In conjunction with the launch of the series Why Quilts Matter: History, Art, and Politics, a documentary series to be featured on PBS in fall of 2011, the Speed will air a special preview screening and a talk about the series featuring Why Quilts Matter narrator and quilt expert, Shelly Zegart and Speed Curator of Decorative Arts and Design Scott Erbes.

Have you ever wondered about how people thought, dressed, traveled, and behaved in generations past? One needs only to look to quilts to find out! Since quilts were made—not by artisans—but by ordinary women whose lives they closely reflect, they are founts of information about the people and periods they represent.  The series Why Quilts Matter analyzes quilts from two centuries up to the present, extracting information about everything from the state of transportation to the prevalence of smoking in their makers’ world. 

Featuring appearances by: Shelly Zegart, Kay Polson Grubola, Ricky Tims, James Grubola, William R. Ferris, Matt Arnett, Gerald Roy, Carolyn L. Mazloomi, Maxwell L. Anderson, and Janine Janniere.