The New England Quilt Museum has been working to preserve our nation’s textile and quilting heritage since it first opened its doors in 1987. Located in Lowell, Massachusetts, this museum proudly displays over 225 quilts and various historic textile and quilting paraphernalia. It displays quilts both antique and contemporary, from the oldest and most historic to the newest and most revolutionary. Some contemporary quilts are commissioned by the museum, while others, both antique and modern, are donated by the supporters of the New England Quilt Museum.
The New England Quilt Museum hosts many exhibits, as well as housing its own permanent gallery. Currently, the work of Radka Donnell is being displayed in the exhibit called “The Work of Touch.” These beautiful quilts embody the artist’s vision of self-expression and spirituality. Upcoming exhibits have diverse subjects, such as “Massachusetts - Our Common Wealth: Quilts from the Massachusetts Quilt Documentation Project” and “Master Pieces: Haberdashery Textiles in Antique Quilts.” Exhibits of the museum’s own quilts are rotated so that a visitor has an opportunity to see new parts of the collection at each visit.
Besides its exhibits, the New England Quilt Museum offers guided tours and classes on various quilting and crafting subjects. This is not limited exclusively to quilting, as one current class offers to teach the art of making ribbon flowers, but the avid quilter will find useful classes and techniques here to expand their art. Anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of quilts and quilting should pay a visit to the beautiful New England Quilt Museum.
