Internationally known quilt artist Nancy Crow founded the Art Quilt Network in 1986. As she traveled throughout the United States teaching and lecturing, she encountered other quiltmakers who were caught up in the excitement of the budding Art Quilt Movement. From this small core of artists, the Art Quilt Network has grown to sixty highly creative members who meet twice a year in Columbus, Ohio, for a three day retreat. The purpose of these gatherings is to provide a supportive environment where new art work, ideas, and information are shared. In this atmosphere, each artist's personal vision is affirmed thus contributing to a wide range of styles and subject matter.
Originality is prized.
No one style is dominant. Members of the Art Quilt Network are serious artists who are committed to using the quilt form as a vehicle for their visual ideas. Since membership is limited to sixty, it is necessary for aspiring members to wait about two years before an opening becomes available. Once a member is accepted, he or she must attend at least two out of every four of the Network's semi-annual retreats. Network members have been invited to lecture on the contemporary art quilt in Australia, the Czech Republic, France and Switzerland.