BOCA RATON, FL.- The Boca Raton Museum of Art is presenting the art of quilting as a medium for art and social advocacy. Politics NOT as Usual: Quilts with Something to Say is a unique exhibition revealing quilts as one of the most eloquent and consistent reflections of American life from the colonial period to present; created primarily from a female perspective.

Highlighting textile masterpieces from the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, Politics NOT as Usual exhibits the work of two centuries of women who used the medium of quilting as a venue to cast their votes, comment on the political landscape, and participate in national life.

From quilts expressing Union pride following the Civil War, promoting presidential candidates, anger at being denied the right to vote, to a call for Hawaiian independence, Politics NOT as Usual offers visitors a personal context to our country’s past. The unparalleled quality of the quilts – their rare fabrics, skilled workmanship, and well-preserved condition – permit viewers to truly understand a medium that bridges the gap between fine art and folk craft. Graphic strategy and technique transform these bedcovers into monumental assertions of self-identity and statements of belief.

The exhibition also marks the first opportunity for viewers to see the 9/11 National Tribute Quilt outside of the American Folk Art Museum. The art piece incorporates quilt blocks from five hundred people in fifty states as well as Canada, Spain, Denmark, and Australia to acknowledge the loss of thousands of lives on that infamous day. The four central panels form a montage of the twin towers of the World Trade Center against the New York City skyline.

Politics NOT as Usual: Quilts with Something to Say is curated by Stacy Hollander, Chief Curator at the American Folk Art Museum