Clarksville Veterans Quilt

We are presently living and working in Clarksville, Tennessee, home of Fort Campbell Army base and Austin Peay State University. I recently visited the large Montgomery County Library, went upstairs and found this unusual quilt on the wall. 

The Clarksville Veterans Quilt (2004-2005) – ( a collaborative project with the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library )
“The Clarksville Veterans Quilt” was a public art project that involved the Clarksville – Montgomery County Public Library and the Goldsmith Press. Community members were invited to the library on Veterans’ Day 2004 to typeset and print the names of friends and family members that served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The design for the 9' x 12' quilt was inspired by the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. created by architect Mia Lin. The Clarksville Veterans Quilt hangs in the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library and features the names of 250 veterans. A crew of 75 volunteers worked throughout the summer of 2005 to stitch the finished quilt.

This was a community project funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission, incorporating local families to honor veterans and using the printing press at Austin Peay State University.

The Goldsmith Press is a unique letterpress facility that includes thousands of hand-carved wood letters, typesetting materials and antique printing presses. The wood type was originally created for a New England advertising company, Metropolitan Showprint (est.1890). APSU purchased the collection in 1997.
The letterpress and type collection were named in honor of Arthur Goldsmith — an advocate for public literacy, a lover of books and a long-term supporter of the arts in middle Tennessee. The Goldsmith Press, which has been awarded 11 regional and federal grants, has proven to be a valued teaching tool and a coveted studio for artists, designers and writers.

Most of my reading these days is in the digital form, I rarely pick up a real book, so I was surprised and pleased to see all the activity at the library. The library here is alive and well, I had to park way out in the large parking lot. Parents were helping kids carry out stacks of books for summer reading. 

Some of my favorite things all in one place - quilts and books. I just love to round a corner and find a quilt hanging on the wall. I commend the people involved in this project that combines so many things, honoring veterans, sparking interest in old art forms like printing with wooden letters and patchwork quilts, bringing together the community, all the while creating a beautiful work of art for the public to enjoy.