38th Annual Vermont Quilt Festival Expected to Draw Thousands
Essex Junction, VT (PRWEB) June 19, 2014 -- Vermont Quilt Festival returns to the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction June 27-29, dazzling visitors with the rich color, design, and intricate craftsmanship in the hundreds of quilts on display. Thousands of quilt enthusiasts from around the world come to celebrate New England’s oldest and largest quilt event. Awaiting them are exhibits of new and antique quilts, lectures and classes presented by noted quilt artists, quilt appraisal services, free gallery talks, demos, great shopping in its extensive Merchants Mall, and more.
“Over the last third of a century, VQF has offered some of the best quilts, both antique and new, and this year is no exception,” said Richard L. Cleveland, founder of the Festival. The Festival is fortunate to have Gerald Roy curating a portion of his renowned Pilgrim/Roy quilt collection that celebrates the singular voices of the first half of the 20th century; Roy also has an exhibit currently at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Quilt artist Nancy Halpern curates an exhibit of contemporary works from the late 20th century by noted quilt artists. An exhibit of new work, “Crossing Over – The Quilt as Art,” is curated by Pamela Druhen, who thinks of her quilts as ”paintings made of fabric.” And the exhibit that always creates a stir is the judged show of contest quilts created by quilters of all ages from around the globe.
Festivities begin Thursday evening, June 26 at 6:30pm, with the Awards Ceremony that features the announcement and presentation of awards to contest winners. Following at 7:30pm is the always-festive Champagne and Chocolate Preview, sponsored by Quilting Treasures of Rhode Island, where visitors will be among the first to view the hundreds of quilts and to shop the bustling Merchants Mall. Tickets are $12 at the door. The appraisal service for antique quilts is available Saturday 9am to 5pm; the fee is $45 per quilt. Show hours are Friday and Saturday 9am to 6pm; Sunday 9am to 3pm. Daily admission is $12, children under 14 free. For more information, visit http://www.vqf.org or call 802.872.0034.
The Festival, a non-profit organization, was founded in 1977 as a one-day show of old and new quilts. Now a three-day event, the Festival displays quilts from private owners and from the collections of historical societies and museums and offers a top-notch education program (supported in part by Janome America).
Mary Ryan, Vermont Quilt Festival, +1 (802) 773-6563, [email protected]
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