New England Quilt Museum Auxiliary, Inc.The New England Quilt Museum Auxiliary, Inc. was formed in 1998 as an outgrowth of the New England Quilters Guild. The Guild had been formed in 1976 by a group of dedicated quilters who decided that a quilt museum was needed in New England. To help bring this dream to reality, Janet Elwin organized the first New England Images quilt show in 1983. With the help of many dedicated Guild members, the show was held at the Topsfield, MA, fairgrounds for 12 days. The New England Quilt Museum was established in 1987 and opened in its present location on Shattuck Street in Lowell, MA, on July 24, 1993. The mission of the New England Quilt Museum Auxiliary, Inc., is to promote quilting by supporting the work of the New England Quilt Museum. The show in 2006 will be the tenth Images, which is the primary way the Auxiliary raises funds for the museum. Additional special exhibits are arranged under the aegis of the Lowell Quilt Festival, and other local museums and galleries participate to make this a citywide event. Guilds can become members of the NEQMA and help the Auxiliary achieve its mission. Member guilds receive 3 guest passes to the museum and copies of 4 directories: Guilds, Teachers, Services and Quilt Shops. The directories are a compilation of information of interest to guilds and individual quilters. In addition, member guilds receive advance notice of museum activities and Lowell Quilt Festival information. Fall and Spring Luncheons are held at the museum for guild representatives to network with each other and stay informed on museum activities. All of these benefits are included in an annual guild auxiliary membership of only $15. If your guild or quilting group is interested in joining the NEQMA please contact Janice Maroni, Guild Chair, at jpmaroni@gmail.com The museum now offers free admission for all New England Quilt Museum Auxilliary and supporting quilting guild members on the 4th Sunday of each month from 12 to 4pm. Guilds are invited to sell tickets for their raffle quilts on any Sunday from noon - 4 pm, now through the end of 2008 (not just the 4th Sunday--although only the 4th Sunday is a free day for Guilds to visit the museum. Only one guild each Sunday, so they need to contact Carolyn Larkin at shop@nequiltmuseum.org to sign up for a Sunday. New England Quilt Museum and Quilt GuildsNew England boasts one of the country’s most active regional guild networks. There are approximately 150 guilds in the six New England states. One hundred guilds are members of NEQMA, the museum’s Auxiliary. It is amazing the ways guilds have helped the museum survive and thrive. The guilds have been a cornerstone of the New England Quilt Museum since it was founded in 1987 and they continue to provide inspiration and support. More than that they do it with such creativity. How do guilds support NEQM?
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