Awards presented at May 24 Vandalia Gathering Concert

 CHARLESTON – The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History (WVDACH) unveiled the annual exhibition, Quilts and Wall Hangings 2019, in the Great Hall of the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex, and announced the winners of the juried exhibition at the opening concert of the annual Vandalia Gathering.

This year, the popular juried exhibition features 54 creative quilts and wall hangings representing the talents of West Virginians from 17 counties. There are 36 quilts and 18 wall hangings in the exhibition, which will remain on display through Sept. 16, 2019. 

“Quilt making is one of West Virginia’s oldest and most treasured art forms,” said Charles Morris, museums director. “This annual display is a favorite for many West Virginians and for quilters and quilt lovers from around the country. It is one of our most popular displays.”

The exhibition features the work of 45 quilters. Winners were selected by Jane Hall, a quilter, teacher, judge and appraiser for antique and contemporary quilts from Raleigh, N.C. Hall selected winners in four categories: pieced quilts, applique quilts, mixed/other quilts and wall hangings. Quilt awards are $750 for first place, $400 for second place and $300 for third place. The wall hanging awards are $400 for first place, $300 for second place and $200 for third place. The department made two purchase awards, one each for quilts and wall hangings, and the juror designated a Best of Show prize of $100. In addition, eight nonmonetary honorable mention distinctions were made.

First place winners in this year’s exhibition include Debbie Chancellor of Nitro, Kanawha County, forParadise in Bloom (Best of Show) in the Mixed/Other Quilt category; Marie Miley of Huntington, Cabell County, forWild Rose, in the Applique Quilt category; Irene Goff of Huntington, Cabell County, for Compass Star in the Mixed/Other category, and Carol Cutlip of South Charleston, Kanawha County, for Blue Hydrangea in the Wall Hanging category.

For the fourth consecutive year, the department’s Quilt and Wall Hanging Exhibition will feature a National Association of Certified Quilt Judges (NACQJ) Award of Merit. This year’s winner is Darene Webb, of Cross Lanes, Kanawha County, for Farm Girl Vintage, in the Pieced Quilt category. As an NACQJ certified judge, Hall had the option of awarding this special ribbon. The award goes to a quilter whose work shows creativity and who has achieved recognized standards of quilt making excellence.

The Culture Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.