January 3, 2011

 

Contacts:

Kathy Gurney, Library Technical Services, 657-1659
Brent Roberts, Library Director, 657-1655
Dan Carter, University Relations, 657-2269

 

Faculty, staff, community quilters provide items for show

 

MSU BILLINGS NEWS SERVICES — Recent cold temperatures and generous snowfall serves as a stark reminder of the unforgiving power of nature.

 

Kathy Gurney and some of the quilts from the 2010 quilt showYet for much of the next two month the Montana State University Billings Library will feature yards and yards of reminders of the warmth and strength of fabric and stitching. As students begin spring semester next week, they will be welcomed to the library by a display of dozens of colorful, festive and warm quilts.

 

The eighth annual MSU Billings Library Quilt Show will be on display from Jan. 12 to Feb. 28 at the university’s main campus, 1500 University Drive. The show is free and open to the public.

 

The show, started in 2004 with a handful of quilts donated by the faculty and staff, has been an ongoing passion of Kathy Gurney, who is the government documents and serials technician at the library. A quilter herself, Gurney favors the bold colors and patterns and contributes to the items that hang from various parts of the library’s ceiling on the main floor. 

 

The show remains increasingly popular among staff, faculty and students and some community groups make special trips to the library to view the show.

 

Open to anyone who wants to show a favorite piece of work or a family heirloom, Gurney emphasizes that the show is not competitive, but a friendly way to share a love of quilts.

 

The public is invited to view the MSU Billings Library Quilt Show during the regular spring semester library hours:  Mondays-Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m.

 

For more details about the MSU Billings Library, check out the Web site at www.msubillings.edu/library, or contact Gurney at 657-1659 or by e-mail at kgurney@msubillings.edu. 

 

PHOTO ABOVE: Kathy Gurney stands in the lobby area of the MSU Billings Library during a previous MSU Billings Library quilt show. A quilter herself, Gurney spearheads the effort to showcase a large number of quilts at the library every winter.