The Great Lakes Quilt Center is the Michigan State University Museum’s center for quilt-related research, education, and exhibition activities.[1] While the museum, established in 1857,[2] has long held significant collections, its focus of activities on quilt scholarship and education began with the launch of the Michigan Quilt Project at the museum in 1984[citation needed]. The Michigan Quilt Project not only spearheaded the documentation of the state's quiltmaking history, but also stimulated interest in strengthening the museum's quilt collection, upgrading its care, and expanding its use. As of 2008, the Michigan Quilt Project has collected documentation on over 9000 quilts in the state and the collection of quilts numbers over 700 with significant examples from Michigan and the Great Lakes region, examples of quilts from numerous African countries, major ethnographic collections of Native American quilts and MichiganAfrican American quilts, and special collections assembled by Kitty Clark Cole, Harriet Clarke, Merry and Albert Silber, Deborah Harding, and Betty Quarton Hoard. The MSU Museum also houses two important collections developed by pioneering American quilt historians Cuesta Benberry and Mary Schafer.
In partnership with MATRIX: Center for Humane Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences OnLine and the Alliance for American Quilts, the MSU Museum/Great LakesQuilt Center has spearheaded the development of two major national projects. The multimedia Quilt Treasures Project develops “web portraits” built from video-taped oral history and supporting archival materials. These web portraits document the lives, work, and influence of leaders of the American quilt revival of the last quarter of the 20th century. The Quilt Index is a national digital repository of quilt and quilt-related collections in distributed physical repositories. The Quilt Index digitally preserves the collections and makes them accessible and searchable for research and teaching. The project was beta-tested with the collections of the MSU Museum and, as of 2008, the repository holds over 18000 quilts from nine collections. By the end of 2010, another twelve collections will be added and plans are underway for the addition of scores more.
Stated goals
According to the GLQC website, the primary goals of the center are to:
Record written and oral history documenting quilting and the personal histories of quiltmakers
Expand and maintain a research collection of information on Great Lakes quilting
Initiate educational and exhibition programs to bring quilting history to a wider audience
Increase awareness of textile conservation issues and support preservation efforts of endangered textiles
Identify and recognize quilters and quilting traditions from diverse regional, social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds
Honor outstanding individual quilters and quilt groups through the Michigan Heritage Awards and other programs
Support the continuation of traditional quilting styles and practices through the Michigan Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program
Publish information on Great Lakes quilts, quilters, and quilting
MacDowell, Marsha and C. Kurt Dewhurst (Eds.). To Honor and Comfort: Native Quilting Traditions. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Museum of New Mexico Press, 1997.
Marston, Gwen and Joe Cunningham. Mary Schafer and Her Quilts. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Museum, 1990.
