Uncovered: The Ken Burns Quilt Collection

Back when I was a junior in high school, I remember watching a documentary on the Civil War. I had never heard of Ken Burns at the time. And to be honest, I could not figure out why we were watching so many videos during class. But the more clips that we saw, the more that I was drawn into the story telling. Although I did not necessarily make the connection to the person behind the films, really that was probably when I became a Ken Burns’ fan. He uncovered history for me in a whole new way.

When I saw the Nebraska Stories segment last week that announced that part of Ken Burns’ quilt collection is currently in Lincoln at the International Quilt and Study Center, I knew that I wanted to see the display. And I am so glad that I did. The “Uncovered” display helped me to appreciate Ken Burns in a whole new way.

Not surprisingly, many of the quilts in the display are definitely patriotic in nature. Many of them feature star patterns, and the red, white and blue colors. In the featured image, the Red Cross quilt features an earlier American flag. And the fact that you can see a bit of wear is a reminder that this quilt has been loved.

At the Quilt House, they did a wonderful job organizing the quilts into groupings. While I am certain the Ken Burns has many quilts still at home, the quilts that they brought to Lincoln display together remarkably well.

As always, I asked my children which ones were there favorites. While we did all like the American flag quilt, after that all of us had other favorites. There are so many beautiful quilts to pick from.

Uncovered is only around for a short time …

Besides the quilts themselves, many quotes from Ken Burns are featured around the room. His thoughts on his “Uncovered” collection make it even more worthwhile. If you have the opportunity to go and see this quilt display, I would highly recommend that you go. But you do not have very much time. Since the collection has been in Lincoln several months, the time is short. After Mother’s Day, the quilts will be taken down.