Feature: To Honor and to Comfort: Native Quilting Traditions

A major exhibition featuring Native American quilts will highlight another eventful year for the MSU Museum in 1998.

In celebration of the art of quilt making, more than 40 quilts from Native communities throughout North America and Hawaii will be showcased in To Honor & Comfort: Native Quilting Traditions, a landmark traveling exhibition on display at the Michigan State University Museum April 19 - October 18, 1998.

The exhibition, co-curated by Dr. Kurt Dewhurst, director, Michigan State University Museum, and Dr. Marsha MacDowell, curator of Folk Arts, Michigan State University Museum, examines ceremonial and everyday uses of quilts and the ways in which quilts strengthen Native communities. According to MacDowell and Dewhurst the exhibit, 'examines the history and rich diversity of quilt making techniques, motifs, and meanings within Native communities. It pays special attention to significant, community-based, artistic, expressive cultural traditions that are little known to non-Native people.'

The exhibition's central theme has to do with community; how quilts and quilt making--including the ceremonies surrounding the quilts, the lively society of artists who make them, and the passing on of the traditions they represent--help tie together neighbors and families within and across generations. 

By presenting North American and Hawaiian quilts together for the first time, the exhibit illuminates the similarities and differences in the history and meaning of quilts within diverse Native communities. Quilts have become integral to traditional Native ceremonies, rites of passage, and other occasions of celebrations and homage.

To Honor and Comfort recreates the settings of Native ceremonies as part of the design of the gallery. By doing so, visitors can better understand how quilts and quilt making reflect Native cultural heritage and creativity in an ever-changing world. To Honor and Comfort represents a unique collaboration between the Michigan State University Museum, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian, and Atatl, a non-profit organization that promotes the arts in Native communities. However, a large variety and number of collaborations with individuals and organizations -- both Native and non-Native--also participated in its development. 'Native people have been enthusiastically involved in all aspects of this research and exhibition project,' MacDowell said.

The exhibition first opened in New York City at the National Museum of the American Indian. Following its stay in East Lansing the exhibition To Honor and Comfort will begin a two-year nationwide tour overseen by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). Smaller versions will also be circulated to smaller Native and non-Native museums by the MSU Museum Traveling Exhibits Service.

In conjunction with the exhibit, a number of related public programs and activities are planned:

Publication

The Museum of New Mexico Press, in collaboration with Michigan State University Museum, published a companion book, To Honor and Comfort: Native Quilting Traditions, edited by Dewhurst and MacDowell. The 160-page publication with 80 color plates and 150 documentary photographs features essays on contemporary and historical quilting traditions, rare historical photographs, as well as profiles of quilters from around the country.

Copies may be purchased from the MSU Museum Store, $50 (cloth) and $35 (paper) or by phone, 517-355-0368.

Founded in 1857, the MSU Museum is one of Michigan's most popular natural and cultural history museums. It features three floors of permanent exhibitions, including Habitat Hall (featuring an Allosaurus & Stegosaurus), Heritage Hall, the Hall of World Cultures, the Hall of Evolution, and the new Diversity of Animals exhibit. Changing temporary exhibits give visitors an opportunity to see world-class displays produced by museum staff members as well as those circulated by other institutions. The MSU Museum is located next to Beaumont Tower, on West Circle Drive, on the campus of Michigan State University. Exhibits are open year round, with no admission charge. The museum is handicapper accessible.

For information on museum hours, exhibits, and upcoming events call (517) 432-3357.

Upcoming Museum Events/Exhibits:

• 1998 Festival of Michigan Folklife: Traditions from Michigan's thumb and Fire Fighting are the dual themes of the 1998 Festival of Michigan Folklife. The 1998 Festival will be held on the MSU Campus, August 8-9 and 15-16, 1998. The annual Festival of Michigan Folklife is a popular Michigan event, bringing together traditional musicians, dancers, textile artists, cooks, craftspersons, and storytellers who represent the state's diverse regional, occupational, and ethnic cultures. As the centerpiece of the Michigan Festival, the Festival of Michigan Folklife is the largest outdoor exhibition of living traditions in Michigan. 1998 MSU American Indian Heritage Pow Wow In conjunction with the folklife festival, the MSU Museum, Native American Institute Faculty and staff will host the 1998 MSU American Indian Heritage Pow Wow at Valley Court Park in East Lansing, on Aug. 15 - 16, 1998. This popular annual event is a gathering of Native Americans for the purposes of social and spiritual renewal. Some of the Great Lakes Region's finest dancers will be in attendance. 
• Winged Jewels: Butterflies and Moths Winged Jewels will be on view in the West Gallery March 22, 1998 through October 5, 1998.  
• A Community Between Two Worlds: The Arab Community in Greater Detroit. Presenting historical and contemporary photographs, A Community Between Two Worlds is jointly curated by the Arab Community for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) and the Michigan State University Museum, in collaboration with the Detroit Historical Society. The exhibition celebrates the uniqueness and historical complexity of Michigan's Arab community. The exhibit will open November 22, 1998 and run through Spring 1999.

(Author's note) Stefanie Muscat is the MSU Museum's Public Relations Coordinator. For information on upcoming museum events, programs and exhibits, she can be reached at (517) 432-3357 or via e-mail: muscatst@pilot.msu.edu