For centuries, Chinese artisans have employed quilting, piecing and appliqué to create and embellish textiles. Often these techniques have been used to produce useful objects, such as clothing and bedding. In the past, sewing was generally a largely practical affair (though often also beautiful), or it was performed by ladies of leisure. Recently, however, Chinese artists and hobbyists — people of all classes and backgrounds — have started to make American-style quilts as a pastime and form of personal expression.

Students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will collaborate with students from Japan’s Saitama University to curate an exhibition of the most popular American quilt styles from the golden age of state and world’s fairs. It will also examine Japan’s presence at many world’s fairs as well as the resulting impact of Japanese art and design on American quilts. This cross-cultural curation experience is part of an ongoing partnership between the International Quilt Museum, UNL’s School of Global and Integrative Studies, and Saitama University.

Textile artist Susan Else creates three dimensional sculptures with sewn cloth. She describes her work as "stealth art," in which the comfortable ambiance of textiles contrasts with narrative imagery — the result expresses uncomfortable paradoxes in contemporary life. This exhibition features a mechanized presentation of the circus, but a closer look reveals unexpected twists and possibilities.

Susan Else creates three dimensional sculptures with sewn cloth. She describes her work as "stealth art", in which the comfortable ambiance of the textile medium contrasts with narrative imagery that expresses uncomfortable paradoxes of contemporary life. Without a Net, features a mechanized presentation of familiar circus elements that, with a closer look, reveal unexpected twists, meanings and possibilities.

Intricately block-printed cottons, elaborately embroidered silks, and richly plush velvets. Shiny satin bed covers, warm padded clothing, and revered prayer rugs. All of these materials, techniques, and objects are part of the Turkish yorgan tradition. Yorgan is the Turkish word for a quilt. The quilting technique has been practiced in Turkey for centuries, from the age of the long-lived Ottoman Empire to the present day.