CONTRIBUTED

Fleur Bresler learned her lessons well. As a volunteer docent for the Division of Social History at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, she came under the wing of quilt scholar Doris Bowman, Curator of the Textiles Collection. Researching the printed chintzes, all-white quilts, glazed wool quilts and indigo resist fabrics in the Smithsonian collection introduced Fleur to the writings of textile and quilt historians Barbara Brackman, Florence Montgomery, Florence Pettit and Patsy Orlofsky.

“That was my education and the impetus for my quilt collecting,” says Bresler. “It opened my eyes to the possibility of creating a small, representative group of quilts with historical significance.”

The result of a 20 year pursuit of her goal will be on display in the exhibition American Quilt Classics 1800 – 1980: The Charles and Fleur Bresler Collection at Charlotte’s Mint Museum of Craft + Design (MMC+D) through Jan. 4. Sponsored by the museum’s Founders’ Circle, the exhibition presents a comprehensive visual primer to American quilt history.

“What Fleur Bresler achieved in building her focused collection is nothing short of amazing,” says MMC+D Curator Melissa Post. “The 37 quilts donated to the Mint and on display represent all but two of the known quilting styles throughout the history of American quilting. Even more impressive, very few gifts or collections come to a museum with the extent of research, provenance, condition reports and correspondence history that came with the Bresler Collection.”

American Quilts Classics features white work, indigo resist and block-printed chintz from the late 18th and early 19th centuries; appliqué, stenciled, mosaic template-pieced and album quilts from the mid 1800s; log cabin, crazy and charm quilts from the late 19th century and a group of 20th century Amish pieced quilts. Ten of the 37 quilts are smaller-sized quilts (doll, crib or child). Crib quilts are especially prized since few survived.

“The American quilt has been called the quintessential metaphor for the American experience,” wrote quilt historian Merikay Waldvogel in the exhibition catalogue. “Layered, stitched, embellished and reworked, quilts reflect the cultural, aesthetic and artistic heritage of this country. Quilts have never been simple, utilitarian bedcovers. Too much time and imagination go into making a quilt for its purpose to overshadow its creative form.”

The Mint Museum of Craft + Design is located at 220 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 adults, $5 seniors, $3 ages 6 – 17. Admission is valid for the Mint Museum of Art at 2730 Randolph Road on the same day. Closed on Mondays and major holidays.