The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles is an art museum in Downtown San Jose, California, USA. Founded in 1977, the museum is the first in the United States devoted solely to quilts and textiles as an art form. Holdings include a permanent collection of over 1,000 quilts, garments, and ethnic textiles, emphasizing 20th- and 21st-century artists and a research library with over 500 books concerning the history and techniques of the craft. The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles (SJMQT) began as the American Museum of Quilts and Related Arts, founded in Los Altos, California, by the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association in 1977. It was incorporated in 1986 as a nonprofit public benefit museum managed by a trustee. It relocated several times until it moved into its 13,000 square feet (1,200 square meters) permanent home in San Jose’s SoFA (South First Area) Arts District in 2005.
Initially, the Permanent Collection consisted primarily of 19th and 20th-century quilts gifted by members of the founding organization. By 1999, the Museum obtained the Porcella Collection of Ethnic Textiles and Garments, increasing by one-third. Today the Permanent Collection holds over 1,500 objects. Marvin Fletcher and his late wife gifted the museum’s 40th anniversary the Marbaum Collection. Bed Bug Exterminator San Jose
Exhibits
The Museum provides exhibitions from around the world, focusing on the way people of many cultures use textiles to make their voices heard. Many of the artists on exhibit at the Museum incorporate modern technology into the basic traditions of fiber art. Exhibitions and individual installations typically remain on view for three months.
Exhibitions have included solo showings from contemporary Bay Area fiber artists and broader surveys of international cultural traditions and their modern expressions. In 2018, the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles held an exhibition organized by the Studio Art Quilt Associates that featured several quilts centered around gun violence called Guns: Loaded Conversations.
Programs
In its desire to engage with the local community, the Museum has established programs for people to participate in as well as to learn more about quilts and textiles. Some of these programs have been created and operated in-house, such as their free community open houses. Other programs have been created in partnership with artists and other nonprofit organizations.
Restaurants and Pubs
- Elyse is located at 151 S Second St, San Jose, CA
- Braise is located at 1185 Lincoln Ave, San Jose, CA
- Jack’s is located at 167 E Taylor St, San Jose, CA
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