This category has been steadily growing in exposure since its first exhibition, "The Art Quilt," opened in Los Angeles in 1986. SAQA was organized in 1990 by quilt artist Yvonne Porcella; from a founding membership of 50 artists, the current number of 1,700 includes artists, teachers, collectors, gallery owners, museum curators and corporate sponsors. Shaw documented the movement in his 1997 book The Art Quilt. Quilt National, in Athens, Ohio, is a biennial event (next in 2009) dedicated to art quilts. In addition, art quilts are gaining presence at shows like the International Quilt Festival, held annually in Houston, where approximately 15 percent of nearly 54,000 attendees are from other countries. Other notable shows include Quilt Nihon, held biennially in Japan, and the Festival of Quilts, an annual event in Birmingham, England (Aug. 14–17).

"As the art quilt movement grew in the United States, art quilt movements began in other countries," writes Martha Sielman in the introduction to her book, Masters: Art Quilts—Major Works by Leading Art Quilters (to be published by Lark Books this spring). "Some artists report being directly influenced by exhibits or publications of American art quilts, while artists in other countries developed independently and only discovered what was happening in America after they were established in their homelands ... Art quilting has benefited from increasing globalization … websites and international travel make it easy to connect."

The James Collection includes art quilts from the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. Techniques include both machine- and hand-piecing, and additions such as paint, dye, embroidery and appliqué. "Colourwash Spillikins" (1998) by English artist Dierdre Amsden, uses tonal change to create direction and movement. ("Colourwash," also known as "watercolor," is a technique developed by Amsden.) Ruth Eissfeldt, from Germany, explores graphic design potential within the limits of a square in "Atlantis" (1999). British quiltmaker Pauline Burbidge photographs the English countryside and uses the images as inspiration for her abstract designs, such as "Finn" (1983).

There is a vibrant international flow among art quilters and their followers. "We discovered Ursula Rauch’s work in Japan," Bob says, referencing the German artist. Quilt artists like Crow offer tours to Guatemala and workshops in Scandinavia. And museum boards and organizations’ memberships are often multi-national. Yet countries retain distinctive traits characteristic of their land, culture and resources. For example, "Four Fields Meet" (1996) by Canadian Dorothy Caldwell, is a tactile mixed-media. It conveys a sense of Ontario’s hazy, late autumn landscape through the use of resist and discharged dyeing techniques. Fabrics, too, can vary based on locale. "The Sea of Japan in Winter" (1983) by Japanese artist Shizuko Kuroha is hand-pieced using indigenous indigo cotton. (These two examples, along with "Atlantis" mentioned above, will be included in "Quilts in Common," a debut exhibition highlighting work from the IQSC permanent collection.)
 
When most of us think of quilts, it’s American pieces, not those from other nationalities, which come to mind. But in fact, our cherished Log Cabin and Star quilts are relative newcomers to the scene. "Our research shows that piecing fabric, then quilting it for strength and warmth, is a tradition practiced by many cultures around the world," says Ducey. Patricia Stoddard writes in her book, Ralli Quilts: Traditional Textiles from Pakistan and India (Schiffer Publishing, 2003): "A patchwork ceremonial canopy of small dyed gazelle leather squares made for an Egyptian queen (c. 980 B.C.) still survives in a Cairo museum." Even earlier artifacts found in ancient Egypt—an incised statue, a wall painting—suggest quilted materials. She describes early trade routes between the Mediterranean and Asia (where evidence of quilting dates to between the 6th and 4th centuries B.C.), and the introduction of quilting to Europe by returning Crusaders in the 12th century. Stoddard continues, "There is evidence of techniques used in rallis in ancient Egypt and Asia."

Ralli is the name for quilts from the Thar Desert region of Pakistan and India, and they were virtually unknown elsewhere 10 years ago. They are functional, cotton bed covers, made today by women following centuries-old traditions passed down over generations. Stoddard discovered them when she accompanied her husband on military assignment to Pakistan in 1996. Long interested in textiles, she found a colorful quilt in a handicrafts store; it was unlike any of the others. Intrigued, she plied the shop owner with questions and began to seek out similar textiles, even visiting remote ralli-making communities. "These trips were fascinating," she says, "but not for the timid." Generally rallis are pieced; appliqué and embroidery are also valued needle skills. Any of the three techniques can be used as a primary focus or in artful combination. Quilt backings are often a worn shawl; if smaller pieces of fabric are assembled for the backing, they are dyed for a cohesive look. The layers, with a scrap filling, are quilted together with straight lines of closely spaced parallel running stitches.

Because of their functionality, antique rallis are rare. "However, some that were commissioned by wealthy landowners survive because they were preserved," says Stoddard, "and these can sell for many thousands. An interesting clue is to know what kind of fabric is used on the back. If it is a solid piece, then it was probably made to be a finer quilt. If it is patched, it was probably made for everyday use."