This fall, the American Folk Art Museum in NYC will be displaying antique quilts that tell the story of how fabric was made and what it took from the environment. An Ecology of Quilts: The Natural History of American Textiles reframes quiltmaking not just as a craft, but as a living record of ecological and social systems.
From raw cotton to finished quilt, this exhibition details every step of the process. It features 30 quilts from the 18th to the 20th century and is on view from September 25, 2025, through March 1, 2026.
About the Exhibit and Curators
This exhibit is curated by Emelie Gevalt, the museum’s Deputy Director and Chief Curatorial & Program Officer, alongside Art Bridges Fellow Austin Losada. Instead of solely focusing on individual quiltmakers, this collection is meant to explore the broader environmental consequences behind fabric, fiber, and dye.
“Quilting is often seen as a recycling project, taking up cast-off scraps and infusing them with new life. However, this is only one way to interpret quilts’ materiality and their histories,” Gevalt said in a press release. “The impetus for this exhibition was to approach quiltmaking from a unique perspective, taking a closer look behind the scenes, as it were, at the market and environmental conditions that allowed textile artists to innovate the medium for centuries.”
The Dark Side of Pattern and Print
One focal point of the exhibit is the use of indigo—once dubbed “blue gold”—which surged in 18th-century South Carolina. Though synthetic blue became dominant in the 19th century, indigo’s use depended on enslaved labor.
Printed patterns like chintz are also spotlighted. These floral designs became widely available in 18th- and 19th-century America due to expanding trade and industrialized textile printing. Though beautiful, these prints mark a shift from handcrafted traditions to mechanized, sometimes toxic, production methods.
Highlighted Makers
The curators organized the show around themes of color, fiber, and pattern and spotlighted several prominent figures including:
- Malissia Pettway, a quilter from Gee’s Bend, Alabama
- Dr. Raymond F. Bellamy, a retired Florida sociologist
- Tomie Nagano, contemporary textile artist
Jason T. Busch, the Museum’s Director and CEO, summarized the stakes of the exhibition: “The bold vision of An Ecology of Quilts places American quilts and textile production in a light rarely explored before in such depth and detail,” he says. “The breadth and diversity of artisans on display is a testament to how understanding the ecological impact of historical textiles can unlock new knowledge about our shared histories and environments.””
Admission to the American Folk Art Museum is always free, and this show promises to reshape how we see one of America’s most beloved art forms, for better or worse.
