Grave Creek Mound Archaeology Complex will open a new exhibition, West Virginia Memories Quilt, in the Delf Norona Museum in Moundsville on Sunday, Dec. 2. An opening reception to celebrate the exhibit will be held that day from 2 - 4 p.m. The show and reception are free and open to the public. The exhibition will remain on display through Friday, Jan. 11, 2008.
The exhibition consists of a series of quilts created by the Stitching Sisters Quilt Guild. Each quilt is a unique version of a pattern known as the West Virginia Memories Quilt. The pattern was originally devised to be a “block of the month” teaching tool, but soon evolved into a pattern in its own right.
Fran Kordek, a quilter from Elkins, designed the pattern which tells the story of the beauty of the Mountain State. The pattern consists of 12 blocks which evoke memories of growing up in and around the hills of West Virginia. The blocks include the Bear’s Paw; Country Roads; Delectable Mountains; Maple Leaf; Moon over the Mountains; Mountain Homespun; Pine Tree; Railroad Crossing; Turkey Tracks; West Virginia Star; Woodland Path and Wood Pile. The resulting collection of quilts demonstrates how each quilter individualized the pattern according to her own creative style.
Several members of the Stitching Sisters Quilt Guild will be at the reception to answer questions about the exhibition and the art of quilting. Visitors also are invited to use their own creativity to make a quilt scrap postcard as a souvenir to take home or mail.
Two family-oriented craft workshops will be held in conjunction with the quilt exhibit. On Saturday, Dec. 8, from 10:30 a.m. - noon, the Stitching Sisters Quilt Guild will guide participants, aged five and up, through the steps of making holiday ornaments. The other workshop, for ages eight and up, will be Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, from 10:30 a.m. - noon, and Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator for Grave Creek Mound, will lead visitors in making a pieced pincushion.
Both workshops are free and registration is recommended. All children must be accompanied by an adult, and adults are encouraged to make their own ornament and pincushion.
The Stitching Sisters Quilt Guild is made up of a group of women who love quilts and making them. The group formed in 1999 in New Martinsville to share interests in learning quilting techniques, quilt history and to share completed projects. The guild counts more than 40 members from Wetzel, Marshall and Tyler counties in West Virginia as well as Belmont and Monroe counties in Ohio.
For more information about the exhibition or to register for a workshop, contact Andrea Keller at (304) 843-4128 or by e-mail at andrea.keller@wvculture.org.
Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeology Complex features one of the largest and most famous burial mounds built by the prehistoric Adena people. A massive undertaking, construction of the mound took place in successive stages from about 250-150 B.C., and required the movement of more than 60,000 tons of earth. Exhibits and displays in the complex’s museum interpret what is known about the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mound. The Archaeology Complex is located at 801 Jefferson Ave., in Moundsville. Contact the museum for information regarding admission fees, group registration and detailed driving directions. The museum is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. During the holiday season, the museum will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, and will close at 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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