Museum of the American Quilter's Society
Encyclopedia
Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. The museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
houses a large collection of quilt
Quilt
A quilt is a type of bed cover, traditionally composed of three layers of fiber: a woven cloth top, a layer of batting or wadding and a woven back, combined using the technique of quilting. “Quilting” refers to the technique of joining at least two fabric layers by stitches or ties...
s, most of which are winning entries from the American Quilter's Society festival and quilt competition held yearly in April. The Museum also houses other exhibits of quilt collections, both historic and modern.
The Museum of the American Quilter's Society (MAQS) was established by American Quilter's Society co-founders Bill and Meredith Schroeder of Paducah and opened to the public on April 25, 1991. It is the world's foremost museum devoted to quilts and the only museum dedicated to today's quilts and quiltmakers
Quilting
Quilting is a sewing method done to join two or more layers of material together to make a thicker padded material. A quilter is the name given to someone who works at quilting. Quilting can be done by hand, by sewing machine, or by a specialist longarm quilting system.The process of quilting uses...
. The main gallery is devoted to a rotating selection of the Museum's permanent collection of over 200 quilts. MAQS also develops temporary exhibitions and exhibitions that travel to other galleries and museums, helping educate and inspire a wider spectrum of viewers.
The museum was honored in May 2008 when the U.S. Congress designated it The National Quilt Museum of the United States. May Louise Zumwalt, Executive Director of the Museum, said recently “Though it does not mean we will receive national funding, it does recognize that we are a quilt museum with national significance.” This designation brings additional attention and helps increase the number of visitors. The Museum currently averages 40,000 visitors per year from across the country and at least 25 foreign countries.