Quilting History Is Unraveled
in The Great American Quilt Revival

Nothing exudes comfort like a quilt. For centuries, quilts have been the stamp of a family's identity, communicating a message in its pattern, yet giving warmth on a cold night. But the art of quilt making took a dramatic turn in the late 1960s, when Jonathan Holstein and Gail van der Hoof bought their first quilt, utterly captivated by its complicated beauty. In 1971 they convinced the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York to do something radical-to hang quilts on the walls of the museum like paintings.

The exhibit sent shock waves through the modern art world and ignited a worldwide awareness of American quilts. This American phenomenon is detailed in a new documentary, the Great American Quilt Revival, airing [AIRDATE AND TIME] on [STATION NAME].

Co-produced by Bonesteel Films and quilting teacher-author Georgia Bonesteel, The Great American Quilt Revival relates the events that propelled quilting from a folk craft to a mainstream art form. The documentary examines the history of quilting through the eyes of several quilters and historians, including Cuesta Benberry, Jonathan Holstein, Jean Ray Laury, and, of course, its narrator, Georgia Bonesteel.

Quilting began as a practical tool for the family to stay warm and slowly transformed to a recognized art form. Quilter Marie Webster is credited for starting the first American quilt revival in 1911, when national magazines made her quilt patterns available to the public and she was stampeded by letters asking her for more patterns. The Whitney Museum's 1971 exhibit was the first to take quilts "from the beds to the walls" and paved the way for future quilting exhibits and conventions. In fact, the November 2001 Quilting Festival in Houston housed a special exhibit of over 300 quilts created to commemorate the events of September 11 that year.

For Georgia Bonesteel, the film is starkly different from her long-standing and nationally popular television series, Lap Quilting. Not only did it allow her to tell stories about quilting that would not fit into her regular series, but it gave her a chance to work with her son Paul.

"Paul forced me to look at the fantastic story of the American Quilt Revival from outside the quilt world looking in," said Bonesteel. "I think this has helped make this film interesting to everyone, not just quilters."

The Great American Quilt Revival also delves into different expressions of quilting, especially Amish and African American styles, and reflects on the change in quilt creation over the years, from thread and needle to quilting machines that speed through a threading pattern at the touch of a button. The film also depicts the sentiments that quilting has captured from different eras, such as post war periods and AIDS awareness.

The Great American Quilt Revival was produced by Asheville NC based Bonesteel Films in partnership with UNC-TV. Major funding has been provided by The Warm Company. Additional funding has been provided by American Quilter's Society, Bernina of America, Cranston Print Works and Gammill Quilting Systems. For more information about The Great American Quilt Revival, visit www.quiltrevival.com. Viewers can purchase DVDs of the documentary with additional scenes and interviews by visiting the Web site, calling 866-784-0300 or e-mailing Paul Bonesteel at paul@bonesteelfilms.com.

The Great American Quilt Revival is distributed by American Public Television. For 44 years, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation's public television stations. APT distributes more than 10,000 hours of programming including JFK: Breaking the News, Simply Ming, Globe Trekker, Rick Steves' Europe, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, Battlefield Britain, Jungle, America's Test Kitchen, Lidia's Family Table and classic movies. APT is known for identifying innovative programs and developing creative distribution techniques for producers. In four decades, it has established a tradition of providing public television stations nationwide with program choices that enable them to strengthen and customize their schedules. Press should contact Donna Hardwick at 617-338-4455 ext. 129 or via email to Donna_Hardwick@APTonline.org. For more information about APT's programs and services visit APTonline.org.

-UNC-TV-