.

Thank you to Sampson Construction for coordinating all of these efforts. We are so lucky to have such a great place to house and share our collection.