About Us
About Us
The mission of the International Quilt Museum is to build a global collection and audience that celebrate the cultural and artistic significance of quilts.
The International Quilt Museum holds the world’s largest, publicly held quilt collection. This diverse and expansive collections contain quilts and quilt related objects that span five centuries of quiltmaking, and document or showcase quilting styles from over 65 countries. As part of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the museum is on the cutting edge of quilt scholarship and research with this unparalleled collection. The exhibitions draw from the museum’s world-class collection as well as traveling exhibitions from today’s leading artists.
During 2024, over 23,000 people visited the musuem in person. In addition, the museum has created several virtual experiences for viewers at home. Virtual programs include weekly Textile Talks, programs presented during First Fridays, educational activities for K-12 students, modules on World Quilts and a variety of virtual tours and virtual pop-up exhibits. If you are unable to visit the museum in person, you can also enjoy virtual tours of our current exhibitions and many past exhibitions.
The Friends of the International Quilt Museum is a 501(c)(3) entity. The Friends provides funding for museum operations through fundraising events and the generosity of monetary donations. Should you have a material gift for the musuem, please contact the Friends as to the applicability of the gift. Quilts are generally not accepted as gifts due to strict preservation guidelines. If you feel you have a unique quilt you'd like to donate, please complete the Quilt Donation webform. Submissions are reviewed by the museum's acquisitions committee.
