Quilt National '05, the fourteenth in a series of international juried competitions of art quilts, will be on view from February 13 through April 22, 2007, at the Museum of Fine Arts at the Quadrangle.

The exhibit is produced and circulated by the Dairy Barn Southeastern Ohio Cultural Arts Center in Athens, Ohio. Nearly 550 artists from 47 states and 21 foreign countries submitted 1228 quilts for consideration. The jurors of Quilt National '05 selected 85 works that represent innovative approaches to the medium and present the contemporary quilt as an art form. The touring exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts will feature 21 of these works. The exhibition is accompanied by a full-color catalog documenting the complete 85-piece collection. Art quilts have evolved from the classic quilted bed cover. They are not intended to serve as bedding, but are meant to hang on the wall like a painting. Contemporary quilt artists find inspiration in the repetitive patterns, colors and visual texture of cloth. The textiles incorporate new methods and materials, including elaborate surface embellishment and photo-transfer techniques. A companion exhibition, Landscapes in Fabric, features works by quilt artist Ann Brauer, whose studio is in Shelburne Falls, Mass. She was an attorney but quit her job 25 years ago to devote herself to quilt-making. She sews tiny strips of fabric into squares and arranges them into abstract designs that convey the feeling of seasons and moods. She is inspired by memories of the farm where she grew up and the landscapes of western Massachusetts where she lives. Brauer's work is in several permanent collections, including the American Museum of Art & Design and The People's Place Quilt Museum. Her work has appeared in many juried exhibitions, including Quilt National '91 and '93.