Event marks construction of International Quilt Study Center at UNL

Construction of the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln begins officially today with a 3 p.m. groundbreaking ceremony.

The 37,000-square-foot building will be built at North 33rd and Holdrege streets in Lincoln. Scheduled to open to the public in early 2008, the quilt center will house three exhibition galleries and state-of-the-art textiles storage, and be an international focal point for the study, conservation and exhibition of quilts.

"The new quilt study center has the potential to become a nationally-known destination not only for quilt enthusiasts, but also for historians and students of textile sciences," said UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman. "This will be a significant resource for our students and faculty as well as the immediate community, the state and the nation."

Activities scheduled at the groundbreaking ceremony included visitors signing commemorative quilt blocks and the unveiling of a special gift to a site neighbor, Lincoln Fire Department Station No. 2, 1545 N. 33rd St.

The International Quilt Study Center was founded in 1997 when Nebraska natives Ardis and Robert James of Chappaqua, N.Y., began donating their extensive quilt collection and have since donated more than 1,000 quilts.

The center, part of the Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design in the UNL College of Education and Human Sciences, is the only academic program of its kind dedicated to an international level of scholarly research, education, conservation and exhibition of quilts. It holds the largest publicly owned collection of about 2,000 quilts and is the most diverse collection in existence with representative quilts from 14 countries.

Funding for the $12 million building is being raised solely from private donations by the University of Nebraska Foundation, including a lead gift from the Robert and Ardis James Foundation.

"This is yet another example of what can be done when private resources are combined to take the university to new levels of quality," said NU Foundation CEO Terry Fairfield. "We are extremely thankful to Bob and Ardis James and the many other donors for their support and vision, which are making this center and program a reality."

A design for the building was announced in 2005 following a competition that drew interest from 117 architects around the world. The selected design is by Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York with associate architect Alley Poyner Architecture of Nebraska.

The University of Nebraska Foundation is a private charitable organization supplementing support for students, faculty, facilities and programs at the University of Nebraska's four campuses through gifts from alumni, friends, corporations and other foundations.

The link below is to color JPEG image of the architect's model of the International Quilt Study Center building.

CONTACTS: Maureen Ose, International Quilt Study Center, 402-472-7232; and
Robb Crouch, University of Nebraska Foundation, 402-472-0151