Press Releases

NATIONAL MEMORIAL QUILT EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTS SHARED SOURCES OF COMFORT AFTER OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 7, 2008

Contact: Nancy Coggins, APR
405.235.3313 or 405.760.9053
nc@oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org

NATIONAL MEMORIAL QUILT EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTS SHARED SOURCES OF COMFORT AFTER OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING
Quilts and textiles from Memorial Museum’s archives display thoughts of comfort, remembrance

OKLAHOMA CITY — The simple comfort of a handmade quilt has evoked feelings of family, love and remembrance for centuries. Beginning January 12, 2008, Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum visitors can see some of the textile art crafted to enfold the city in comfort and peace following the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

More than 30 pieces ranging in size from five inches in diameter to 21 feet long will be on display in Sharing Hope: One Stitch at a Time, an official Oklahoma Centennial project. The quilts and textiles on display in the exhibit poured into the city following the bombing from around the world.

“These quilts and textiles symbolize the support and comfort the citizens of Oklahoma received from a world that hurt with them and hoped for their healing after the bombing,” said Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum Executive Director Kari F. Watkins. “The messages sewn into each of the pieces are a testament to the spirit of giving people from all walks of life.”

Shortly after the bombing, quilt makers, using the burgeoning Internet, participated in a memorial quilt building project using blocks from individual quilters across the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The outpouring of concern resulted in "The Oklahoma City Memorial Quilt." Organizers gathered the blocks together at several locations for assembly, and in June of 1995 the 21-foot-long quilt was presented to the City of Oklahoma City.

Another of the quilts on display was made by children at Murray Avenue School of Larchmont, New York, in 1995 and sent to the Mayor's Office in Oklahoma City. Many of these children had direct ties to persons in the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. They identified with the trauma experienced in Oklahoma City as a result of the bombing in 1995, and their clothing was incorporated into the design of the quilt. These and others will be on display through April 6, 2008.

As the wife of an American diplomat, quilting historian and independent curator Le Rowell spent time in eight different embassy posts with her husband, bringing the art of American quilt making to countries around the world. She has introduced American quilt making to the people of Bolivia, Portugal, and Luxembourg and showcased American quilt collections at three ambassadorial residences. Rowell will present quilts from her own private collection and a special multimedia presentation, Quilts as Diplomacy, Dialogue and Oral History, highlighting the cross-cultural impact of quilts as both an art form and as a means of understanding different cultures in the Memorial’s Center For Education & Outreach, January 26 at 1 p.m. This special presentation is open to the public, and included with museum admission.

Sharing Hope: One Stitch at a Time will be on display through April 6, 2008. This exhibit was made possible through the generous support of Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Cox Communications, Devon Energy Corporation, Mr. and Mrs. Aubrey K. McClendon and the Oklahoma Centennial Commission. Additional support was provided by Ad Astra Foundation, An Affair of the Heart, Bezalel Foundation, Oklahoma Arts Council, Oklahoma City Winter Quilt Show, Oklahoma Quiltworks, Southwestern Stationery & Bank Supply and Wal-Mart and SAM’S CLUB.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum was created to honor “those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever” by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The Memorial and Museum are dedicated to educating visitors about the impact of violence, informing about events surrounding the bombing, and inspiring hope and healing through lessons learned by those affected.The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is free of charge. The Memorial Museum is open Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Sunday, 1-6p.m. Museum admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (62+) and $6 for students (5-college with valid ID). Children under 5 are admitted free. Group rates and programs are available. Ticket sales end at 5 p.m. daily. The Museum is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

For more information on the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, call (888) 542-HOPE or visit www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org.

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High-resolution photos of the quilts to be displayed are available for publication. Please contact Nancy Coggins at nc@oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org or 405.235.3313 to request digital copies.

A press preview of the exhibit is scheduled for 10 a.m., Friday, January 11, 2008. If you would like to attend, please contact Nancy Coggins.

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