News & Archives
Press Release:
Co-Founder Launches Endowment Fund for Non-Profit Alliance for American Quilts
Source: Alliance for American Quilts
Asheville, N.C. August 24, 2009--The Alliance for American Quilts is pleased to
announce that Shelly Zegart of Louisville, Kentucky, co-founder and board
president for more than 12 years, has established an endowment fund. The Zegart
Fund for The Alliance for American Quilts has been set up with the Community
Foundation of Western North Carolina.
"Both (my husband) Kenny and I hope that the creation of this endowment, a primary goal for the organization first discussed in Spring/Summer 2006, will create an incentive for others to contribute to it as well," said Ms. Zegart in a letter to the Alliance board.
"We are very excited about reaching this significant milestone," said Amy Milne, executive director of the Alliance for American Quilts. "We will continue to build our operating reserves as well, in the interest of remaining nimble in a challenging economy. We are extremely grateful to Shelly and Kenny. Shelly Zegart worked with passion and precision to construct a strong foundation of excellence for this organization. It's wonderful to have financial support as we build on her legacy."
After launching the first state documentation project in Kentucky, Shelly Zegart became a national force for the recognition and study of quilts. She has curated many exhibits here and abroad and lectures on all aspects of quilt history and aesthetics. As a quilt collector, curator and dealer, she sought out the finest period examples and the stories behind them. The bulk of her personal quilt collection was acquired by the world-renowned Art Institute of Chicago. She continues to lecture and write about quilts and quilt history. Her website is www.shellyquilts.com.
Since its founding in 1993, the Alliance has rapidly grown into one of the premiere nonprofits devoted to quilt history, known for its unrivaled virtual collection of quilts from four centuries. The Quilt Index, operated in partnership with Michigan State University, now presents more than 21,000 documented quilts online (www.quiltindex.org). The unique oral history project, Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories will soon exceed 1,000 quiltmaker interviews and is archived at the Library of Congress (www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/qsos/). The Quilt Treasures project now boasts 13 multimedia portraits of pioneers in the 20th-century quilt renaissance (www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/treasures/), with more coming soon.
For more information about the Alliance, its mission and the endowment, please
contact executive director Amy Milne.