VPE adds art project to Kentucky Quilt Trails
Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Friday, September 02, 2011
Gallery (click any photo to view the gallery)
The wooden quilt made by Veterans Park Elementary students hangs on a barn near Mt. Sterling, home of Principal Amy McVey's parents.
While Amy McVey is an accomplished principal and a recognized leader in education circles, she admits quilt making is not in her repertoire.
“My grandmother tried to teach me to sew, but she decided it was a lost cause,” she said with a chuckle.
Thus the irony in students at Veterans Park Elementary choosing to honor her with a giant wooden quilt, now displayed on the side of a barn at her parents’ farm in Mt. Sterling.
“She does good things for us, so we wanted to do something good for her,” first-grader Kelly Clore explained.
Art teacher Kate Christianson guided the entire student body through the two-week project, and the finished quilt was installed late this summer.
“Every time she goes home now, she’ll see something that has come from us,” Christianson noted.
The 8-by-8-foot red, white and blue quilt is a variation of the woven star.
“Because we’re Veterans Park Elementary, we wanted a patriotic pattern,” she said. “The kids were in on the whole process, from measuring off the design to painting it.”
Christianson, who always covers the history of quilting in Appalachia, encouraged her students to research the region and find out more about barn quilts from experts around Kentucky.
“Everybody really loved what they could share with us. They were excited that a whole school was doing it,” she said.
The children learned how barn quilts originated about 300 years ago with the arrival of German immigrants. As paint became more affordable in the mid-1800s, they began to decorate their barns. The practice peaked in the early 20th century as artists combined folk designs, including geometric patterns from quilt squares.
The past 10 years have seen growth in a grassroots movement to honor the heritage of quilt making and historic barn architecture through this revitalized public art. More than a dozen states now have quilt trails to lead sightseers through the colorful countryside.
“I think they’ll be pretty impressed,” Kelly said of travelers who see the VPE product.
McVey registered it with the Kentucky Quilt Trails, which wind through eight counties, including Montgomery. It was a fitting cap to the students’ efforts.
McVey knew all the art classes had studied quilt making; she’d even brought in samples of her grandmother’s handiwork to share. But the gift of the barn quilt was indeed a surprise.
Hiding the project from their principal had been a top priority, according to 6-year-old Kelly: “We kept her away from the art room, and it was back in the corner so she couldn’t see it.”
At semester’s end, the youngsters put on a schoolwide skit and unveiled their artwork.
“It’s really special that the kids did it, and it was a learning experience for them,” said McVey, whose father also was an elementary principal. “It really ties in art and social studies and history and culture. Too, it’s important that the kids see their art is on display. It’s a public display of art they can be proud of.”
Road trip!
The VPE barn quilt is off Howards Mill Road in Mt. Sterling, about three miles from I-64.
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From I-64, take the U.S. 60 exit (#113) toward Mt. Sterling.
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Turn right onto U.S. 60/Owingsville Road.
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Turn left onto KY-1331/Old Owingsville Road.
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Take the first left onto KY-1331/Old Owingsville Road.
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Take the first right to stay on KY-1331/Old Owingsville Road.
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The barn is about 2.1 miles ahead, sitting on a hill to the left of the road.