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The Voice of You and Me, 59" x 62", was designed as a raffle quilt by Yvonne Porcella for the tenth anniversary of The Alliance for American Quilts.
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For ten years, the nonprofit organization The Alliance for American Quilts has worked toward a goal of documenting, preserving, and sharing America's quilt heritage with all who are interested.
In August, the group kicked off its Tenth Anniversary Campaign in San Francisco, California, with an announcement that an anonymous donor had contributed $50,000. Shelly Zegart, president of The Alliance, announced the donation and said more news would appear on the website www.centerforthequilt.org as the campaign develops.
Additionally, a raffle quilt designed by award-winning quiltmaker and designer Yvonne Porcella was unveiled, with the proceeds to benefit the group. Quilt artist Karen Musgrave sewed the design, and Rebecca Skvorc Latham quilted the piece. The final drawing will be held on April 24, 2004.
Yvonne's bright color palette is reflected in the quilt, entitled The Voice of You and Me, based on imagery by graphic designer Suzanne Staud that is used in the group's brochure and on its website.
Yvonne has served on the board of The Alliance since it was founded in 1993. "The work of The Alliance is so important," she says. "We're working to extend the impact of quilts and quiltmakers well beyond the boundaries of the quilt world."
To date, The Alliance has established a number of programs and projects, including a special oral project, Quilt Treasures, that documents the lives, work, and influence of leaders of the American quilt revival of the 1960s and '70s. The first completed, a mini-documentary with the founder of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, Bonnie Leman, can be seen on the group's website.
Another project, Quilters' S.O.S.-Save Our Stories, led to the completion of more than 300 interviews with quiltmakers, and the national grassroots oral history project anticipates even more.
Initial development has been completed on The Quilt Index, an online resource that brings together more than 20 public and private quilt collections. In addition, The Alliance has joined forces with three universities to establish Regional Centers for the Quilt.
All of these projects, as well as information concerning the quilt raffle, are described in greater detail on The Alliance website at www.centerforthequilt.org. M. J. Kinman, executive director for the organization, can be reached by phone or fax at 502-897-3819.
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