The Ruth Funk Center Presents Lecture on Contemporary Art Quilts July 23

MELBOURNE, FLA.—The Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts at Florida Institute of Technology will present the free lecture, “Contemporary Art Quilts: A Visual History,” by Director of University Museums Carla Funk on Tuesday, July 23. The event, to be held in the center’s galleries at 6 p.m., will be preceded by a reception at 5:15.

Long dismissed as “women’s work,” quilts were not accepted as “fine art” or displayed in major museums until the late 20th-Century. Today, however, quilt exhibitions draw enormous audiences and generate thousands of dollars in revenue for galleries and museums. Using examples on display in the center’s current exhibition, Masters 2, Funk will discuss the history of the contemporary art quilt movement and the reasons for the popularity and great appeal of quilts as art.

The works featured in the exhibitionMasters 2encompass a broad range of fiber art techniques and styles, from realistic to abstract. The 37 quilt artists in the exhibition, who prove themselves masters of this exciting art form, come from all over the globe. Masters 2 is on view at the center through Aug. 24.

Regular hours for the Ruth Funk Center are Tuesday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m. The center is located on the Florida Tech campus in Melbourne at 150 W. University Blvd. Admission is free. For more information, visit http://textiles.fit.edu, or call (321) 674-8313.