Uncommon Threads — 2006 ·

Ohio's Art Quilt Revolution

“Through these small biographies and beautiful illustrations, it is possible to learn how access to art education in Ohio catalyzed interest in the arts which resulted in the use of textiles to express views of modern society.... By the 1980s Ohio had established itself as a geographic center for this type of artistry.”

Ohio History

“The oral histories tirelessly gathered and artfully presented by Pritchard constitute an unparalleled contribution to the history of Ohio quilt making.”

Northwest Ohio History

“Gayle Pritchard's book is a godsend, a serious, carefully researched study of the history and continuing development of quiltmaking by artists, full of valuable new information and insights. Pritchard's deep focus and solid scholarship are models for all future studies of the genre.”

Robert Shaw — author of The Art Quilt

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Ohio’s long quiltmaking heritage prepared the way for the contemporary “pioneer” artists of the 1970s and 1980s, who, through individual vision and dedication, have created a new art form and added a new chapter to quilt history. Uncommon Threads: Ohio’s Art Quilt Revolution reveals for the first time the remarkable role Ohio artists, curators, institutions, and organizations have played in the evolution of today’s international art quilt movement.

Against the backdrop of America’s counterculture and civil rights movements, author Gayle A. Pritchard’s compelling narrative threads its way through the emergence of the art quilt, from artists working in isolation to the explosive “big bang” of the first Quilt National and its inevitable reverberations. Pritchard provides a fascinating and personal glimpse into the private world of these unique artists through in-depth interviews, rare photographs, and abundant quilt illustrations.

As Uncommon Threads demonstrates, the art quilt movement could not have occurred without Ohio’s unparalleled contribution. Quilt lovers around the world will relish discovering this tale of the uncommon energy, vision, creativity, and devotion to self-expression that truly made a quilt revolution.

Ohio native Gayle A. Pritchard is a fiber artist, curator, lecturer, and teacher. Her public commissions include The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Quilt Project, the Smithsonian Craft Archives in Washington, D.C., and the opening for the Peter B. Lewis building in Cleveland, Ohio. Learn more about Gayle Pritchard at gaylepritchardart.com.