Osher Lifelong Learning Institute to offer quilt study series

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute will offer a six-week study series, "Beyond The Myth: The True History of American Quilts." The study series is Mondays Oct.17 to Nov. 21, from 3 to 4:15 p.m. in the Home Economics Building, Room 121, north of 35th Street and East Campus Loop.

Carolyn Ducey, curator of UNL's International Quilt Study Center, will present an overview of American quilt history. Patricia Crews, director of the International Quilt Study Center, will make a special presentation, "Nebraska Quilts and Quiltmakers." Ducey has been curator of collections for seven years, and has curated a number of exhibitions featuring quilts from the center collections and written articles and contributions for numerous publications.

Textiles, particularly quilts, are records of human progress and achievement. They offer examples of cultural heritage because women and men, from all walks of life, have made quilted bed coverings for more than two centuries. Quilt analysis sheds light on the ways gender, class ethnicity, aesthetics, politics, religion and technology find expression in the textile arts and quiltmaking traditions.

Study series participants will learn practical ways to care for cherished textiles in their homes and the importance of documenting quilt history as they tour the International Quilt Study Center's state-of-the-art storage facility.

For more information about membership and registration, contact the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at (402) 472-6265, visit its Web site or send e-mail.

CONTACT: Dee Aguilar, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, (402) 472-6265