Green museum, green quilts: It's good to be green

Contemporary quilts display planet-friendly themes in an exhibition opening Sept. 5 at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The museum, designed to be ecologically sustainable, partnered with the manufacturer of the Mountain Mist corn fiber-based quilt batting product to sponsor the "Crafting a Better Planet" quilt competition. The quilts of the competition finalists are complemented by antique quilts from the museum's collection which show examples of Mountain Mist quilting patterns widely used during the first half of the 20th century.

Entrants were required to use all-natural materials in the construction of the quilts. Entry themes ranged in perspective from universal (Susan Shie's "Potluck/The World: Healing on a common Ground") to personal ("Small Things Make a Difference" by Shelly Burge). Three winners were selected by a jury panel and will be recognized at the public opening reception at 5 p.m. Sept. 5 at the museum, 1523 N. 33rd St. on UNL's East Campus. The "Crafting a Better Planet" exhibit runs through Nov. 9.

Museum admission is free from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 5 as part of Lincoln's arts community First Friday open gallery program. The top three quilts and artists are: "City Bikes Two" by Marta Amundson of Riverton, Wyo.; "Small Things Make a Difference" by Shelly Burge of Lincoln; and "Kirei" by Ginnie Hebert of Puyallup, Wash.

Mountain Mist, a division of Leggett and Platt, is the original inventor of commercial filler products and has supplied the quilting and craft trade since 1846. The well-known Mountain Mist Quilt patterns were developed mostly during the 1930s and 1940s, and are known for traditional applique, pieced motifs and intricate quilting. Originally the patterns were found printed on the inside paper wrapper of rolls of the company's all-cotton batting. At one time, there were 130 Mountain Mist patterns in print, many of which remain available today. The new batting is made from lactic acid polymer, generically known as PLA, which comes from fermentable sugars found in plants, specifically corn.

This process is revolutionary in the textile and fiber industry and is patented by Nature Works LLC, and produced at its plant in Blair.

The International Quilt Study Center and Museum building was designed by the New York firm of Robert A.M. Stern Architects working with Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture of Omaha. It was the first building on the UNL campus designed to meet the requirements for the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The environmentally sustainable structure houses the center's world-class collection of more than 2,300 quilts.

The International Quilt Study Center and Museum is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays; closed Mondays and major holidays. Docent-led tours begin at 11 a.m. Wednesdays and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is $5 for adults (over 18); $3 for non-UNL students with ID and children; $10 for families; free for children under 5, museum members, and UNL faculty, staff and students with ID. For more information, call (402) 472-6459 or visit www.quiltstudy.org. The International Quilt Study Center is an academic program of the Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design in the UNL College of Education and Human Sciences.