National Quilt Museum Paducah Kentucky

William Clark Market House Museum

Halfway down the west side of Market House Square youll see the entrance for this engaging local history museum named for Paducahs founder.

Open mid-March through December, William Clark Market House Museum is in the markets tall central section and has a lot of interesting things to check out.

To get acquainted with Paducah theres an in-depth interactive timeline, from the days of the first settlers up to the first show of the American Quilters Society in 1984.

Some compelling exhibits include the stained glass windows and highly ornate woodwork interior of the Paducah List Drug Store, dating back to 1877, as well as a lifelike statue of House Speaker and Secretary of State, Henry Clay .

The National Quilt Museum A Hidden Gem In Paducah Ky

Im gonna change your mind about the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY. Im betting that many of you think this is a quaint, old timey place that your grandmother or great aunts would enjoy. This was also my opinion before I visited.

I had the opportunity to tour the museum on several occasions in the past. I declined every time. Im ashamed now to admit this but I not only refused to go, I used the quilt museum as a punchline.

My daughter had to travel to Paducah several times a year to rehearse with her Color Guard team. Each time she returned home, Id say Did you get a chance to stop by the quilt museum? And then wed laugh hysterically.

My nephew got married in Paducah a few years ago and our family stayed there for the weekend of the event. Every time one of our teens asked what we were planning to do, outside of the wedding, I told them we were going to the quilt museum. Eyes were rolled. I could go on but you get the point.

When Kentucky Tourism suggested Lauren and I make a weekend trip to Kentucky Dam Village and Paducah, I knew what was coming. We were definitely going to have to make a trip the the Quilt Museum.

This is a good time to tell you that Kentucky Tourism provided us with a free guided tour of The National Quilt Museum. That tour has a value of $16. We were not paid for this post and I hope, by now, you understand that my good opinion cannot be purchased for 16 bucks.

To View An Interactive Flip Book Showcasing The Year’s Exhibitions Click Here

From Ozquilt NetworkMarch 4 – July 19, 2022Australia’s organization for art quiltersReflecting

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Australias organization for art quilters

Reflecting on their experiences of Australias vastand varied landscapes, the artists of the Ozquilt Network have showcased the diversity of practices across contemporary Australianquiltmaking. In this exhibition, their work consists of observations across the living world.

Visit the Ozquilt Network Inc. Website: www.ozquiltnetwork.org.au

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Distinctive Features Of The National Quilt Museum

The US Congress recognized this prestigious museum as the official National Quilt Museum of the United States in 2008. Its the only quilt museum that is dedicated particularly to preserving and promoting the work of todays quilters. Quiltmaking has a long history, but all the quilts in the National Quilt Museum are from the last few decades.

Lewis And Clark Nht Visitor Centers And Museums

Visitor Centers and Museums along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail

The National Quilt Museum celebrates the ingenuity and creativity of modern quilters and fiber art enthusiasts. Located in the historic downtown of Paducah, KY, the museum was founded in 1991 by Bill and Meredith Schroeder, both quilting enthusiasts who wanted to celebrate their fellow artists and expose the public to a previously underappreciated art form. Sitting just two blocks from the Ohio River, the large statue On the Trail of Discovery depicting Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, a generic Native American man and girl, and Clark’s dog, is featured on the front lawn of the museum.

Museum exhibits rotate 8-10 times per year, providing visitors with a unique experience each visit. Currently, the museum possesses 600 art pieces, though new pieces continue to be added. Traveling exhibits are viewed by over 110,000 people per year, with visitors coming from all 50 states and over 40 countries. Not only does the museum strive to support diversity and versatility in its exhibits, but it also seeks to educate and grow the skills of quilters around the world. For those interested in learning to quilt, workshops are conducted throughout the year for people all skill levels. Especially popular is the annual School Block Challenge which encourages students to create a 16×16 quilt block and gains national participation.

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The National Quilt Museum Collection

Our collection is made up of some of the most extraordinary quilts ever produced. The majority of the quilts in our collection are award winners from regional and national contests. Others have been chosen for a number of different reasons including their uniqueness or their historic relevance. The collection is quite diverse, including quilts of many different styles from quilters throughout the world. If you would like to get information on the collection, the museum produces a collection book with information on each of the quilts. The book is available through our online shop.

How do we choose the quilts for our collection? The museum receives thousands of submissions for collection consideration each year. A collection committee made up of well respected quilters and appraisers makes the final decision on which quilts will ultimately become part of the collection. Only one exception to this process exists. Each year the winning quilts at the AQS Paducah Quilt Show are added to the museum’s collection without having to go through the typical process for selection.We take great pride in the quality and diversity of the museum collection and we will continue to expand it as time goes forward.

The National Quilt Museum

The National Quilt Museum is the doorway to the contemporary quilt experience – through exhibitions and workshops by emerging and experienced quilt artists who are implementing creative ideas and evolving approaches to fiber art. The Museum, located in the UNESCO Creative City of Paducah, Kentucky, is the gateway to the discovery of quilts, quilt making and quilt artists!

PLAN YOUR VISIT: The National Quilt Museum, 215 Jefferson St., Paducah, Kentucky

Open Monday-Saturday, 10 AM-5 PM year-round. Also, open Sundays , 1-5 PM. Preview current and upcoming exhibits below in the 2022 EXHIBITION SCHEDULE.

TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR of The National Quilt Museum.

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New Quilts From An Old Favorite: Bow Tie

One of the exhibits on display when we visited was the New Quilts from an Old Favorite: Bow Tie exhibit. Quilt makers were challenged to create original quilts based on classic Bow Tie block patterns. Quilters from thirteen U.S. states and Taiwan modified Bow Tie Block designs in imaginative ways. We were fascinated at the way these quilters took the traditional design and wove it into their quilts. Look carefully and you will find this block in each of the quilts.

National Quilt Museum Admission Pass

• Instant confirmation

• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

• Instant confirmation

• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

• National Quilt Museum Admission Ticket Pass
• Entry/Admission – The National Quilt Museum

• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• Children must be accompanied by an adult
• Not wheelchair accessible
• No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
• Most travelers can participate

• National Quilt Museum Admission Ticket Pass
• Entry/Admission – The National Quilt Museum

• Returns to original departure point

• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• Children must be accompanied by an adult
• Not wheelchair accessible
• No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
• Most travelers can participate

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What Is There To Do

Did you know that the National Quilt Museum is the LARGEST quilt and fiber art museum in the entire WORLD? Now THAT is pretty impressive! In fact, it’s also one of the most popular attractions in Kentucky, so are you excited to hear more about it?

Within the museum there are three galleries that span over 13,000 sq ft of exhibit space, filled with fiber art by some of the most talented artists in the world.

The exhibits also frequently rotate throughout the year, so there is something new to see every time you visit! One visit you might be exploring quilts that portray cultures from all across the globe, and another visit you might be learning the personal stories behind particular works of art.

The collection features contemporary quilts , as well as that impressive fiber art we’ve mentioned above. In fact, the National Quilt Museum’s main gallery is made up of around 50 to 60 quilts from their own collection

The majority of quilts form the collection are award winners from regional and national contests, as well as quilts with important historic relevance.

It’s always amazing to see how the styles different from all around the world, offering an invaluable insight into the various cultures for kids!

Why not enjoy a day in Kentucky exploring art in a form that might just inspire and surprise you – yes, of course, we are talking about the quilts!

So let’s get exploring!

Luther F Carson Performing Arts Center

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Primed for large-scale productions, Paducah has an impressive regional stage for performing arts overlooking the junction of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers.

The smartly designed main theatre at the Carson Center can seat more than 1,800 people, but no seat is more than 112 feet from the stage.

Theres a variety of other noteworthy spaces here, like the Paxton Family Foundation Lobby, with a fabulous mural on its back wall depicting the four rivers region on a quilt backdrop.

Then youve got the Myre River Room, used for small performances and functions, with a clear view of the river confluence. In the list of famous past performers youve got Bob Dylan, Crosby Stills & Nash, Darlene Love, Kansas, Garrison Keillor and Melissa Etheridge.

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Official National Quilt Museum Logo T

One of our most popular t-shirts. Shirt is on a Gildan Ultra 6.1oz 100% t-shirt and is pre-shrunk. Purple with white embroidered logo.

Only available through the National Quilt Museum.

Sizes medium to 2XL available.

Block Of The Month Round 3

Welcome to Round 3 of the Block of the Month Club! This year’s round will run from January – December 2021. Each block pattern will be released as a PDF file on the 1st of each month at 12pm CST on the website as well as our Facebook page here.

We are kicking this year off with a brand new guide with a suggested layout for your blocks, and some fabric suggestions as well.

To get this guide as well as block #1, go to our website and the visit the “Block of the Month Club” page.

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Theres A National Quilt Museum

Visiting a quilt museum was never a bucket-list item for me. Frankly, until 4 years ago, if you told me there was a museum for quilts, I probably wouldve laughed at the idea. But as I plotted our route through Paducah, Kentucky, and the Roadtrippers app showed me the National Quilt Museum, it only took a moments consideration to add it to my list of gotta see that!

Paducah Kentucky Is Crazy For Quilts

PADUCAH, Kentucky Visitors to the National Quilt Museum in this town of 25,000, located halfway between Nashville and St. Louis at the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio rivers, marvel at Florida-based textile artist Eleanor McCains Things Fall Apart, a contemporary quilt of mostly black-and-white quilt blocks. The top of the piece features simple, traditional quilting patterns, but as the eye moves toward the bottom, those patterns become less structured and irregular, almost chaotic.

Things Fall Apart came from the sensation I had some years ago that stability was collapsing around me, both personally and in society, McCain said. The feeling of dissolution is heightened by wetting the fabric, allowing hand-dyed blacks to bleed and puddle on the floor.

Her quilt is one of hundreds that highlight the talent of modern fiber artists from around the globe on display at the National Quilt Museum.

Visitors to the museum expecting folksy, century-old quilts made by somebodys great-grandma will be surprised. Founded in 1991, the institution devotes 13,000 square feet of exhibition space only to quilts made after 1980.

Among them, Future Fossil 1 by Lois Parish Evans, interprets the geopolitics of climate change with leaves in muted tones of brown and blue in homage to the majestic gingko, one of the oldest trees on Earth.

The exhibit runs through July 19.

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National Quilt Museum: Paducah Kentucky

If you have been around Hobbies on a Budget very long, you know that I love quilts. For the past 6 years, I have hosted an online quilt show each February featuring some of the favorite quilts in my home and from my friends and family members. What is it about quilts that just makes people feel warm and comfortable and connects generations? Las year, we had the opportunity to visit the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. Whether you love quilts already or just appreciate the work of skilled artists, the Quilt Museum needs to be on your list!

This post includes affiliate links. Hobbies on a Budget received tickets or discounts as part of a sponsored visit to the city of Paducah. All opinions are my own. No monetary compensation was provided.

The History And Mission Of The National Quilt Museum

The National Quilt Museum was founded in 1991 by a local couple, Bill and Meredith Shroeder, of Paducah. When they first opened it, it contained over 80 quilts on loan from their personal collection.

The mission of the National Quilt Museum is to celebrate the work of todays quilters and advance the art of quilting by bringing these works to new audiences. If you are used to thinking of quilts as my great aunts bed coverings or antique blankets, you may be surprised at the contemporary quilts on display at this textile museum.

Over the years, the Museums collections have grown to include over 600 quilts. The main gallery displays a rotating selection of new quilts and older favorites. So a returning art lover can have a different experience every time!

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Appaloosas Review Of The National Quilt Museum

When we finished up at the Crocodile restaurant, we walked across the street to the museum, and there was a Lewis-and-Clark statue . It was a nice statue so we took pictures and then we went into the museum.

There were a LOT of quilts. At least a hundred, and all of them were beautiful with lots of details and some information about who made them.

They also had a section of Miniature quilts and dollhouse quilts .It was interesting to see the stories and thoughts behind the art.

My favorite would probably be the tiger quilt or all the forest and jungle ones, like the lemurs and pandas!

Lower Town Arts District

In 2000 Paducah launched its Artist Relocation Program, offering incentives to artists to move to the historic Lower Town, an area that developed downstream from the citys main commercial area.

This scheme has since become a reference point as a way of harnessing the arts for economic development. Home to the newly expanded Paducah School of Art & Design campus, Lower Town is now a desirable neighborhood, but with artistic flair.

As well as fine residential architecture in styles from Italianate to folk Victorian, Lower Town has a smattering of galleries, studios and coffeehouses, with a diverse population of students and artists.

In May, look out for the Lower Town Arts & Music Festival, with art vendors, live music, family activities and wonderful food & drink.

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Fort Massac State Park

One place to keep in mind in Paducah is this highly significant historic site across the river at the southern tip of Illinois.

Established by the French in the mid-18th century, Fort Massac was taken from the British by George Rogers Clark and his Long Knives in 1778.

Later, in the fall of 1803, Georges younger brother, William Clark stopped at this very place with Meriwether Lewis and the Corps of Discovery on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The fort was reconstructed to its 1802 design in 2002, and theres a visitor center with Native American artifacts unearthed in the area, as well as details about the long history of this place.

In October, come for the Fort Massac Encampment, with staged battles and reenactors offering a glimpse of 18th-century life on the frontier.

The wider state park is on 1,500 acres of majestic riverfront and has amenities for camping, hiking, fishing, boating and disc golf.

Best Things To Do In Paducah

Named by the fabled explorer William Clark, this engaging historic city took shape at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers.

Paducah is oriented towards the water, and thanks to its proximity to Kentuckys Western Coalfields, the city quickly became a transport hub, both by steamboat and rail.

In the 21st century the city has reimagined itself as a hotbed for arts, earning the designation of UNESCO Creative City and as the home of the superb National Quilt Museum.

The historic riverfront, long Paducahs lifeblood, is now the place where you can immerse yourself in the citys story, through a series of 50 lifelike murals painted on the floodwall.

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