'Chintz Applique: From Imitation to Icon' opens Nov. 22 at quilt museum

A new exhibition at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln traces connections of textile fashion, technology and trade in "Chintz Applique: From Imitation to Icon."

Inspired by the painted and printed cottons of India, famous for their lively beauty and lasting qualities, the stunning colors and artistry of chintz applique quilts made them icons in the 19th century. They are considered among the most beautifully crafted, vibrantly colored and largest quilts ever made in America. The 21 circa 1790-1850 quilts presented in the exhibition give a glimpse into their makers' lives and society. "Chintz Applique: From Imitation to Icon," organized by Carolyn Ducey, curator of collections, will be on view Nov. 22 through May 17 at the museum, 1523 N. 33rd St.

Inventive American and European women imitated the look of costly Indian textiles by cutting and applying pieces of chintz to neutral backgrounds. Chintz, polished cotton of verdant foliage and leaves colored in multiple rich hues, was unlike anything Europeans had known. Its lustrous beauty evoked visions of strange cultures and unknown lands. Challenges in international trade, trade imbalances and consumer demands mark the story of the chintz evolution.

American chintz applique quilts were almost exclusively constructed of British printed fabrics. The British maintained tight control of chintz production until the 1830s when the United States became a player in the cotton printing industry. Chintz applique quilts were made during a period of marked changes in all aspects of American society. Family-oriented rural communities, in which most of life's necessities were produced by a family's own labor, were altered as families moved to urban centers and took on factory jobs. Manufactured goods became plentiful and affordable and paychecks provided the means to purchase fashionable items. Textile markets boomed and change appeared in the fabric of American lives. This exhibition explores one aspect of that pivotal time in America's history.

The quilts on display come from America's eastern seaboard, including pieces from the Delaware Bay area of Philadelphia and Baltimore, and others from Virginia and the Carolinas. They are drawn primarily from the center's Ardis and Robert James Collection and the Byron and Sara Rhodes Dillow Collection. Funding for this exhibition and related programming was provided by the Robert and Ardis James Foundation. A May 1 lecture by Rosemary Crill, senior curator at Britain's Victoria and Albert Museum, is the first of the International Lectureship Series supported by the Byron and Sara Rhodes Dillow Excellence Fund. A 64-page, full-color monograph of the exhibition is available for purchase.

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, major holidays and during the University of Nebraska's holiday closedown, Dec. 24 through Jan. 1. Docent-led tours begin at 11 a.m. Wednesdays and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturdays. Reserved guided tours for groups of 10 or more are available during public hours (please schedule at least four weeks in advance by calling 402-472-6579 or e-mailing iqsc-tours@unlnotes.unl.edu). Museum 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. Audio guides of "Chintz Applique" are available on a first-come, first-served basis for $2 per unit. For more information, call (402) 472-6459 or visit www.quiltstudy.org.

Related programs with the "Chintz Applique" exhibit include:

* Chintz applique demonstrations, Nov. 22 and Feb. 28, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., free with museum admission
* First Friday Curator Chintz Chat, free admission, Dec. 5, 5-7 p.m.
* Tuesday Talks -- chintz topics led by curator Carolyn Ducey, Jan. 13 and March 17, noon, free with museum admission
* Chintz applique workshop, led by National Quilting Association-certified teacher Kriss Moulds, March 7, 14 and 21, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; registration required, cost: $50 members, $55 non-members (materials included)
* Chintz Family Day, activities for the whole family based on the exhibition, March 21, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., free with museum admission
* Lecture: "Chintz: Indian Textiles for the West" by Rosemary Crill, senior curator in the Asian department at the Victoria and Albert Museum in Great Britain, May 1, 5:30 p.m., free admission, underwritten by the Byron and Sara Rhodes Dillow Excellence Fund