Great Lakes African
American Quilters' Network
WHO WE ARE
GLAAQN currently has approximately 100 active members.
Our members come from the Metropolitan Detroit area and as far away as Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and New York.
Our members range in skill from beginners to advanced and include a number of skilled teachers.
Our members utilize a variety of quilting methods (machine and hand quilting), styles (traditional and art/improvisational),
fabrics (cottons and silks), numbers of quilts (one per year to multiple) .
We have partnered with leading educational institutions such as the University of Michigan and Michigan State University to engage and promote the art of quilting.
If you are interested in contacting us or joining the organization, click on the "contact us" tab above.
WHAT WE DO
GLAAQN is a regional African American network dedicated to serving the community through quilting and quilt education.
We have regular meetings 6 times per year on the 2nd Saturday during the odd months (January, March, May, July, September and November) at 9:30am. Depending on scheduled activities, our meeting may last 2-3 hours.
Our meeting location is at the Livonia Civic Park Senior Center 15218 Farmington Rd Livonia MI http://ci.livonia.mi.us
As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, we provide quilts to those in need. We currently provide quilts to women veterans and their children as well as residents of the Vista Maria Residential Facility in Detroit, MI.
During even months, we hold workshops and Quilt-a-Thons to support the quilting community and our designated charities.
For our calendar of activities, click on the schedule tab above.
Our History
In 2003, four women returning from a major quilt show in Illinois, shared ideas and dreams of having a network of African American quilters from the Great Lakes region.
They met, pooled their funds and sent invitations to as many African American quilters as they could in the area. GLAAQN was formed thanks to the efforts of these visionary phenomenal women.
Our purpose
To act as an information network for other ethnic and African American fiber artists.
To provide quilts to those in need.
To educate, document, and preserve the legacy of quilting in the form of design, pattern, technique and history in our community.
To provide a forum for cooperative endeavors among all quilt guilds in the Great Lakes region.
To foster education through the cooperative sharing of speakers, teachers and programs, displays and conferences.
To inform quilt guilds and individual quilters of the resources available to them.