Lincoln (Neb.) - Dec. 23, 1997 - The University of Nebraska Foundation has accepted the largest gift yet from an organization in support of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's International Quilt Study Center. It was also the first international gift to the newly developed center based on the Robert and Ardis James' gift of an internationally known collection of 950 quilts.
Tadanobu Seto, chairman of the board of the Japan Handicraft Instructors Association, presented the $25,000 gift on behalf of the association, whose membership of 12,000 is composed exclusively of instructors. The association strives to expand the awareness, understanding and popularity of handicrafts, and to train qualified instructors.
"It is an honor and a pleasure to accept this wonderful gift, especially form our first international donor," said Patricia Cox Crews, director of the center and professor of textiles, clothing and design in the College of Human Resources and Family Sciences. "Such a gift reflects the quality of the James Collection and the growing enthusiasm and excitement surrounding American patchwork quilting in Japan."
Although Japan has a long tradition of quality fabrics, due in part to its kimono culture, patchwork quilts weren't introduced to the country until 1975. The number of quilters has grown so rapidly in the last 10 years that quilting is now the most popular handicraft in Japan.
Seto is also chairman of the Nihon Vogue Co., one of the
largest publishing companies in Japan and the nation's largest
publisher of handicraft books. He and Takuya Wada are also
instrumental in developing "World Quilt '98 in Japan," an
international quilt exhibition scheduled for next June in Tokyo,
which will feature 88 quilts from the James Collection.
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