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CO-FOUNDER LAUNCHES ENDOWMENT FUND FOR NONPROFIT ALLIANCE FOR AMERICAN QUILTS
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Asheville, N.C. August 24, 2009--The Alliance for American Quilts is pleased to
announce that Shelly Zegart of Louisville, Kentucky (pictured below), co-founder and board
president for more than 12 years, has established an endowment fund. The Zegart
Fund for The Alliance for American Quilts has been set up with the Community
Foundation of Western North Carolina.
"Both (my husband) Kenny and I
hope that the creation of this endowment, a primary goal for the organization
first discussed in Spring/Summer 2006, will create an incentive for others to
contribute to it as well," said Ms. Zegart in a letter to the Alliance
board.
"We are very excited about reaching this significant milestone,"
said Amy Milne, executive director of the Alliance for American Quilts. "We will
continue to build our operating reserves as well, in the interest of remaining
nimble in a challenging economy. We are extremely grateful to Shelly and Kenny.
Shelly Zegart worked with passion and precision to construct a strong foundation
of excellence for this organization. It's wonderful to have financial support as
we build on her legacy."
After launching the first state documentation
project in Kentucky, Shelly Zegart became a national force for the
recognition and study of quilts. She has curated many exhibits here and abroad
and lectures on all aspects of quilt history and aesthetics. As a quilt
collector, curator and dealer, she sought out the finest period examples and the
stories behind them. The bulk of her personal quilt collection was acquired by
the world-renowned Art Institute of Chicago. She continues to lecture and write
about quilts and quilt history. Her website is www.shellyquilts.com.
Since its founding in 1993, the Alliance has rapidly grown into one of the
premiere nonprofits devoted to quilt history, known for its unrivaled virtual
collection of quilts from four centuries. The Quilt Index, operated in
partnership with Michigan State University, now presents more than 21,000
documented quilts online (www.quiltindex.org). The unique oral history project,
Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories will soon exceed 1,000 quiltmaker interviews
and is archived at the Library of Congress
(www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/qsos/). The Quilt Treasures project now
boasts 13 multimedia portraits of pioneers in the 20th-century quilt renaissance
(www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/treasures/), with more coming soon.
For more information about the Alliance, its mission and the endowment, please
contact executive director Amy Milne.
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