“My mother quilted,” recalls Robert James, who along with his wife, Ardis, has amassed one of the top quilt collections in the United States. “She’d have everybody over to quilt, and afterwards she’d show me their stitching—what was really good and what wasn’t.

That’s where I learned my appreciation for workmanship." That appreciation led to years of study and the realization that quilts are not just an American folk art form but a worldwide, pan-cultural phenomenon. And the James collection became the seed that has grown into the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, whose mission is to "collect, preserve, study, exhibit and promote discovery of quilts and quiltmaking traditions from many cultures, countries and time periods."

In 2000 the National Trust for Historic Preservation designated the Ardis and Robert James Collection an official project of the Save America’s Treasures program, in the company of other objects including the Star Spangled Banner, the original flag that inspired the poem by Francis Scott Key. "At first, we just bought what we liked," says Bob James. "Then we got the idea that we could do something important. We decided to build a comprehensive collection—well, that’s impossible, but we wanted to show the legacy and the variety of quilting around the world."

The collection, which the Jameses began in 1979, has more than 1,000 examples dating from the late 1700s to the present and represents "the best of a particular time or place," says Ardis, who is also a quilter. Though Bob repeatedly praises Ardis’s "eye," building this collection was a shared adventure. "We looked at quilts," says Bob. "We read everything and asked everyone, everywhere, about quilts. We talked to artists and learned from them. We hired consultants. Soon, we felt confident that we could build a museum-quality collection."
 
The IQSC was established in 1997, after the couple donated nearly 950 quilts with an estimated worth of more than $6 million to the university. The Jameses continue in their role as benefactors and serve on the advisory board. "It’s with their support that we’ve really been able to expand our international collection," says Carolyn Ducey, IQSC Curator of Collections. Over the past decade, the center’s holdings have more than doubled, and special collections of African-American, French, Pakistani, Indian and Amish crib quilts have been added. On March 30, the center will reach another milestone when it dedicates a 37,000 square-foot museum on the university campus.

Art collectors may be surprised to find how easily quilts complement their collections in other mediums. "French quilts of the 19th century fit well with a classical theme," says Ducey, "while quilts with strong graphic elements appeal to collectors of modern art." Take, for instance, "Concentric Squares," a 42-inch-by-41 inch example made by an anonymous quilter between 1890 and 1910, which Ardis purchased at Sotheby’s in 1992. "Although its size [42" x 41"] may suggest a crib quilt, it is hard to imagine such a visually active quilt being used for a child’s bed," says IQSC director Patricia Crews. This antique American quilt appeals to modernist aesthetics with its bold imagery reminiscent of Op Art. The quilt maker emphasized that effect by almost imperceptibly decreasing the width of the red strips as they near the center.

Although the Jameses initially focused on Americana, quilts such as "Concentric Squares" begged for a transition to contemporary work, including art quilts. One of the latter, "Crosses" (1976)—an early piece the Jameses acquired—is by world-renowned art quilter Nancy Crow and exemplifies her affinity for line and shape. (Crow will give a public lecture and will open her solo exhibition, "Nancy Crow: Cloth, Culture, Context" at the museum’s opening. "Crosses" will be included in that exhibit.)

If your collecting interests are contemporary, art quilts should capture your attention. The Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) defines an art quilt (also called a "studio quilt") as "a contemporary artwork exploring and expressing aesthetic concerns common to the whole range of visual arts: painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, assemblage and sculpture, which retains, through materials or technique, a clear relationship to the folk art quilt from which it descends." Robert Shaw, American folk art expert, offers a simpler definition—"a quilt-like textile intended to be viewed as a work of art."