The high-contrast quilts you see here are just a few of the 651 works that were included in a 2011 exhibit of red and white quilts spanning three centuries at the American Folk Art Museum in NYC. Ever since the Whitney Museum of American Art held a quilt-focused art exhibit back in 1971, quilts have often hung in galleries and museums as artworks rather than folk crafts. For centuries, though, quilts had a much more utilitarian use—warmth. (Of course, their decorative designs added to the pleasure they gave.) Quilting has a long tradition in the United States, going back to colonial times. Quilts were created not only for bedding but also to commemorate special occasions, like a wedding or a new baby. Quilting bees brought out the whole community—including many men—to share the work.
Quilts as high art
Today in History
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Wild and beautiful Alaska
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An uncommon look at an American icon
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Jupiter and the Galilean moons
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It s only Wednesday
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Bavljenac Island
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Brocken spectre in Central Balkan National Park, Bulgaria
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Yarn bombing in the village of Gurnard, England
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The Vestibule at Diocletian s Palace, Split, Croatia
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All Rhodes lead to the beach
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Skógafoss waterfall, Iceland
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A courtyard scene from Spain
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Great hornbill, Thailand
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Earth at Perihelion
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Make way for robots
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Preservation Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana
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Women s History Month
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A festival of colors
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Opt outside today
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Keyholes to the kingdom
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National Park Week: Wind Cave National Park
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East River crossing
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Installation art turns heads
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A river runs through rice fields
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Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
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A bridge of Madison County
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Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere
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Cappadocia, Türkiye
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Every day is Napping Day for this screech owl
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Constitution Day and Citizenship Day
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Light show at the skatepark