National Quilt Museum opens Pigment, Dye & Thread on Sept. 18

The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky, will open Pigment, Dye & Thread on Sept. 18, 2026, with 19 works from its permanent collection. The show runs through March 2, 2027 and spotlights how contemporary quilt artists use paint, dye and thread to turn fabric into layered visual art.

Why it matters: - Pigment, dye and stitch are central tools in contemporary quiltmaking, and the exhibition shows how those materials can push quilts into painting, drawing and mixed-media territory. - The show broadens the appeal of quilt art for visitors who may not identify as quilters but do respond to color, composition, texture and mark-making. - The exhibition reinforces The National Quilt Museum’s role as a major venue for contemporary quilt art.

What happened: - The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky, is opening "Pigment, Dye & Thread" on Sept. 18, 2026. - The exhibition will run through March 2, 2027. - The show includes 19 works selected from the Museum’s permanent collection. - The exhibition focuses on how artists use paint, hand-dyeing and threadwork to transform fabric.

The details: - The exhibition highlights a wide range of surface techniques. - Pigment and brushwork create bold lines, expressive movement and delicate washes. - Hand-dyed fabrics add atmospheric color and depth. - Dense stitching and thread painting create detail, texture and visual movement. - Featured artists include Katie Pasquini Masopust, Colleen Wise, Libby Lehman, Sue Benner, Ellen Anne Eddy, Pamela Studstill, Hollis Chatelain, Yvonne Porcella, Diedre Adams, Denise Labadie Snell, Esterita Austin, Karen Linduska, Cynthia Morgan, Chris Wolf Edmonds, Valerie C. White, Roberta Williams, Marilyn Badger, Claudia Clark Myers, Erika Carter and Heide Stoll-Weber. - Works on view include "Terraced Landscape" by Hollis Chatelain, "Allegretto" by Katie Pasquini Masopust, "Dusk" by Colleen Wise, "Composition VII" by Diedre Adams, "Forest Fire" by Heide Stoll-Weber and "Escapade" by Libby Lehman. - The Museum is at 215 Jefferson Street in downtown Paducah. - The Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. - Complimentary parking is available onsite. - Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors 62 and older and military, $5 for students, and free for children under 12 with a paying adult and Museum members. - Exhibition information, tickets and trip planning are available at quiltmuseum.org or by calling 270-442-8856.

Between the lines: - Rachael Baar, curator of The National Quilt Museum, said the exhibition invites visitors to look closely at how materials and techniques shape an artist’s visual language. - Baar said painting, dyeing and stitching each contribute differently to a work and that seeing the pieces together shows how much experimentation and individual expression are possible in contemporary quiltmaking. - The exhibit also frames quilt art as part of a larger visual arts conversation, where cloth and thread can carry the same formal concerns as painting and drawing.

What's next: - Visitors can see the exhibition from Sept. 18, 2026, through March 2, 2027. - The National Quilt Museum will continue to pair permanent-collection works with public programming and visitor services tied to the exhibition.

The bottom line: - Pigment, Dye & Thread puts quilting materials under a closer lens and shows how contemporary artists use them to make highly expressive, fine-art works.