Quilts = Art = Quilts 2026

Quilts=Art=Quilts

Quilts=Art=Quilts is an international juried quilt exhibition at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, New York. The Art Center has been a longstanding proponent of quilts as a visual arts medium and has been presenting quilts in a gallery setting since 1981.  

Jurors select quilts based on overall quality of design, visual impact and originality.  Prizes are awarded, including $1,000 for Best of Show.

Applicants may submit 2 artworks for consideration. You may submit one full view image and one detail image of each work for a total of 4 images. Detail images are optional.

Full view images must be labeled with the title of the artwork. 

Detail images MUST be labeled as follows: Title of artwork_detail.

Do not submit more than 2 artworks. Detail images that are not properly labeled, or applicants who submit more than 2 artworks will be disqualified.

The fee for non-members is $35. The entry fee for current members of the Schweinfurth Art Center is $30. To get the membership discount you must call the Art Center at 315-255-1553 for the promo code.

Jurors:

Fuzzy Mall

Fuzzy Mall is a self-taught textile artist whose bold quilted portraits have redefined the boundaries of contemporary fiber art. His work has been recognized with some of the field’s most prestigious honors, including the Fiber Art International People’s Choice Award, Craft Forms Best in Show (Textiles), and Quilt=Art=Quilt’s Best in Show, and the Canadian National Juried Quilt Exhibition’s Excellence in Innovation and Best Art Depiction of Human/Animal Form. Fuzzy has also been the recipient of maker’s grants from The Canada Council for the Arts, and Ontario Arts Council.

 Known for his innovative use of reclaimed fabrics, hyper-realistic detail, and willingness to “kill his darlings” by deconstructing and reinventing his own work, Fuzzy Mall’s creative risk-taking and technical mastery continue to inspire artists and audiences alike.  His work comments on modernity through portraiture.

Victoria Findlay Wolfe

Victoria Findlay Wolfe is an award winning artist and quilter whose designs balance traditional, modern, and art quilting styles. A farm girl raised in Minnesota; her influences are heavily based on her grandmother’s scrappy colorful double knit polyester quilts. Victoria considers her process as an artist/storyteller, incorporating memories of life, travels and nature in all that she does. She lives in NYC, and teaches and lectures on creativity and process. Her quilts have traveled the globe with notable exhibits in Japan, Australia & UK, and have been featured at museums across the country. Victoria won ‘Best in Show’ at the first QuiltCon in 2013 with her quilt, “Double Edged Love,”  the first quilt in a large series of double wedding ring quilts for which she is well-known. She was honored to be featured in the Craft in America: Quilts episode on PBS.

Victoria's online shop, vfwquilts.com, offers her own patterns, templates, quilt kits, courses, and community. She is an author of several quilting books, including 15 Minutes of Play,  Double Wedding Rings: Traditions Made Modern, Modern Quilt Magic, Playing with Purpose, and The Quilting Experience. 

Dates to Remember

Entry Deadline: August 4, 2026

Notification of Jury Results: September 4, 2026

Delivery of Quilts: Sept. 28 - Oct. 3, 2026

Artist Reception & Awards: Saturday Oct. 31, 2026 4:00pm-6:00pm

Exhibition: October 31, 2026-January 3, 2027

Return shipping of quilts: Beginning January 8, 2027
 

Selection Process

An emphasis is placed on overall quality of design, originality and visual impact.  Preliminary acceptance will be granted on the basis of the digital image submission.  Prizes will be awarded for excellence in design and workmanship in multiple categories, including $1,000 for Best in Show. Prizes are determined after the exhibit is installed.
 

Definitions & Conditions of Entry

• A quilt is a fabric sandwich comprised of at least two layers:  a top, a back and usually a filling. These are held together with quilting or tying threads. Integration of non-fabric items is acceptable.
• Up to two entries of original work per person are permitted.
• Preliminary acceptance will be granted based on digital images. Final acceptance will be granted after receipt and examination of quilt.
• The jurors and staff of the Schweinfurth Art Center reserve the right to refuse any accepted entry for exhibition if it does not contain the same qualities as the submitted image.
• Quilts must measure a minimum of 900 square inches total (height x width=square inches).  The vertical dimensions of any single piece may not exceed 108 inches.
• Quilts must have been completed in 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026.
• Quilts must be in pristine condition and be show ready.
• Quilts with pre-programmed computerized machine quilting (that is not designed by the artist) are not eligible.
• Quilts made or derived from kits, workshops, classes or commercial patterns are not eligible.
• Quilts must have a continuous 3” wide sleeve attached to the back of the top of the quilt. Exceptions are made if appropriate means of hanging or display is provided.
• Quilts must be available from October 31, 2026- January 3, 2027.
• Quilts previously exhibited at the Schweinfurth Art Center are not eligible.
• Quilts that do not meet conditions of entry will not be accepted.
• The Art Center will retain a 30% commission on all sales made during the exhibition.  An insurance value and a sale price, which includes commission (unless the quilt is not for sale), must be included in the application.
   

Entry Fee

The entry fee for non-members is $35. The entry fee for Members of the Schweinfurth Art Center is $30. Entry fees must be paid online with a credit card at the time of entry. To receive your membership discount you must call the Art Center at 315-255-1553 for the promo code.
 

Notification of Acceptance

Notification of acceptance will be emailed September 4, 2026  

Delivery/Retrieval

All quilts must arrive at Schweinfurth Art Center between Monday, Sept. 28 and Saturday Oct. 3. Hand delivery will be accepted within the same time dates during regular hours: Monday – Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm. We cannot accept deliveries on Sunday. Failure to provide an accepted work will result in the artist’s being ineligible for future exhibitions.

Artists are responsible for packing, shipping and insurance of accepted work to and from the Art Center. Work must be shipped in a substantial, reusable container. All continental US based artists must provide return shipping forms for quilts that need to be returned to artists by the Art Center via mail. Alaska/Hawaii, other US territories, and international artists may ship their work one way, and the Art Center will invoice them for the return shipping.

Quilts may be picked up from Tuesday, January 5, through Friday, January 8, 2027, from 10am-5pm or by appointment. Shipped work will be returned by mail beginning Friday, January 8, 2027.

Insurance

Quilts must have an insurance value indicated on the entry form.  It must be defendable in the event of a claim. The Art Center reserves the right to require a certified appraisal for any quilt valued over $1,000.

The Art Center will insure objects while on site for the insurance value indicated on the entry form. The Artist is responsible for insurance during shipping both ways.