SAN JOSE MUSEUM OF QUILTS & TEXTILES
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Mission Statement
The mission of the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles is to share and celebrate the art and culture of textiles. We believe that fabric holds an innate power to connect people of varied backgrounds. We are committed to providing a welcoming environment for all. We strive to create an inclusive educational, cultural, and artistic space. Our exhibitions reflect a diverse range of perspectives within the textile medium. Exhibitions and interpretive materials are intended to highlight, empower, and celebrate the creative work of textile artists both local and global. Our educational programs invite learners to join creative dialogues that promote cultural respect and mutual understanding, as well as insight into artists' intentions, creative use of materials, innovative techniques, and social-historical context. Through our outreach programs, we seek to provide access and participatory opportunities for everyone in our community.
About This Cause
As the first museum in the United States dedicated to the appreciation and creativity of quilts, textiles, and fiber art, the Museum is dedicated to showing how textile art is relevant to today’s audience. Fiber art and textiles can celebrate our community’s cultural and ethnic traditions as well as address significant social, political, and environmental issues. The Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association (SCVQA) founded the Museum in 1977 and after occupying a number of rented spaces, the Museum purchased and renovated an historic 13,000-square-foot building in downtown San Jose. Since opening its doors in September 2005, the Museum has served as an anchor in SoFA (South of First Area), San Jose’s downtown arts, cultural, and entertainment district. The Museum's 45th anniversary exhibition, January-March 2022, will highlight acquisitions from the last 5 years. The Queer Threads exhibit, April-June 2022, will present nearly three dozen artists connected to the West coast who are remixing fiber and textile traditions to explore contemporary LGBTQ ideas. Solo exhibitions in 2022 will showcase artists Victoria Martinez, Consuelo jimenez Underwood, and Jonothan Korotko. During the pandemic, staff was able to provide support to under-resourced communities through partners. Over 7,000 ArtKits, which included all the materials for an easy, fun, and educational activity, were distributed to 3,500 families alongside urban garden Veggielution's food boxes. In collaboration with five other national textile art organizations, the Museum continues to host online lectures by inspiring artists through weekly Textile Talks. We also launched seven online exhibitions, a wide selection of digital workshops, artist interviews, and our first digital Artist-in-Residence program. Now that the Museum has re-opened, additional programs, such as guest lectures, panel discussions, members’ receptions, and artist walkthroughs, are scheduled to complement the Museum’s rotating exhibitions. Recently, the Museum began hosting Crafternoons, free community maker events, in the Pocket Park next door, courtesy of Veggielution. The Artist in Residence (AIR) program, launched in October 2016, is popular with visitors who can interact with artists and learn more about the creative process. The AIR offers workshops or classes in the Makerspace and has open studios during First Friday and regular Museum hours. The Museum participates in the monthly South First Friday art walk in the SoFA district. For almost 15 years, the Museum has been jointly providing support for Quilts as Women’s Shelter, in conjunction with Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence and the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association. This outreach program guides women and children who are survivors of domestic violence through the therapeutic process of making their first quilts. The permanent collection consists of over 1,500 objects and includes important works by contemporary quilt and fiber artists, as well as ethnographic textiles that represent the diversity of San Jose and Santa Clara County. In honor of the Museum’s 40th Anniversary in 2017, a major collector of studio art quilts donated his collection of 87 art works, known internationally as the Marbaum Collection. This gift significantly enhances the Museum’s holdings in this area, placing the institution in the top three institutions that collect this type of art.