Stitching Together History: 250 Quilts Commemorating the Commonwealth of Virginia

This exhibition invites artists to commemorate a person, place, event, thing, or idea from Virginia or West Virginia's history. The project is organized around four themes: Unfinished Revolutions, Power of Place, We the People, and Virginia Experiments. Artists are encouraged to explore overlooked aspects of Virginia's history, including Indigenous tribes, women's contributions, landscape changes, food sources, and the experiences of enslaved people, as well as significant historical events and figures.

Quilts must be 20 inches square, 2-dimensional works only, with a 4-inch hanging sleeve attached to the back. Each quilt must include an identification label on the lower-left corner of the back with the artist's name, year made, contact information, and title. Quilts must meet the Studio Art Quilt Associates definition of a quilt as "a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure." Original designs only; no adaptations or copyrighted patterns. No glitter, sharp embellishments, or highly fragile work. Embellishments should not protrude more than 1 inch in any direction.

Submit one full-view front image and one detail image as high-quality JPEG files. Full-view images must show all edges with a small amount of background. Do not use your name or initials in filenames; use only the piece title. Entry fee is $40 per piece (up to 3 pieces allowed). Artists must reside in the United States. Accepted quilts must arrive at the Virginia Quilt Museum by December 2, 2024. The exhibition runs July 4, 2026 to December 22, 2026 at the Virginia Quilt Museum, then travels January 2027 to December 2028. Artists are responsible for shipping to and from the museum and for insuring their pieces. Quilts will be returned to artists by February 28, 2029.