Cutting Edge: Inventive Nineteenth-century Quilts from the Collection of Arlan and Pat Christ

August 9, 2025 through October 26, 2025

Scheller and Fowler Galleries

American, probably southeastern Pennsylvania, Delectable Mountains Variation, ca. 1890, pieced and quilted cotton. Collection of Arlan and Pat Christ.

Cutting Edge features unusual and unexpected quilts from the 1800s—the century when quilt-making rose to prominence as an American art form.  From the earliest years of this tradition, women found opportunity for self-expression through experimentation. Rather than simply follow popular patterns, they embellished and reinterpreted them, playing with the scale and layout of familiar blocks. Some even developed entirely new designs, or hid playful imagery in their quilting stitches.

This exhibition presents over thirty quilts from the collection of Arlan and Pat Christ, many of which have never been on public display. Highlights include colorful designs by Pennsylvania German makers, superlative album quilts, and unique details like quilted handprints and curious birds.

Elizabeth Smith (American, born ca. 1820, active in Ohio), Coxcomb Variation (detail), ca. 1845, appliquéd and quilted cotton. Collection of Arlan and Pat Christ.

While we tend to think of the past as staid and conventional, Cutting Edge’s riot of color and pattern celebrates the creativity of nineteenth-century quilters. This exhibition illustrates how personal vision, variation, and innovation all enrich tradition.

This exhibition is supported through the generosity of The Bernard and Audrey Berman Foundation and the Leon C. and June W. Holt Endowment.

Image at top: American, probably Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania, Bullseye, ca. 1870, pieced cotton with appliqué flowers, quilted. Collection of Arlan and Pat Christ.