Nantwich Museum is delighted to showcase a new quilt made by Jan Aldersay of local textile group ‘Connected Threads’ which has now been donated to the museum.
This making of the quilt has been inspired by the Art Fund podcast “Meet Me At The Museum”, as well as her personal visits to various museums and galleries over many years.
The quilt depicts the phrase “a gathering of strangers”. This comes from the neon piece of artwork by Nathan Coley which is the welcoming sign to be found on the roof of ‘The Whitworth’ in Manchester. The characters portrayed on the quilt include Jan’s husband, a couple of her friends, and others who were and still are complete strangers.
The aim of museums is to inform, educate, inspire and open up dialogues on many themes. The artist also sees it as wonderful thing that no matter what your age, who you are, where you live or what you do, museums are safe and welcoming places to share experiences either alone, with friends or strangers.
Historically quilts are made to give warmth and comfort. However they would often be used to convey a message or illustrate a story, thus providing an obvious technique choice for the artist. The background fabric is hand painted and block printed. Free machine embroidery was used to apply and illustrate the figures and to delineate the areas they occupy. Hand quilting was used to create abstract images of exhibits being viewed.
The quilt can be seen at Nantwich Museum during opening hours. The museum is open from 10.00am-4.00pm (Tuesday – Saturday). Entry is free.
For further information contact: Nantwich Museum on enquiries@nantwichmuseum.org.uk or telephone 01270 627104
