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 Things are starting to get very exciting now as 2008 is here and we approach the opening of our new Quilt Museum and Gallery in York.
St Anthony’s Hall is to be handed over to us at the end of January so we can begin the work on fitting out the interior for our needs -- setting up the gallery hanging system, the quilt store, and the library. We still aim for the physical move from Halifax to York to take place in February or March, leaving us with time to get settled in before the grand opening in early summer.
York Conservation Trust, our new landlords, recently had some good news
that has enabled them to put £200,000 towards the renovation of the
garden around St Anthony’s Hall; they were able to sell a piece of
furniture discovered in York Assembly Rooms that turned out to be the
bottom half of a very important credenza and cabinet; when the two were
married up and auctioned, they raised over half a million pounds! The
funds will enable students from Bishop Burton College to turn the
outdoor space into a wonderful multi-sensory garden, bounded by the
city walls. Guild members are encouraged to turn out their attics in
the hope of finding similar fund-raising treasures!
Speaking of fund-raising, funds from Guild members (as of the end of
December) are now up to £91,340, over half way to our target of
£150,000 from members’ efforts (£500,000 in total), but still with a
way to go yet. We continue to get reports of innovative ways that our
members have been raising money: one member from Widdington near
Saffron Walden organised a fishing completion, the village against
members of Saffron Walden Royal Mail. Royal Mail won, unfortunately,
but they all had great fun and raised £60 for the St Anthony's fund.
Every penny helps, so please don’t feel you have to raise thousands at
a time -- proceeds of a coffee morning, loose change collected and
counted and sent as a cheque, funds from selling off your old quilting
magazines on eBay -- it’s all welcome and we’re very grateful for your
efforts.
Our efforts continue as well. The TopLots eBay auction raised £591
before expenses, and both Janice Gunner and Lilian Hedley will be
heading up to the north of Scotland to give workshops after being
“bought” by the same lady who lives north of Inverness. AIM, the
organisers or the auction for heritage experiences, are planning to
repeat the event, so if you have any ideas for experiences we could
offer for auction next time, do let us know.
We had 400 postcards produced by members for sale at the Knitting and
Stitching shows and 147 of these were sold at £10 each in October, with
further sales in November. Any
remaining will be at the Festival of Quilts again this year.
Also, don’t forget about our bag tombola to be held at this year’s
Festival -- we need as many bags as you can make! One member passed
the request on to her quilt group and they are now contributing 24!
Bags can be any size, shape, technique or colour and they don’t have to
be made by Guild members either.
Finally, we have just had the excellent news that our application for a
grant from the Arts Council has been approved. This money will fund
the majority of the cost of our grand opening exhibition and really
enable us to start off with a bang -- the exhibition “Quilts in Time:
Journey from Bed to Wall” curated by Helen Joseph is specifically
planned to make a statement about our heritage and future and to
announce our arrival in York as a place to visit. The Arts Council
grant means that we’ll really be able to make the most of this
opportunity and is fabulous news for the Quilt Museum and Gallery and
the Guild.
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2008 issue of The Quilter, Journal Nº 114.
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