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San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles facts for kids
SJMQT
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| Established | 1977 |
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| Location | 520 S. First Street, San Jose, California 95113 United States  |
| Type | Art museum |
| Collections | textiles, fiber arts |
| Collection size | 1,000 |
| Public transit access | Santa Clara station (VTA) San Jose Diridon station |
The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles is a special art museum located in Downtown San Jose, California, USA. It opened in 1977. This museum was the very first in the United States to focus only on quilts and textiles as a form of art.
The museum has a huge collection of over 1,000 quilts, clothes, and fabrics from different cultures. Most of these are from artists of the 1900s and 2000s. The museum also has a library with over 500 books about how quilts and textiles are made and their history.
Contents
The Museum's Story
The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles is one of the oldest museums of textiles in the United States.
The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles (SJMQT) started in 1977. It was first called the American Museum of Quilts and Related Arts. It was founded in Los Altos, California by the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association.
In 1986, it became a nonprofit museum. A group of trustees helped manage it. The museum moved several times. In 2005, it found its permanent home in San Jose. This new home is 13,000 square feet (1,200 square metres) big. It is located in San Jose's SoFA (South First Area) Arts District.
When it first started, the museum's collection had mostly quilts from the 1800s and 1900s. These were given by the people who started the museum. By 1999, the museum received the Porcella Collection. This added many ethnic textiles and garments. Today, the museum has over 1,500 items in its main collection. For its 40th birthday, the museum also received the Marbaum Collection. This was a gift from Marvin Fletcher and his late wife.
What You Can See: Exhibitions
The museum shows amazing exhibitions from all over the world. These shows often highlight how people from different cultures use textiles to share their stories. Many artists featured at the museum mix modern technology with old fiber art traditions. Most exhibitions and special displays stay for about three months.
Some past exhibitions have shown works by artists from the San Francisco Bay Area. Others have explored traditions from different countries. For example, in 2018, the museum had a special exhibition. It was called Guns: Loaded Conversations. This show featured quilts about gun violence. It was put together by the Studio Art Quilt Associates.
Get Involved: Programs
The museum loves to connect with the local community. It offers many programs where people can learn about quilts and textiles. Some programs are run by the museum itself. These include free community open houses. Other programs are created with artists and other nonprofit groups.
Artist in Residence Program
The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles started its Artist in Residence program in October 2016. This program hosts an artist or a group of artists for three months. They get a special studio and exhibition space inside the museum. This space is called the Maker Space and Gallery.
Visitors to the museum can watch the artists work. The artists also offer workshops. These workshops teach people different styles and ways to make textile art. Many talented artists have been part of this program.