The Ohio Quilt Barn Trail workshop will be held at Hocking College (Light Hall) in
Nelsonville beginning on Thursday, May 3, at 4 p.m. through Friday, May 4, at 3:30 p.m.
The workshop will be preceded by a Quilt Barn Trail Basics session for new or beginning Quilt Barn Trail communities on Thursday, May 3, from 1 – 3 p.m. Thursday’s schedule features an overview, dinner and a Show and Tell session with 10-minute overviews from current Quilt Barn Trail communities as well as display tables for attendees to exhibit their trail marketing materials. The Show and Tell session is open to the general public.
During the Show and Tell session, two brief documentary film segments will be presented. Dr. Carolina Conte, New York City, and Emily Prince, Athens, Ohio, will share a five-minute segment of their pre-production documentary film on Appalachian Quilts and Quilters. And WKET – Kentucky Educational Television will highlight their Elliott County, Ky., quilt barn trail.
“The Ohio Arts Council is proud that Ohio is the home of the original Quilt Barn Trail, and we have been pleased to assist in its development,” said Katherine Eckstrand, community development director for the Ohio Arts Council. “We look forward to working with communities through this workshop to chart a shared vision and marketing strategy for the sustainability of Ohio’s trails and communities.”
Friday’s schedule includes sessions on image/identity, organization/communication and implementation/action plans. Friday’s sessions are limited to Ohio residents only. Participants are invited to join their colleagues to create a shared Ohio vision and structure for the continued development, marketing and growth of Ohio’s Quilt Barn Trails as Ohio is home of the original quilt barn.
In 2001 the initial project, the Adams County Quilt Barn Sampler, was officially dedicated to honor Nina Maxine Groves, a fifth generation quilter from Roane County, West Virginia, and her Appalachian heritage. Maxine is the mother of Donna Sue Groves, southern Ohio field representative of the Ohio Arts Council, who spearheaded the idea for the quilt barn project.
Word spread quickly to other states; today, more than 1,000 colorful quilt squares adorn barns, other farm buildings, flood walls and community structures throughout Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Nebraska, New York, Wisconsin and beyond.
Donna Sue’s early vision of creating an imaginary clothesline of interconnecting barns decorated with quilt squares is emerging in the National Quilt Barn Trail.
“This is a dream come true for me,” Donna Sue said. “It’s the culmination of seven years of hard work by everyone involved. I’m so excited we’re coming together to share our stories and develop a unified brand for the project.”
Registration and further information, including hotel and workshop location, can be found at the following link:
http://www.oac.state.oh.us/events/ViewPublicEvent.asp?ID=65.
For additional information, please contact Donna Sue Groves, Ohio Arts Council Southern Ohio Field Representative, at 937-549-2131 or dsgroves@bright.net or Katherine Eckstrand, Community Development Director, at 614-466-2613 or katherine.eckstrand@oac.state.oh.us.
The workshop is made possible with funding and support from the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, the Ohio Arts Council, The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio and Hocking College.