Geelong quilters have put their best on display as National Wool Museum celebrates 30 years with a showcase opening this week.
The showcase features the bedding brilliance of Geelong artists like Judith Oke and others from across the country in the Art Quilt Australia competition.
“The National Wool Museum holds one of Australia’s largest and most significant quilt and wagga public collections,” its director Padraic Fisher said.
“This year, we mark the 30th anniversary of the National Wool Museum quilt and wagga collection.”
The collection included 32 quilts, 20 waggas, 10 woollen art quilts, two rugs and one tapestry, Mr Padraic said.
That collection now also includes Barbara Mellor’s quilt, By Wagga Design, which won Art Quilt Australia’s $3000 top prize, out of $6000 in total prize money.
Art Quilts is a biennial juried exhibition and competition open to textile artists in Australia and New Zealand.
Art quilts developed as a movement in Australia in the 1960s and 70s, alongside international interest.
The competition took quilts from their domestic origins and considered them as art works in their own right, promoters said.
Jurors selected 37 quilts from 74 submissions for their design approaches, materials and techniques, which are on display at the museum until 15 December.
“Once again the National Wool Museum is home to a world class exhibition that will see the work of the very best artists in their field on display for the people of Geelong,” councillor Jim Mason said.
