National Coverlet Museum Is Established

BEDFORD, PENN.

: "It's a dream come true," said Melinda Zongor, in discussing the establishment of The National Museum of the American Coverlet. "This is a banner day for coverlets and the people who love them. It is a concept whose time has come," she said.

Laszlo and Melinda Zongor, longtime specialists in coverlets, have established the first year-round, independent museum devoted solely to woven coverlets. Several collections already pledged to the museum include geometric and figured coverlets from around the country.

"Coverlets are treated like orphans by many general interest museums because there is too often a lack of respect and/or resources for their proper display and storage. Our mission is to provide a caring, living, safe home for coverlets with a variety of displays and programs for exhibition, education, conservation and storage," she said.

Edward Maeder, president of the museum's board of directors, made the formal announcement at the Connecticut Spring Antiques Show, on March 12. Maeder is the director of exhibitions and curator of textiles at Historic Deerfield. In making the announcement, Maeder was joined by Sumpter Priddy III, vice president of the museum board. Priddy is a historian, author and expert in the research of material culture, history and the decorative arts. His award-winning book, American Fancy, was inspired by a coverlet.

Zongor indicated that the museum is gaining support from collectors and museum professionals alike. "Since initial talks with our major donor in October of 2005, we have been able to move very quickly because so many people agree with our concept and recognize the need for this institution," she said. More than 500 coverlets have since been pledged to the museum including the collection of the major anonymous donor that includes a number of rare examples and a few that are one-of-a-kind.

The National Museum of the American Coverlet is to be housed in the former Bedford Common School, in the center of town and only 1 1/2 miles from the Bedford Springs Hotel. Built in 1859, the school is part of Bedford's Historic District and is of the period of the coverlets.

Zongor described the facility as a "two-story brick building on a stone foundation" that will "retain its school room layout, and has a floor plan that will enable us to pursue all the ideas we have in mind." Space for a welcome center, a museum shop, ample display spaces for exhibits of coverlets, weaving equipment and their history, as well as conservation are all in the planning. The auditorium/meeting space will accommodate visiting exhibits and other activities.

A planned reference library will be open to museum members and an array of seminars, workshops, children's programs and special events will take place.

The building has been purchased for $400,000 and it will be self-sustaining with rental income from existing tenants.

Also elected to the board of directors are Eva Burnham, a costume and textile conservator/restorer, who has 35 years of experience with textiles of all types and origins; Stephen George, a retired architect who has served on some 35 boards of major agencies and institutions in Pittsburgh and Bedford; Jes Horwath, a board member of the Colonial Coverlet Guild of America and a retired media specialist and instructor of modern German at Purdue University; Frank Miele, owner of the Frank J. Miele Gallery on Madison Avenue, New York City; and Douglas Schmidt, president of the Cumberland Cultural Foundation and overseer the C. William Gilchrist Gallery (site of the Zongors' coverlet exhibition last June).

Jude Fera, ex-officio member of the museum board, will lead the Collectors' Council, an adjunct group of coverlet collectors who will organize their own special events and programs as well as fundraising efforts, to supplement museum activities. Two honorary board members include the major donor, who prefers to remain anonymous, and Martha Jack.

Melinda Zongor will serve as director/curator, and a full-time conservator/registrar will be added as soon as possible.

The Zongors are members of the Antiques Council, the New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association (NHADA), the Antiques Dealers Association (ADA) and the Colonial Coverlet Guild of America. They have presented coverlet exhibits, lectures, technical consults and general advice for collectors, the antiques trade and the print media for a number of years. They have helped build several major coverlet collections and have dedicated their lives to education and raising the public awareness of coverlets.

The Zongor coverlet collection, also donated in its entirety to the museum, was featured in Coverlets at the Gilchrist: American Coverlets 1771-1889, an exhibit catalog published in 2005. Several other collections are also pledged for eventual donation to the museum, and those coverlets will be available for exhibition and/or study in the meantime.

A viewing area for antique weaving equipment is also planned. "We hope to establish an open and sharing relationship with the nation's general interest museums, historical societies and other institutions that presently house coverlets," said Zongor.

The museum, with the help of friends and collectors, is working with funding sources both public and private. Charter memberships are offered at $40 for individuals and $45 for families. The museum personnel emphasize that membership support and donations are especially important now, in assisting with startup expenses. The museum is incorporated as a nonprofit institution in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

A grand opening is tentatively planned for the spring of 2007. For brochures and information, call 814-356-3777, email coverlets@pennswoods.net or visit the website at www.coverletmuseum.org. The museum is at 322 South Juliana Street, Bedford PA 15522.