Bright Colors, Whimsy and Warmth at Quilt Exhibit

Experience the delight of geometric shapes, bright colors and wearable art at the now throught Sept. 25.

The “Quirkology of Quilts: Warmth to Whimsy,” co-curated by local textile artists, Alethea Ballard and Margaret Linderman, is a biennial quilt exhibit at the museum.

This year, the exhibit includes mostly contemporary pieces made by local quilters, with a few historical quilts from the museum’s collection mixed in.

Large and small-scale quilts and wearable quilted pieces represent dramatic colors, designs, and techniques, to capture and hold the visitor’s attention.

Quilting is an art form built on layers, and the experience of the quilts changes from the moment you first see many of the pieces, and as you gradually get closer to notice the specific elements and techniques employed in the quilt’s construction.

Ballard and Linderman have selected pieces that are often whimsical, and invite closer observation.

The display allows the visitor to get up close to examine the flair and small design details each quilter has brought to their work.

Walking through the exhibit, be on the look out for the thematic repetition of an embellished armchair in several quilts, a signature thematic element, with many interesting twists, familiar to Ballard’s fans and students.

Ballard and Linderman will also give talks about the exhibit.

Ballard will visit the museum on Sat. Sept. 10 to talk about the collection. And, on Sat., Sept. 24, Linderman will speak about wearable art. Both events will be from 10:30-11:30 a.m.

There is also a children’s area set up with activities for the youngest needleworkers.

The fun doesn’t end at the museum.

Visitors can pick up a “Quilt Treasure Hunt” postcard to find seven quilts in businesses around town.

Once the quilts are located, and the postcard is completed, it can be turned in to enter a drawing for one of Linderman's quilted wall hangings.

“Quirkology of Quilts: Warmth to Whimsy” will be on display through Sept. 25. For more information, call 925-837-3750 or go to www.museumsrv.org.

The Museum of the San Ramon Valley is at 205 Railroad Ave. in Danville. Museum hours are Tues.-Fri. 1-4 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. There will also be special hours on Sunday, September 25, when the Museum will be open from 1-5 p.m.. Cost: $3, free for museum members.

Did you know?: Historical details about the pioneering days in the American west might have been lost if not for the quilts pioneer women made. Paper quilting, in which fabric was basted around a paper pattern was popular at the time, but paper was very scarce. Pioneer quilters used what they had, and repurposed their letters, catalogs and newspaper clippings for patterns, effectively preserving the history of the time.