![quilt of Martin Luther King Jr.](https://offloadmedia.feverup.com/secretatlanta.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/08160012/MartinLutherKingstill-1024x847.jpg)
It’s almost time for the iconic Atlanta Quilt Festival, and you definitely don’t want to miss out on all of the excitement this year! From viewing the gorgeous work of professional textile artists, to seeing beginners show the world their art for the first time and beyond, the Atlanta Quilt Festival is truly a beautiful experience! Keep scrolling to get all the details for this year’s festival!
What is the Atlanta Quilt Festival?
The Atlanta Quilt Festival is in its 16th year, and this year, it’s bigger and better than ever before! But first… if you’ve never been to the festival before, you might be wondering:
What is the Atlanta Quilt Festival? The AQF is a non-profit that works to preserve and promote African American quilting and other textile arts. They’re dedicated to keeping the African American textile arts alive and available for the public to learn from, enjoy, and admire! The AQF doesn’t just have quilts, of course, they also showcase some of the most beautiful examples of African American dolls and other fiber arts! They include all genres, including traditional art, modern art, African American heritage style art, and so much more.
During the festival, you can learn about textile crafts, register for workshops, listen to artist lectures, and of course, view tons of incredible quilts.
To learn more about the festival, head to their website here! And sign up for a workshop or two!
Festival Details
When: August 2nd – September 8th
Where: Southwest Arts Center | 915 New Hope Road SW, South Fulton, GA 30331
The Opening Reception for the Atlanta Quilt Festival will be held on Sunday, August 4th from 12pm – 4 pm at Southwest Arts Center. During this reception, guests can expect to view exhibits, shop the various local vendors, attend the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 2pm, and enjoy refreshments! And the best part, the Opening Reception is FREE and open to the public!
Celebrating John Lewis
In 2022, the Atlanta Quilt Festival also embarked on a three-year-old journey of exhibits designed to honor and celebrate the life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis, an Atlanta Civil Rights leader and U.S. Congressman who spent his life tirelessly fighting for rights for Black Americans.
The first installment of the trilogy premiered in 2022, and was called “Good Trouble Quilts: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Congressman John Lewis“. Then, the next year, Part 2 of the John Lewis trilogy, entitled “Thank you John Lewis! I am Your Wildest Dream!”, showcased at the festival. This year, the Atlanta Quilt Festival will unveil the third and final piece to the trilogy, “Getting into MY Good Trouble — Continuing the Legacy of Congressman John Lewis”, which will capture the work that still needs to be done.