The aptly named exhibition, Celebration! kicked off Pasadena Museum of History’s Centennial Year offerings, showcasing an outstanding and diverse collection of fine art quilts by members of the Southern California group of textile artists, Quilts on the Wall. The individual works [deleted text] werechosen to illustrate that we all have something to celebrate, be it big or small, significant to others or only to us.

Celebration! featured 46 decorative quilts ranging in size from 18” x 24” to 79” x 70” that celebrate a special day, event, person, holiday, triumph, performance, accomplishment, or adventure. These pieces emphasize design over functionality and are meant to be displayed as art rather than used on beds. “Art quilting is a fairly modern medium, but the technique of quilting by joining layers of fabric together with stitching has existed for centuries,” explains Bunnie Mauldin, President of Quilts on the Wall. “Contemporary textile artists especially enjoy selecting soft fabrics and piecing them together in new and different ways, using a combination of their imaginations, creativity, and technical skills,” she continued. “Most textile artists begin by selecting an inspiration piece – perhaps a photo or memory of an experience – with the goal of creating a piece that will allow the viewer to connect with it in some way.”