Now On Display In The Key Bank Gallery 

POLITICS AND BEDCOVERS AT WHITE RIVER VALLEY MUSEUM

Long before they had the right to vote, women creatively expressed their political views using quilts and other textile arts. The White River Valley Museum is celebrating the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote in Washington state with "Politics and Bedcovers," on display Aug. 11 through Nov. 7. The exhibit delves into the historic and contemporary political beliefs of women articulated through quilting and textile arts.

The museum has collected more than 40 quilts from New York to Gig Harbor, each specifically made to embody political and social ideals ranging from distress over election results to a desire for men to stop drinking. Quilts in the collection were made as early as 1825 and as recently as 2009.

Quilting is a centuries-old practice of sewing old and leftover pieces of fabric together to create functional items like blankets, shirts and dresses. Prior to the industrial revolution, many women spent their time weaving and spinning fabric for clothing and home textiles.

Because weaving fabric was time-intensive, the resource was stretched as much as possible by the lower and middle classes. Once fabrics were mass produced and relatively inexpensive to purchase, women no longer had to spend hours in front of a weaving loom. Over time, quilting evolved from a necessity into a social art form.
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Quilts provided a political platform for women well before suffrage was achieved in this country," said Patricia Cosgrove, director of the White River Valley Museum.

In addition to the final product — the quilt — representing a certain viewpoint, the act of quilting gave women a vital social and political outlet, Cosgrove said.
Historically, women bonded by similar beliefs and causes often gathered together to quilt or weave. While verbally sharing and discussing what was important to them, their families and their communities, using needle and thread these women also created an historic documentation of the causes, movements and candidates they supported or opposed.

In the United States, quilting for causes can be traced back to the Civil War era when women made quilts for fundraising efforts and to send to soldiers on the frontline. Today, cause-quilting carries on as evidenced by the popular AIDS Memorial Quilt and online virtual quilts to support causes like breast cancer awareness.

"Politics and Bed Covers" is sponsored by the Covington Quilters Guild and Western Washington Quilt Study Group. Educator and quilt historian Anita Sheneberger is the exhibit's guest curator.

RELATED EVENTS
Unless otherwise noted, events are included with regular museum admission: $2 adults, $1 seniors and children.

Film Screening of Hearts and Hands: The Influence of Women and Quilts on American Society, Aug. 14, 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
This film by Pat Ferrero chronicles the lives of ordinary women and well-known historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, Elizabeth Keckley, Frances Willard and Abigail Scott Duniway through the great 19th-century events: industrialization, abolition, the Civil War, westward movement, temperance and suffrage.

Memory Quilts Lecture and Slideshow, Sept. 11, 1 to 3 p.m.
Anita Sheneberger, quilt historian and guest curator for "Politics and Bedcovers" will lead a moving discussion on the tradition of memory quilts, one of the oldest mourning arts traditions. With examples from throughout history to modern-day memory quilt movements, this lecture will inspire and enlighten.

Beginning Dye Class with Martie Carroll, Sept. 18, noon to 3 p.m.
Martie Carroll, an artist and instructor with over 30 years of experience working with Procion MX dyes, will lead a workshop on the process of dyeing two six-step gradations of one primary color to another. Cost is $49 per person plus a $10 supply fee. Includes all chemicals and dyes needed for the class. Call 253-288-7439 to register.

Family Day: Crazy Quilts! Oct. 9, noon to 4 p.m.
Don’t miss this hands-on exploration of quilting. From demonstrators to fabric dying to quilt construction, there is creative fun to be had for the whole family.