International Quilt Study Center

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska is the largest known public collection of quilts.

Established in 1997 with the donation of nearly 950 quilts from the Ardis & Robert James Collection, the collection now numbers nearly 2,000 objects and spans the last three centuries. It includes important collections of Amish quilts, French 18th and 19th century masterworks, the Robert Cargo Collection of African-American quilts, the Jonathan Holstein Collection (which includes all of the quilts shown in the landmark exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1971, "Abstract Design in American Quilts") and an important collection of contemporary art quilts.

Groundbreaking for a building to house the Center, designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects, took place on May 12, 2006, and construction began two months later. The building is expected to open to the public in 2008.