The bold, rich colors and striking shapes of historic Amish quilts are highlighted in a new exhibition at the Helen Foresman Spencer Museum of Art at Kansas University.

“Amish Quilts 1880 to 1940 from the Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown” was organized by the University of Michigan Museum of Art. The Browns are UM alumni who have spent 25 years collecting and studying Amish quilts.

The exhibit highlights the variations on traditional patterns in Amish quiltmaking and the importance of quilts in Amish culture.

The Browns chose to focus their collection on the aesthetic complexity inherent in Amish quilts rather than on solely cultural or historical considerations. Consequently, the quilts on view show strong graphic qualities and intense color combinations.

The quilts were crafted during the classic Amish quiltmaking period of 1880 to 1940, primarily in Holmes County, Ohio, the largest Amish community in the Midwest. Textiles from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and Kansas also are shown.

The Amish formed in 16th-century Europe by breaking away from the Mennonite church. Like many groups, they migrated in the 18th and 19th centuries to the United States in search of religious freedom.

The Amish choose to live apart from mainstream culture and modern life in adherence to religious tenets. Their community is steeped in concepts of simplicity, humility and separateness.

Amish women began making quilts around 1850, much later than their non-Amish neighbors. In keeping with Amish principles, they worked with simple designs embellished only with ornate quilting. At first, the colors they used were deep blues and reds, often combined with rust, olive, gold and other earth tones. After 1900, the colors became more jewellike.

The years 1880-1940 are regarded as the classic period of Amish quiltmaking. During this time, Amish quiltmakers in Pennsylvania, Ohio and other settlement areas created a unique body of work that reflected the spiritual values of their fundamentalist communities, while at the same time displaying distinctive approaches to abstract design and color usage.

With patterns distinctively named Broken Star, Birds in the Air, Broken Dishes and Crosses and Losses, the quilts are evidence of creativity wedded with practicality and religious devotion.

“Though the Amish quiltmaker’s concern is chiefly utilitarian, the resulting work blurs the boundaries between daily life and art,” said Susan Earle, Spencer Museum curator.

Guest curators for the exhibit are Robert Shaw and Julie Silbero, two of the nation’s leading Amish quilt specialists.