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Avery and Watauga Arts Councils announce Quilt Trails project
The Avery Arts Council (AAC) and the Watauga Arts Council (WAC) are proud to announce the launch of Quilt Trails in their respective counties! Already underway in Madison, Mitchell, Yancey and Ashe counties, the Quilt Trail project is being expanded into Watauga and Avery counties through a grant from Handmade in America and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. Quilts, always a beloved symbol of comfort, family, heritage, and community,
will soon be bringing new splashes of color along the roadsides and
into the rural countryside. Vibrant Often referred to as Barn Quilts (because the concept originated with
barns in Midwestern states and still focuses primarily on barns despite
the more recent inclusion of other hanging sites), each quilt square
will require a team of volunteer painters and a willing property owner
to donate hanging space on their building. Making a quilt square These quilt squares are a wonderful way to celebrate our local heritage,
as well as a unique regional art project that c Community members are invited to get involved in several ways: --Host a quilt square for two years on your barn or building --Be a part of a painting team --Help with frame building or installation --Become a financial sponsor of one or more quilt blocks --Volunteer to assist with the project The Watauga and Avery Arts Councils will make the final determinations as to the appropriateness of the sites and patterns for the quilt squares. Residents should contact their respective Arts Councils for more information -- the Avery Arts Council (828-898-4292/averyarts@lmc.edu or the Watauga Arts Council (828-264-1789/wcac@watauga-arts.org).
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Date:
May 28, 2007
quilt
patterns will be painted on pre-built eight foot wooden squares. They
are to be installed on barns, public buildings, shops, and other appropriate
buildings around the community. A series of self-guided trails maps
will be developed to direct sight-seers along the highways and byways
to view these icons of tradition in their new and significant role as
public art. 
together
will allow volunteer groups from community centers, churches, school
classes, and even families the opportunity to create and paint their
own quilt square as a group project. The square which is chosen may
represent a family pattern from a beloved quilt or perhaps something
new. Grant funds will provide supplies for the first several quilts
and, in Watauga County, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation has
agreed to sponsor the project by assisting with “hanging”
the quilt squares on the barns. In Avery County, community partners
include Boone Paint and CS Signs. 
rosses
county lines.