During the past 30 years, quilts have come off the bed and onto gallery walls, blending function with decoration. It’s easy to see why contemporaries would view the traditional American folk art as fine art: The flat planes, bright colors and abstracted forms play to our modernist sensibilities.

“Quilts: A Thread of Modernism” looks at a dozen quilts from the Spencer Museum of Art’s collection within the context of the modern movement. The exhibition is on view through Oct. 30 in the North Balcony Gallery.

For a look at programming planned in conjunction with the show, visit spencerart.ku.edu.