WCHS exhibit showcases Gunn’s quilt and coverlet collection

Now through Dec. 27, the Wayne County Historical Society invites the community to visit its display honoring Dr. Virginia Gunn. The exhibit highlights Gunn’s quilt and coverlet collection, which she donated to the society.

A resident of Wooster since 1971, Gunn has been considered an expert in 19th-century quilts and coverlets.

The Quilters Hall of Fame Blog said of Gunn, “Dr. Virginia Gunn’s diverse background in the decorative arts — far wider than just quilts — enables her to frame historical quilts from any era within a broader historical context and a wider human narrative. The fact that she settled on quilt history as one of the major focuses has broadened the field of quilt history enormously.”

Up until recent years, Gunn was sought after to speak nationwide. She also presented and published research on American costumes and textiles, quilts and coverlets, and on women’s history.

“Ginny was a native of Southern Minnesota, and she earned her bachelor’s degree in home economics education from Kansas State University,” said Allyson Leisy, chairperson of the historical society’s textile committee. “She also got her master’s at Syracuse University in applied arts while her husband taught at Syracuse. They came to Wooster in 1971 when her husband Doug (deceased) took a position at The College of Wooster. She received her doctorate in history from the University of Akron, where she began her teaching career.”

Gunn taught courses on the history of costume and fashion, the history of interior design, and material-culture studies.

“This exhibit shows the difference and the similarities between the patterns of quilts and coverlets (by placing them side by side),” Leisy said. “Most people do not know the difference (between the two).”

Most of the items in the display date from 1830-70.

“Gunn has written, edited and compiled papers and books on quilt history,” Leisy said. “She’s made presentations to other experts, curated exhibitions, and advised more than a generation of young quilters and quilt historians in both thesis and honors projects.”

Gunn was inducted into the Quilters Hall of Fame in 2017 and was a member of the Colonial Coverlet Guild of America. She was a member of the WCHS Textile Committee for over 30 years.

Leisy said Wayne County was considered the “Coverlet Corridor of Ohio” — with the greatest number of coverlet weavers in the state.

Find the WCHS online at waynehistoricalohio.org. Tours are conducted on Saturdays at 1 and 2:30 p.m. The exhibit, “Connected by Design — Shared Patterns Quilts and Coverlets,” is in the dress shop on the campus of the Wayne County Historical Society. For more information call 330-264-8856.