NOTE: Materials fees are required for some workshops. These fees are paid directly to faculty and are not part of your registration fee.
In the 21st century, many of us seek out the “scrappy” look when designing quilts, purposefully integrating bits and pieces a variety of fabrics to form a pleasing whole. We stitch our social justice, environmental, and political concerns into our pieces, making it clear that quilts are not merely objects of comfort but can also communicate our hopes, visions, and critiques of society. And many quiltmakers aspire to earn or supplement their income by making and selling quilts. These trends, however, are not new, but have roots in the New Deal era of the 1930s. This highly visual and engaging lecture by historian Janneken Smucker will draw on the research for her book, "A New Deal for Quilts" (2023), demonstrating ways today’s modern quilting connects to the motivations of quiltmakers from a century ago. Participants will learn about 1930s quilt trends, connect a pivotal era in American history with their own work, and consider ways we romanticize historical quilts and quiltmaking, while making connections between the past and the present, learning with a cultural historian.
