International Honor Quilt

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International Honor Quilt
Also known as International Quilting Bee
A section of the International Honor Quilt
ArtistJudy Chicago
Year1980
TypeCollective feminist art project
MediumQuilt pieces
LocationLouisville, Kentucky
OwnerThe Hite Art Institute, University of Louisville (since 2013)
WebsiteInternational Honor Quilt

The International Honor Quilt (also known as the International Quilting Bee) is a collective feminist art project initiated in 1980 by Judy Chicago as a companion piece to The Dinner Party.[1][2] The piece is a collection of 539 two-foot-long quilted triangles that honor women from around the world.[3] Through the Flower, Chicago's not-for-profit organization, gifted the collection to University of Louisville Hite Art Institute in 2013 to be available for research and to exhibit.[1]

History

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Creation

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In Judy Chicago's autobiography, Beyond the Flower, she discusses initiating the International Quilting Bee, stating that "people would be invited to submit their triangular quilts...honoring women of their own determination. By doing this, I intended to provide an opportunity for community participation and also to counter another criticism that had emerged, this time about my choices of women."[4]

Community collaboration

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Individual quilt panels were often created by groups of women after viewing or hearing about Chicago's Dinner Party. For example, a group from the Chrysallis Center at Saginaw Valley State University, Michigan, visited the Dinner Party exhibition in Chicago in 1981. Returning to Saginaw via bus that evening, they decided they needed to create a quilt panel and submit it to the project. Under the leadership of Rosalie (Riegle) Troester, an English instructor at the University, and Trish Nowicke, Campus Minister, a group of fourteen students created a multicolored butterfly wing as a symbolic representation of both the growth stage, and the student career counseling and support center of which they were members. They completed the project and forwarded their creation to Through the Flower for display at the next Dinner Party venue in Montreal.[2]

Donation

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In 2013, Judy Chicago donated the International Honor Quilt to the University of Louisville after quilt historian and advocate Shelly Zegart suggested it as the best place for the quilt.[5]

Description

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The International Honor Quilt is a collection of 539 panels of triangular quilts honoring women, women's organizations, and women's issues.[6]

Women represented

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Mythological, religious, fictional

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Well-known women

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Women's groups and organizations

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Countries represented

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Women from around the world wanted to be a part of the feminist spirit of The Dinner Party as it toured. Twelve countries are represented with over 136 known municipalities. The University of Louisville's Digital Archives has detailed information about locations of all the quilt pieces.[7]

  • United States – (35 known locations)
  • Canada – 105
  • Australia – 30 (21 known locations)
  • Germany – 27
  • England – 12
  • India – 5
  • Austria – 3
  • Scotland – 3
  • Romania – 2
  • South Africa – 2
  • Israel – 1
  • Japan – 1

Impact

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According to Kay Grubola,[a] the International Honor Quilt "was a model for public statements like the AIDS Quilt — they contacted Judy to find out how she did it."[5] Cleve Jones, founder of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, listed Judy Chicago's Dinner Party as one inspiration for the project.[8]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Kay Grubola was the vice president of the Kentucky Quilt Project in 2014, when she gave the statement quoted in this article.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Feminist quilt to be displayed at U of L". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  2. ^ a b "'International Honor Quilt' given to U of L". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  3. ^ Gerhard, Jane F. (2013-06-01). The Dinner Party: Judy Chicago and the Power of Popular Feminism, 1970–2007. University of Georgia Press. p. 196. ISBN 9780820336756.
  4. ^ Chicago, Judy (1996). Beyond the Flower: The Autobiography of a Feminist Artist. New York: Penguin Group. pp. 79. ISBN 0-670-85295-3.
  5. ^ a b Triplett, Jo Anne. "Quilt of many stories". LEO Weekly. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  6. ^ "Extending the Spirit of The Dinner Party: The International Honor Quilt," University of Louisville, Hite Art Institute, 2015 (brochure)
  7. ^ "International Honor Quilt Collection". digital.library.louisville.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-11-06. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
  8. ^ Jones, Cleve (1991-06-26). "Cleve Jones" (Audio and text transcription). Interviewed by Ian Kember. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
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