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Grand Rapids Public Museum
Your place of never-ending curiosity and inspiration is expanding to offer even more access to history, science, and culture.
272 Pearl Street Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
The Collections at the Grand Rapids Public Museum
The Grand Rapids Public Museum has been a collector and keeper of important historical objects and specimens of all types since 1854. The majority of the collection, which spans approximately 250,000 objects, is stored offsite at the Community Archives and Research Center with only about 10% on display within the exhibits at the Van Andel Museum Center. This collection has been preserved for the purposes of exhibition, research, education and the enjoyment of future generations.
What makes the Museum's collecting so eclectic is that most of the donations have come from the community. Artifacts are collected not only for their aesthetic quality or connections to major historical places or events, but the personal stories they tell. The Grand Rapids Public Museum's collection is a community treasure that drives the Museum's vision: to inspire passionate curiosity and a deeper understanding of the world around us.
Among the collection there are over 200 quilts dating back to the early 19th century. With the help of the West Michigan Quilter's Guild, staff and volunteers, the quilt collection is one of the most thoroughly cataloged, photographed and documented of the Museum's collections. In 1990s the "Q is for Quilts" exhibit and electronic database were sponsored by the West Michigan Quilter's Guild for display at the Van Andel Museum Center. The Museum continues to regularly change out a quilt in that exhibit to show the variety of techniques and patterns that are present within the Museum's quilt collection.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum continues to add quilts to the collection. While quilts are not a commonly donated item, when it does happen, usually the history of the maker and the purpose of the quilt is long lost or only a vague recollection by the donor. Quilts and their stories are usually passed down in a family for generations before they arrive at the Museum. They stay in homes because they are such deeply personal artifacts that are often made of old clothing or scrap material that has been intricately pieced together artfully by their maker. In their construction they require a skill, attention to detail and a passion for tradition. The job of a quilt is to literally keep a person warm so when a quilt is gifted it is usually of the most intimate of mementos.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum has been a collector and keeper of important historical objects and specimens of all types since 1854. The majority of the collection, which spans approximately 250,000 objects, is stored offsite at the Community Archives and Research Center with only about 10% on display within the exhibits at the Van Andel Museum Center. This collection has been preserved for the purposes of exhibition, research, education and the enjoyment of future generations.
What makes the Museum's collecting so eclectic is that most of the donations have come from the community. Artifacts are collected not only for their aesthetic quality or connections to major historical places or events, but the personal stories they tell. The Grand Rapids Public Museum's collection is a community treasure that drives the Museum's vision: to inspire passionate curiosity and a deeper understanding of the world around us.
Among the collection there are over 200 quilts dating back to the early 19th century. With the help of the West Michigan Quilter's Guild, staff and volunteers, the quilt collection is one of the most thoroughly cataloged, photographed and documented of the Museum's collections. In 1990s the "Q is for Quilts" exhibit and electronic database were sponsored by the West Michigan Quilter's Guild for display at the Van Andel Museum Center. The Museum continues to regularly change out a quilt in that exhibit to show the variety of techniques and patterns that are present within the Museum's quilt collection.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum continues to add quilts to the collection. While quilts are not a commonly donated item, when it does happen, usually the history of the maker and the purpose of the quilt is long lost or only a vague recollection by the donor. Quilts and their stories are usually passed down in a family for generations before they arrive at the Museum. They stay in homes because they are such deeply personal artifacts that are often made of old clothing or scrap material that has been intricately pieced together artfully by their maker. In their construction they require a skill, attention to detail and a passion for tradition. The job of a quilt is to literally keep a person warm so when a quilt is gifted it is usually of the most intimate of mementos.
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Documentation Project
Michigan Quilt Project Michigan State University
