Remembering Ardis James
By Janneken Smucker
July 8, 2011
At left: photo of Robert and Ardis James courtesy of the Quilters Hall of Fame
The Alliance for American Quilts is saddened to report that Ardis James -- quiltmaker, quilt collector, and philanthropist -- died on July 7, 2011. When Ardis and her husband Robert James of Chappaqua, New York, purchased their first antique quilt in 1979, little did they know of the impact they would have on the preservation of antique, contemporary, and global quiltmaking traditions. In 1997, after amassing a collection of over 1000 quilts -- including both historic American examples dating to the 18th century and contemporary studio art quilts – they donated the bulk of their quilts to the University of Nebraska – Lincoln to establish the International Quilt Study Center and Museum, now home to the largest publicly held collection of quilts in the world and a leading academic center for the study of quilts and textiles. In subsequent years the Jameses have continued to collect quilts, expanding their interests to encompass quilts made in far corners of the world. They also endowed the Ardis James Professorship of Textiles, Clothing and Design at UNL and donated the lead gift to build Quilt House, the new home of the IQSC&M. The Jameses have also been generous benefactors of many additional quilt organizations, including AAQ.
AAQ and its partners at Michigan State University Museum and MATRIX: Center for Humane Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences Online have been hard at work on a Quilt Treasures portrait of Ardis and Robert James, which will launch in the coming months. The Quilters Hall of Fame will induct Ardis and Robert James as its 2011 honorees.