Events

Community Projects

Lowell is experiencing a rebirth of new businesses and a growing number of arts and history museums clustered around the hub of the Lowell National Historical Park. It is a city with spirit in its center city and its diverse neighborhoods. Every year NEQM offers a variety of programs designed for local residents to increase the quality of life in the city.

• For several years, experienced museum staff have introduced the FUNdamentals of quilting to girls 7-12 years old at Girl’s Inc., a nearby community organization. Girls sew their first needle books, are given needles, pins and threads for the project, and take home their supplies when the program ends. In addition, the girls may complete a patchwork pillow, an appliqué scarf (winter) or appliqué tote bag (spring) during the four-week program.
• The museum is active in a number of citywide events that offer arts and crafts activities for adults and children. Community Quilting volunteers are key in preparing for and participating in these annual events:
  • February: Winterfest, when the museum offers more than 600 children the opportunity to make their own polar fleece scarves. For a complete list of Winterfest activities, see www.lowellwinterfest.org
  • February: Kids Week’ when children visit the museum to decorate a polar fleece scarf or sew a pillow. For a complete list of Kids’ Week activities, see www.nps.gov/lowe.
    
  • March: Lowell Women’s Week, where quilters and visitors learn about different quilt patterns and their history as related to the event’s annual theme. For a complete list of Lowell Women’s Week activities, see www.lowellwomensweek.org
  • July: Lowell Folk Festival, when children complete a summer fan and become “A Fan of the New England Quilt Museum”. For a complete list of Lowell Folk Festival activities, see www.lowellfolkfestival.org
    

We Will Keep Our Oceans Blue

Since 2004, museum staff have partnered with different Lowell public schools to design quilt projects in conjunction with art, geography, math, or social studies curriculum. Staff visit the schools and bring all the necessary supplies for the class quilt project. Staff and volunteers work at the museum to complete the quilts which are presented to the students when they visit the museum. The latest projects are We Will Keep Our Oceans Blue, with kindergarteners from the CW Morey Elementary School, and There's A Lot to Learn About Lowell with students age six to twelve from the Family Literacy Center.

NEQM collaborates with home school groups, senior centers and other area agencies to introduce quilting to students and adults. If you would like more information about developing a program for your school or community group, please contact Rhonda Galpern at outreach@nequiltmuseum.org, or 978-452-4207, ext 17.

Outreach Literacy and Art Programs

Once again, Outreach is partnering with the CW Morey Elementary School for a new project featuring literacy and art quilts. Students in the after-school program reviewed their favorite stories and designed new book covers as mini-quilts using fabrics. Their individual quilts were displayed in school through June and are being displayed in the museum’s workshop room from June through August.
The Lowell School Department and the Twenty-First Century Grant Program funded the project.
For a slide show of the bookcover exhibit, click here.

Outreach Manager Rhonda Galpern Recipient of State Award

The first partnership with the CW Morey Elementary School, We Will Keep Our Oceans Blue, was one of 52 programs recognized at the 16th Annual Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education Honors by the Patrick-Murray Administration and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs in April. Outreach Program Manager Rhonda Galpern and CW Morey Kindergarten Teacher Deborah Graves received Merit Honors.