FAQ :: Quilt National

• Quilt National 13 Exhibitors
• Purpose and Philosophy
  • Background & Purpose
  • Hilary Fletcher
• History
  • The First Quilt National
    • Quilt National 1979 Exhibition Notes
    • QN79 Artists and Their Quilts
    • QN79Photo Gallery
  • Quilt National Archive
    • Quilt National 2011 Prize Winners
  • QN Prize Winners
  • List of All Quilt National Exhibitors
• Tour
  • Future Quilt National Tour Venues
  • Past Quilt National Tour Venues
• FAQ
• QN 11 Exhibitors
• Peoples Choice Voting for QN 2011

Frequently Asked Questions About Quilt National

What is Quilt National?

Why is Quilt National at the Dairy Barn?

Why are these objects called quilts?

How are the works selected for the exhibitions?

What happens to the quilts after the exhibition closes?

How can I get an entry form for the next Quilt National [QN '15]?

Has any quilter been in all of the Quilt National exhibitions?

Which quilter has had the most quilts shown in the Quilt National exhibitions?

Which quilter has had the longest gap between having quilts in the Quilt National exhibitions?

What are the eligibility requirements for QN '13?    

How do you determine if your work is eligible after internet exposure?

Are group quilts eligible for submission to Quilt National?

Will there be a QN '14?

What is the criterion for the Cathy Rasmussen Emerging Artist Memorial Award?

What is the criterion for the Persistence Pays Award?

What is the criteria for the Young Emerging Artist Award?

 

What is Quilt National?
Quilt National is a biennial international juried exhibition of contemporary innovative quilts. The first Quilt National was shown in 1979. Quilt National '11 is the seventeenth in the series of these exhibitions and Quilot National '13 will be the eighteenth in the series.

Why is Quilt National at the Dairy Barn?
Quilt National is the brainchild of fiber artist Nancy Crow who was living in Athens in the late 1970s. She and other artists were making quilted objects that featured unfamiliar patterns. These contemporary quilts, as they were called, were not meant to be bedcovers, and they were not welcome at most quilt shows. Crow believed that the world needed an exhibition that would showcase quilts that were designed for walls rather than beds.

After having been abandoned for nearly ten years, the dairy barn was scheduled for demolition. As the result of efforts by a group of artists and art-lovers, the barn was saved and The Dairy Barn Southeastern Ohio Cultural Arts Center, a nonprofit organization, was established.

This new arts center was the perfect place for an exhibition of innovative quilts.

Why are these objects called quilts?
The definition of quilt is contained in the rules and requirements, noted on the entry form. It has evolved over the years. The current definition is: The work must possess the basic structural characteristics of a quilt. It must be predominantly fabric or fabric-like material and must be composed of at least two full and distinct layers -- a face layer and a backing layer -- that are held together by hand- or machine-made functional quilting stitches or other elements that pierce all layers and are distributed throughout the surface of the work.

How are the works selected for the exhibitions?
The works are selected by a jury. The jury includes three individuals: two internationally recognized fiber artists and one person whose area of expertise is somewhat broader. They select the quilts from digital images (full view and detail being shown simultaneously). The jurors have no idea whose work is being viewed; they only know the dimensions and title of the work. Until the very end of the process, the scoring is done in silence. Because of the scoring system, it is impossible for one juror to either include or exclude a particular work.

What happens to the quilts when the exhibition closes at the Dairy Barn?
At the conclusion of the exhibition at the Barn, approximately 75 of the quilts begin a two-year tour to galleries and museums throughout the country. Nearly all the host venues will have less than 30 of the works on display. Those who see Quilt National at the Dairy Barn are the only ones who see the entire collection.

How can I get an entry form for the next Quilt National [QN '15]?
The entry deadline of QN '13 was in September 14, 2012. Official Rules and Entry Information were available on this web site.  If you want to be sure that you are on the mailing list for QN '15, please contact Kathleen Dawson by clicking here.

Has any quilter been in all of the Quilt National exhibitions?
No. There have been 18 exhibitions since the first one in 1979. Jan Myers-Newbury has been in fifteen of them.

Which quilter has had the longest gap between having quilts in the Quilt National exhibitions?
Pat Pauly had a quilt in the QN '83 exhibition. Twenty-six years later, she had a quilt in the QN '09 exhibition.

Which quilter has had the most quilts shown in the Quilt National exhibitions?
In the first exhibitions, quilters were allowed to have more than one quilt displayed. As a result, Jan Myers-Newbury, who has been in fifteen exhibitions, has had 17 quilts displayed. Linda MacDonald has had 14 quilts displayed.

What were the eligibility requirements for QN '13?
The work must possess the basic structural characteristics of a quilt. It must be predominantly fabric or fabric-like material and must be composed of at least two full and distinct layers (a face layer and a backing layer). The face layer may be described by any or a combination of the following terms: pieced, appliquéd, whole cloth, stitch/fused to a foundation. The face and backing layers must be held together by hand- or machine-made functional quilting stitches or other elements that pierce all layers and are distributed throughout the surface of the work. At least some of these stitches or elements should be visible on the back of the work. As an alternative, the work may be a modular construction (an assemblage of smaller quilts). Each individual module, however, must meet the above structural criteria.

All work must be the result of independent effort. Work must not be the product of an instructional setting in which another artist has provided guidance and/or suggestions.

The work must be an original design, not a copy nor a variation on the original design of another artist working in another medium.

All entries must be NEW work completed after September 1st, 2010. The recent modification of an older work DOES NOT make the work eligible unless the artist can document significant differences between the original and revised versions of the piece. The following works are NOT eligible:

• Any work that was completed prior to September 2010 and/or has been published anywhere or exhibited anywhere prior to May 2013.
• Any work that was submitted for a previous Quilt National.
• Any work that does not meet the structural requirements of a quilt as stated in the entry form.
• Any work that exceeds 100 inches in either the horizontal or the vertical dimension.
• Any work will have appeared, prior to May 2013, in an American fiber arts exhibition that draws artists and/or visitors from more than 100 miles its venue
• Any work that will have appeared, prior to May 2013, in an American publication that has national and/or international distribution
• Any work that has appeared after September 1, 2010, on an internet site other than your own.

If you have a question about the eligibility of a particular work, please contact the QN staff. If the jurors accept a work that is later discovered to have been ineligible for submission, the work will be removed from the collection and the artist will be prohibited from submitting work for future Quilt National exhibitions.

How do you determine if your work is eligible after internet exposure?
Quilt National allows works that are entered into the 2012 jury selection to appear on the internet ONLY on your personal website or blog.

A personal website is defined as a personal web page that is created by an individual to contain content of a personal nature. Personal web pages are often used solely for informative or entertainment purposes. They are controlled by the individual and reproduction of information and/or images can be made only with express permission of the owner.

A personal blog is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Blogs also are controlled by the owner and reproduction of information and/or images is shared only with express permission of the owner.

Appearance of your work on any social networking sites (such as Facebook) or other list serves will make it ineligible for Quilt National consideration.

Facebook is NOT a personal website and is NOT a personal blog, even though individuals use it as such. If you read their terms and conditions, you will see that by using Facebook you agree to give them license to use and distribute your postings.

“For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos ("IP content"), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook ("IP License"). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it.”

This is something users of Facebook should understand, and as individuals should be responsible for understanding what it means to check “I agree to terms and conditions.”

Our language is written as it is because it only applies to personal websites owned and controlled by the artist themselves and personal blogs. Facebook is a networking and social site that does not function in this manner, and by sharing your content via this engine you are granting permissions to others (either named friends, or everyone) to post comments and share images of your work.

 

Are group quilts eligible for Quilt National?
Works that have been created through the combined creative efforts of more than one person are eligible for Quilt National. Artists who are members of a creative team of three or more may also enter as many as three additional works that they themselves have created.

Will there be a QN '14?
No. As a complete exhibit, Quilt National occurs only in odd numbered years. There was a Quilt National exhibition in Athens in 2013. However, the touring exhibit drawn from QN '11 will be shown during 2012 and 2013 in various venues. The touring exhibit drawn from QN '13 will be shown during 2013, 2014, and 2015.

What is the criterion for the Cathy Rasmussen Emerging Artist Memorial Award?
Granted to a first-time Quilt National exhibitor, this award has been funded by Studio Art Quilt Associates as a way of providing encouragement to an emerging quilt artist.

What is the criterion for the Persistence Pays Award?
Created to honor the memory of Quilt National's longtime director, Hilary Fletcher, this award is granted to the first-time exhibitor who has entered Quilt National the most times before gaining acceptance.

What is the criteria for the Young Emerging Artist Award?
First presented in 2011, Katie (Pasquini) and Bobby Masopust established this award to be presented to a Quilt National artist under the age of 30 to encourage participation by a new generation of quilt artists.