International Quilt Study Center & Museum Information

FRIENDSof the International Quilt Study Center is a non-profit organization of volunteers dedicated to supporting the mission of the International Quilt Study Center & Museum located in Lincoln, Nebraska. The IQSCM was founded in 1997 when native Nebraskans, Ardis and Robert James donated their collection of 1000 quilts to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Their contribution and generous financial support became the centerpiece of what is now the largest publicly held quilt collection in the world with more than 3000 quilts. The glass and brick "green" building which opened in 2008 has state-of-the-art research and storage space, and custom-crafted galleries. With the added help of private donations, it has become the gathering place for an international community of scholars, artists, and quilt enthusiasts. The center also shares its resources with quilt enthusiasts everywhere via its web site at http://www.quiltstudy.org. The IQSCM is the CENTER for:• Research and state-of-the-art textile storage• Discovery and study of quilts and quiltmaking traditions from many cultures, countries and times• Quilt exhibitions which share the collection in its galleries and via its website• Academic programs in the Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design in the College of Education and Human Sciences at UNL, including a unique masters degree in Textile History with a quilt studies emphasis, which is the only program of its kind in the world. The mission of the International Quilt Study Center & Museum is to inspire an understanding of the cultural and artistic significance of quilts by collecting, preserving, studying, exhibiting, and promoting discovery of quilts and quiltmaking traditions from many cultures, countries, and times.