Culture
Quilts, Quilts, and More Quilts This Summer in Athens
By: Emily Votaw
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Kicking off at the end of this week will be an epic, summer-long season of quilts for Athens’ Dairy Barn Art Center, as well as the region as a whole.
This year marks the 20th biennial installment of Quilt National at the Dairy Barn; a world-famous exhibition that features contemporary quilts from all over the globe. Not only will 85 modern fiber art works be featured in the recently renovated Dairy Barn throughout the summer; more than 45 will be spread all around the region as a part of the first ever “Crazy Quilt Crawl.”
“We’re hoping that the (Crazy Quilt Crawl) will encourage the people who come into Athens to see Quilt National to check out downtown Athens and the surrounding areas, and vice versa,” said Julie Weller, the Dairy Barn’s events and outreach coordinator.
Some of the locations taking part in the crawl have created their own food or drink inspired by the works on display at the Dairy Barn.
Jackie O’s, in particular, has crafted a unique beer in tribute to this sprawling summer of quilts. That fine concoction will be available for sampling at Jackie O’s after the Crazy Quilt Crawl kick-off on Thursday, May 25 at 4 p.m. in front of the Athens Court House.
Outside of the Crawl, there are a number of quilt-related festivities going on throughout the opening weekend and beyond.
The Southeast Ohio History Center is breaking in it’s very first summer in its historically renovated new location with a display of quilts entitled Transforming Traditions: Women and Quilting in the Great Depression. Much in the same celebratory vein, the Zanesville Museum of Art will be showcasing work by contemporary quilter Elizabeth Brandt; whose work has been featured in Quilt National.
The accomplished fiber artists who are coming into Athens for the opening weekend will also be treated to a Quilt National reunion. The reunion spans 40 years of judges, artists, and sponsors who have been involved with the long-standing event.
Throughout the summer the Dairy Barn will offer Quilt National workshops, taking place July 24 through July 30 and August 21 through August 27.
Quilt National 2017 will open to the public on May 27 at 11 a.m.
In some ways, this summer exemplifies the Dairy Barn’s larger goals.
“We pride ourselves on being a place where we honor contemporary quilts as not only a craft, but as being a fine art,” said Kelsey Dillow, the exhibitions and studio manager at the Dairy Barn.