Learn about hidden political statements in quilt design at Oct. 27 program
On Sunday, Oct. 27, Laura McDowell Hopper, a historian, curator, writer and quilter, will speak about quilts and quilting at 3 p.m. at the Aurora Historical Society at the Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place in Aurora.
Hopper is an award-winning museum curator. She is also the associate editor of Quiltfolk magazine and a textile expert who has worked at the Newberry Library, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Michigan State University Museum and the Pick Museum at Northern Illinois University, among others. Her own handiwork as a quilter has been featured in books and journals.
Among other topics, Hopper will discuss the radical political statements that may have been hidden in the straightforward designs of 19th- and 20th-century quilts.
Her remarks will be presented within the fall exhibit of the society, titled "Quilts: Art, History, Community," which features two dozen quilts from the extensive collection of the Aurora Historical Society. The items were made or used in Aurora and date from the mid-1800s to today. The exhibit, which is free to view, closes Saturday, Oct. 26.
Tickets for the lecture are $5 for historical society members and $8 for nonmembers.
They can be purchased online at www.aurorahistory.net, by calling (630) 906-0650 or by stopping in at the exhibit. Open hours are noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday.
Parking is available across the street in the city garage.