Current Exhibitions

Hollis Chatelain: Stories of West Africa and Rooted In Tradition: Revisited

May 28 through July 21


Listen to podcasts by Hollis Chatelain about the quilts from Stories of West Africa!
Podcasts from Hollis Chatelain

We are proud to feature a collection from internationally recognized and award-winning artist Hollis Chatelain. This exhibit, Stories of West Africa, is a beautiful collection of West African daily life re-imagined as textile artistry. Fifteen art quilts portray rich African culture and the strong sense of community and family unity Hollis experienced in her twelve years in the region. Hollis started with photographs she took while living in Togo, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Benin, and drew and colored illustrations for her coloring book Stories of West Africa. Art quilts were created from these same illustrations, transforming her imagery into exquisite textile paintings that offer glimpses into families and intimate studies on African textiles. Hollis is an educator, artist, and humanitarian, and she has spent the last twenty-five years informing the public about different worldwide and local issues through her artwork. “Awareness Through Art” is her mission through her work, providing grounds for open discussions, dialogues, and to cultivate people’s curiosities. This exhibit is specially and generously sponsored by eQuilter.com, a long supporter of Hollis’ mission. eQuilter.com is dedicated to contributing to charitable organizations throughout the world.

Rooted in Tradition Revisited, an exhibit featuring art quilts from the RMQM collection, is a reimagining of the original 2005 exhibit. Art quilts from influential Colorado and worldwide art will be on display, showcasing the story of why art quilting is important and how it began. Art quilting grew out of the cultural revolution of the 1960s as homage to the strong spirit of women past and present. Traditional methods were piggybacked to bring about new forms of expression to explore emotions, politics, moments in time, and commentary on current events. Quilts from the 1970s through the early 2000s will be exhibited, signifying when common art quilt elements like photo transfers, thread painting, and other techniques were introduced. Walk back through history to understand why art quilting is such a passionate medium today.

The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum is open every day: 10-4 Monday through Saturday and 11-4 Sunday.